Kidney Disease in Rats

Chronic Progressive Nephrosis

Symptoms

• Lethargy
• Weight loss
• Kidney and urinary problems
• Protein in urine (proteinuria)
• Fixed specific gravity of urine (isothenuria)

Causes

Glomerulonephrosis is hereditary in rats. Some other causes for the kidney disease include:

• High caloric intake
• Obesity
• An excessively high-protein diet
• Old age

Diagnosis

The veterinarian will conduct blood and urine tests on the rat to confirm the diagnosis. A rat with glomerulonephrosis will normally have an excessive amount of protein in its urine. Its urine will also have a fixed specific gravity; this measures the kidney's ability to concentrate or dilute urine in relation to plasma.

Treatment

There is no known cure for glomerulonephrosis. Your veterinarian will prescribe medication to ease its symptoms, however, the disease is fatal in rats.

Living and Management

The rat should be placed in a stress-free environment and given a low-protein diet, as protein can aggravate glomerulonephrosis. The diet should also be well-balanced and easily digestible.

Prevention

There is no surefire way of preventing this disease as it is hereditary. However, a well-balanced, low-protein, low-calorie diet should maintain the rat's health and help prevent the onset of kidney diseases.