KidneyChek is a revolutionary product that can help detect kidney disease in cats. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)1, kidney disease, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common problem in cats, affecting up to 30% of cats over the age of 10. It can be difficult to detect early on, as it often progresses slowly and without noticeable symptoms.
Once a cat begins to show symptoms of kidney disease, their kidneys have already been severely diminished. And there’s no cure for kidney disease. This makes it even more important for cat owners to take proactive steps to monitor their cat’s health and catch any signs of kidney disease before it becomes serious.
What is KidneyChek?
KidneyChek is an easy-to-use at-home test that measures salivary urea levels in cats. It works by simply rubbing the test pad on your pet’s gums to collect a small volume of saliva from your cat’s mouth. Immediately after, start a timer for 2 minutes. After waiting 2 minutes, read the color of the test pad (center of pad) to interpret your pet’s test result. The test will change color depending on the amount of urea present, which can indicate whether or not your cat may have kidney illness, including kidney disease. If you get a positive result, you should take your cat to the vet for further testing and treatment options.
Why use KidneyChek?
The benefits of using KidneyChek are numerous: it’s quick and easy to use, it’s non-invasive so there’s no need for needles or blood tests, and most importantly it can help you extend your pets life by catching kidney disease early on when treatment is more likely to be successful. Additionally, since KidneyChek only requires saliva collection from your cat’s mouth, it can be done at home without having to make a trip to the vet.
My Trial of KidneyChek
Having had cats my entire life, kidney disease has unfortunately been a disease my cats have been faced with, particularly as they’ve grown old. I’ve successfully extended the lives of many of my cats by years. I’ve done this primarily through diet and subcutaneous fluid (subQ fluids) administration. The last cat I had with kidney disease, Romeo, passed away at 16 years old. He had kidney disease for three years prior to his passing and maintained a really wonderful quality of life.
KidneyChek is really easy to use and can be far easier than taking your cat to the vet and having their blood drawn. KidneyChek provides two strips per package in case you have a mishap which is really helpful – particularly when you do it for the first time.
Thank you to my kitties who allowed me to try KidneyChek on them.
I tested it out on a few of my cats: Rocket (almost 14 years old), Jady (approximately 11 years old) and Monkey & Snowcap (littermates, both almost 12 years old). All of them are very sweet but have different levels of tolerance when it comes to fussing over them (giving medicine, cleaning ears, etc).
Here’s what I did to administer the test:
- Remove the test strip from the package
- Set each cat up on a table, counter or bed. It helps to have the cat at eye-level to see the mouth clearly and have less of a chance of them bolting away
- Gently rub the strip on the inside gum to get it wet enough to cover the tiny pad (10 seconds)
- Wait for exactly 2 minutes
- Compare the results of the test strip to the color chart provided on the packaging
- Repeat every 3-4 months! (4 months for our cats, is like a full year for us humans)
Tips For Using KidneyChek
If you have a finicky cat that doesn’t allow you to touch their gums, I found the following to be helpful:
- Position the pad away from you – so that it is in direct contact with the cat’s gums. At first, I was tempted to see if the pad was moistened enough and had the pad pointed outward. It’s better to have the pad pointed directly in contact with the gum.
- If your cat is fearful, create test strips similar to the actual test strip out of paper just to get the cat used to it. Practice first for a couple of days if necessary.
- If you have multiple cats, mark the bottom of the test strip with each cat’s name or an initial so you can be sure you have the correct result for each cat.
- Don’t wait longer than 2 minutes to read results. The pad will continue to change color and your result will not be accurate.
Our KidneyChek Results
Given that I have a house of senior cats, and they see the vet regularly, it wasn’t a surprise that some of my cats are considered “borderline” when it comes to kidney disease. When I had my cats in for their physical during the spring of 2022, some of them had SDMA values that were on the upper end of normal.
Here are our results:
- Monkey, 12 year old ginger – Borderline high
- Rocket, 14 year old siamese mix – Borderline high
- Jady, 11 year old persian mix – Normal
- Snowcap, 12 year old domestic shorthair – Normal
- Results Chart.
- Look at center of pad.
- Match center to chart.
Interestingly, the two littermates had very different values. And as a result of this test, I’m scheduling Monkey for a dental appointment. He needs his teeth cleaned and dental disease can contribute to kidney disease, so having this information expedited me scheduling a dental for him.
Overall, KidneyChek is an invaluable tool to help cat parents keep their cats healthy and safe from kidney disease. With its simple yet effective design and ease of use, this product provides peace of mind knowing that you’re doing everything you can to protect your beloved cat from this serious condition. As your cat ages, it becomes increasingly important to check them for kidney disease and KidneyChek is a great way to do this at home and between regular vet visits. If your cat has a positive test, you should take him or her to the vet immediately to confirm the result and begin treatment.
Kidney disease is deadly but when caught early, the signs and symptoms can be managed. With proper diet and treatment, cats can live happily for years with the disease.
How to order KidneyChek
We’ve partnered with KidneyChek to give you an exclusive discount of 10% of your order when you buy a 3-pack! Trust me, you’ll want to have several of these on hand if you want to check how your cat is doing.
Visit KidneyChek.com and use the code CATNIPTIMES10 for 10% off your order when you buy a 3 pack of Kidney-Chek (or an order of equal or greater value).
Sources
1AVMA
If you found this product review of KidneyChek interesting, you might also be interested to read about my cat Elaine and her journey with kidney disease, or this blog about the 7 common diseases to watch out for in senior cats.
