Evaluation of mean gray values of a cat with chronic renal failure: case report

ABSTRACT In this case, a 12-year-old female domestic cat with chronic renal failure (CRF), which had lived longer than the mean survival time for cats with that condition, was monitored to evaluate the effects of treatment and mean gray value (MGV) changes. The cat has lived for nearly four years since the diagnosis. Probiotics have been used as an additional, classical supportive therapy since the beginning of treatment. The temporal changes in renal MGV were statistically evaluated in the last year of the four-year period. The cat had a comfortable existence and good body condition all her life and probiotic therapy may have had a positive influence post-CRF diagnosis. Ultrasonography (US) examination is a commonly used tool for monitoring the CRF situation, but it is not particularly sensitive. Therefore, MGV may be more useful for the quantitative evaluation of the extent of renal failure. Also, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report for a long-term clinical evaluation of MGV in a cat with CRF. The aim of this case report was the evaluation of the relationship between MGV and clinical and biochemical changes in a cat with chronic renal failure.