En. Behrend et al., HOSPITAL-ACQUIRED ACUTE-RENAL-FAILURE IN DOGS - 29 CASES (1983-1992), Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 208(4), 1996, pp. 537-541
Objective-To assess factors associated with development of hospital-ac
quired acute renal failure (HARF) and to determine outcome of and prog
nostic indicators for dogs with HARF. Design-Retrospective case series
. Animals-29 dogs. Results-The most common inciting causes for develop
ment of HARF were exposure to a nephrotoxicant and advanced age. Morta
lity was 62%, and factors that contributed to mortality were age and i
nitial urine output. Dogs greater than or equal to 7 years old and dog
s that were initially oliguric had an odds ratio of mortality of 8.8 a
nd 20, respectively. The effect of preexisting heart disease on mortal
ity approached significance (P = 0.053). The magnitude of azotemia at
the time of diagnosis was not related to the chance for survival. Dogs
that died had a significantly higher initial anion gap and serum phos
phorus concentration than did dogs that survived. We did not detect a
relationship between cause of HARF and outcome (survived vs died or eu
thanatized). Clinical Implications-In most cases, HARF is associated w
ith a poor outcome. Older dogs may be at increased risk for developmen
t of HARF, and once HARF has developed, have a greater chance of dying
. Prognosis can not be determined on the magnitude of azotemia al the
time of diagnosis or on the inciting cause of HARF.