Renal failure in a koala

Plasma biochemistry and urinalysis variables of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) with and without oxalate nephrosis

“…The USG interval for koalas is similar to that found in the domestic cat, for which renal insufficiency is indicated at USG < 1.034 when paired with azotemia, and renal failure at USG < 1.012 . In koalas, a case of renal failure was previously reported as USG ≤ 1.017, and based on this presumptive threshold, renal failure was present in 25% koalas with oxalate nephrosis in the current study. The low proportion of koalas in renal failure in this study may reflect that euthanasia on welfare grounds was performed at an earlier stage of renal disease, prior to the development of isosthenuria.…”

“…In one study of koalas from New South Wales, the RI for plasma creatinine was 80–150 μmol/L, and for urea 0.2–6.6 mmol/L, whilst in another study, mean USG was determined as 1.087 (interval 1.062–1.135) . A previously published case report of renal failure in a Victorian koala due to acute tubular necrosis described increased plasma creatinine (581 μmol/L) and urea (29.9 mmol/L), and decreased USG (1.017), consistent with azotemia of renal origin . In the Mount Lofty Ranges region in SA, a study of renal disease in 11 koalas in the years 1995–2000 reported mean urea as 30 ± 4 mmol/L and USG < 1.040…”