Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects both cats and dogs and is a condition commonly associated with aging. Over 10 percent of dogs will develop some form of kidney disease in their lifetime, and up to 40 percent of cats over 10 years of age 3 are affected by CKD.

The nonspecific symptoms of CKD in the early stages are easily missed until the disease reaches an advanced stage and has already caused significant damage to the kidneys. This underscores the need for screening tools that detect signs of CKD sooner and can give veterinarians a wider range of intervention and individualized treatment options for their patients.

Basepaws created the world’s first at-home cat DNA test with these goals in mind. The test provides results for over 115 known feline genetic health markers—65 markers for genetic health conditions and 50 markers for traits.

It also analyzes the oral microbiome to establish the compositional abundance of microbes predictive of the 3 top feline dental diseases (periodontal disease, tooth resorption, and halitosis).

Microbiome results may, for example, reveal the presence of microbes associated with an elevated risk for having periodontal disease, which are often associated with a higher risk for developing CKD.

Basepaws conducted preliminary studies on finding CKD-specific signals in the feline oral microbiome using samples provided through its citizen science research program.

These studies have yielded promising data on distinct microbes whose presence and relative abundance pattern in the feline oral microbiome is a strong predictor of feline CKD.

Visit the Basepaws’ feline chronic kidney disease research blog page for more details.

Basepaws’ clinical canine and feline CKD research program

Basepaws is now building upon and validating its citizen science feline CKD findings with a feline CKD clinical study, as well as launching a new canine CKD clinical study. The company’s preliminary data on CKD-specific signals in the feline oral microbiome make it well-positioned to conduct canine oral microbiome research, and they have already secured early participants for its related canine periodontal disease research project.

How to participate in Basepaws CKD clinical studies

Basepaws welcomes clinical recruitment partners from veterinary hospitals and clinics for its canine and feline CKD clinical studies.

This collaborative effort has the potential to yield new scientific insights that support improved prognoses for dogs and cats suffering from CKD.

Participation involves following a simple study protocol for collecting an oral swab sample from qualifying patients, filling out basic screening information for each sample, and sharing patients’ clinical records.

Compensation is provided for every collected sample that matches particular criteria, and the company will supply the oral swab collection kits for obtaining feline and canine clinical samples, which will undergo shotgun metagenomic sequencing.

To participate in clinical recruitment for these studies, email: science@Basepaws.com. Readers can also visit the Basepaws Research page to learn how to participate in additional clinical studies.