title: Hypothermia in Uremic Dogs and Cats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prevalence of uremic hypothermia (UH) and the effects of improving uremia on body temperature have not been determined in veterinary patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of UH and correlations between uremia and body temperature in patients undergoing intermittent hemodialysis (IHD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Uremic dogs (n = 122) and cats (n = 79) treated by IHD at the Bobst Hospital of the Animal Medical Center from 1997 to 2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of medical records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of hypothermia was 38% in azotemic cats and 20.5% in azotemic dogs. Statistically significant temperature differences were observed between uremic and nonuremic dogs (nonuremic: mean, 100.8°F; range, 91.2-109.5°F; uremic: mean, 99.9°F; range, 95.6-103.8°F; P < .0001) and cats (nonuremic: mean, 100.6°F; range, 94.0-103.8°F; uremic: mean, 99.3°F; range, 92.3-103.4°F; P < .0001). In dog dialysis patients, significant models included (1) timing (pre-dialysis versus post-dialysis) with weight class (small [P < .0001], medium [P = .016], and large breed [P = .033] dogs), (2) timing with serum creatinine concentration (P = .021), and (3) timing with BUN concentration (P < .0001). In cat dialysis patients, there was a significant interaction between timing and weight as a categorical variable (<5 kg and ≥5 kg).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Uremic hypothermia appears to be a clinical phenomenon that occurs in cats and dogs. Uremic patients are hypothermic compared to ill nonuremic patients and body temperatures increase when uremia is corrected with IHD in dogs and in cats >5 kg. In cats, UH seems to be a more prevalent phenomenon driven by uremia. Uremic hypothermia does occur in dogs, but body weight is a more important predictor of body temperature.
authors.affiliation: The Animal Medical Center, New York, NY. elena.kabatchnick@amcny.org.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kabatchnick
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Langston
authors.affiliation: The Animal Medical Center, New York, NY.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.affiliation: Lamb Scientific Writing and Statistical Consulting, West Saint Paul, MN.
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Lamb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002415:Cats; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000662:veterinary; D014511:Uremia / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*
keywords: Blood urea nitrogen; Body temperature; Creatinine; Uremia; Uremic hypothermia