Update on the Current Status of Kidney Transplantation for Chronic Kidney Disease in Animals.

Kidney transplantation is a novel treatment option for cats suffering from chronic renal failure or acute irreversible renal injury. Improvement in quality of life as well as survival times of cats that have undergone transplantation has helped the technique to gain acceptance as a viable treatment option for this fatal disease. This article reviews information regarding the optimal time for intervention, congenital and acquired conditions that have been successfully treated with transplantation, recipient and donor screening, immunosuppressive therapy, recent advances in anesthetic and surgical management, postoperative monitoring and long-term management, and troubleshooting perioperative and long-term complications.