Reversal of Renal Insufficiency in an Aging Cat: A 5-year Multi-Crossover Case Study

Abstract

Renal failure is a leading cause of suffering and death in domestic cats, with approximately 1 in 3 cats affected.  Current standard-of-care treatment usually involves palliative care, diets restricted in protein and phosphorus, plenty of fluids, and sometimes vitamin D and Omega-3.  But even with early detection, which is difficult, treatment options are limited and often are not very effective.  Dietary restrictions and palliative care are often the best that can be offered, but the creatinine levels tend to inexorably creep upward toward eventual kidney failure and death.  We report the effectiveness of the use of a low-frequency, low-intensity, non-invasive treatment using Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Fields, specifically tuned to inductively generate micro-electric currents in deep tissues (ICES®-PEMF).  This report chronicles the return to normal and then reversion to renal insufficiency in a single cat, when ICES®-PEMF was applied, then withheld, then applied again, over three cycles of application and non-application, over a 5-year period. A return to normal creatinine levels, with a subsequent return to renal insufficiency as indicated by loss of control of creatinine, correlated precisely with the application and non-application of ICES®-PEMF.  The pattern observed during each cycle was as follows:  when applied 2 to 3 times weekly for 20-60 minutes each treatment, creatinine levels declined to normal range within 2-3 months.  During periods when treatment was discontinued, creatinine levels began to climb to high levels again.  We suggest the further study and potential use of ICES®-PEMF as an effective, inexpensive, safe, non-invasive treatment for feline kidney disease.