EXPRESS: Serum vitamin D metabolites do not differ between cats with chronic kidney disease and healthy cats.

Vitamin D metabolites are unchanged in feline CKD, questioning calcitriol supplementation recommendations.

This prospective study compared serum vitamin D metabolite profiles between 66 cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) across all IRIS stages and 33 healthy control cats using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Four vitamin D metabolites were analyzed: 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin D3, calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3), and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Contrary to expectations based on human CKD research, no statistically significant differences were detected in any vitamin D metabolite concentration between CKD cats and healthy controls. Additionally, no correlations were identified between vitamin D metabolites and relevant clinical parameters including serum creatinine, age, hematocrit, blood pressure, or urine protein:creatinine ratio. These findings suggest that cats may maintain vitamin D homeostasis differently than humans with CKD, potentially questioning current recommendations for calcitriol supplementation in feline CKD management.

This summary was distilled by AI and may occasionally misinterpret data. Confirm critical details with the primary literature before clinical application.