Chronic Progressive Nephrosis

Symptoms

• Lethargy
• Weight loss
• Kidney and urinary problems
• Protein in urine (proteinuria)
• Fixed specific gravity of urine (isothenuria)

Causes

Glomerulonephrosis is hereditary in rats. Some other causes for the kidney disease include:

• High caloric intake
• Obesity
• An excessively high-protein diet
• Old age

Diagnosis

The veterinarian will conduct blood and urine tests on the rat to confirm the diagnosis. A rat with glomerulonephrosis will normally have an excessive amount of protein in its urine. Its urine will also have a fixed specific gravity; this measures the kidney's ability to concentrate or dilute urine in relation to plasma.