What is peritoneal dialysis?

This is commonly known as "washing the stomach." The peritoneal dialysis catheter is embedded into the abdominal cavity during surgery. Dialysis can begin immediately after surgery. During dialysis, the dialysate is injected into the abdominal cavity via the catheter. The dialysate is allowed to remain in the body for about an hour before it is pumped out again. The entire cycle is repeated several times. The peritoneum is used as a natural semi-permeable membrane for removing toxins such as urea and excess fluid from the body to achieve the effect of dialysis.

What is hemodialysis?

This is commonly known as "washing the kidneys." A hemodialysis catheter is inserted into the animal's jugular vein and blood is pumped out of the body and passed through a permeable membrane in the hemodialysis device. Urea and other wastes as well as excess fluid are removed before the clean blood is pumped back into the animal's body.