PKD / CIN
PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) PKD is the abbreviation for Polycystic Kidney Disease, an inherited disorder in cats. There is no cure for PKD: sooner or later the cat will die of kidney failure. PKD is dominantly hereditary PKD can be diagnosed at an early stage (from 6 months) with testing PKD – what does it mean? Cats with PKD have multiple fluid-filled cavities called cysts in both kidneys. The older the cat gets, the more cysts will develop and the larger the cysts will become. These cysts depress healthy kidney tissue, resulting in a decline in kidney function. Eventually, chronic renal failure will develop. Real complaints usually only arise at a later age: around 6 to 7 years of age, the cat starts to develop complaints that indicate kidney problems. Why test for PKD? Testing for PKD is necessary because PKD positive cats simply should not be bred. PKD can be detected at an early stage by means of an ultrasound, so you can exclude these animals from breeding. When breeding with a PKD sufferer, this cat may have sired several generations before the disease manifests itself! This is therefore not necessary at all, because with the help of an ultrasound by a specialized veterinarian, the diagnosis can be made at an early stage. PKD – what are the symptoms? As long as the kidneys are still functioning sufficiently, there will be no complaints. As soon as more than 70% of the kidney tissue is affected, the cat will develop symptoms of kidney failure: loss of appetite, weight loss, drinking a lot and urinating a lot, less active, on abdominal palpation the vet can feel large lumpy kidneys, dehydration (the skin remains if you lift it), pale mucous membranes due to anemia, vomiting, bad breath, diarrhoea, listlessness and weakness, poor grooming and a moth-eaten coat. However, it can take years for these symptoms to show up. To support the kidneys as much as possible, chronic renal failure can be 'treated' by means of medicines and a special kidney diet. This relieves the kidneys and makes the process slower. It is possible to have a cat admitted to flush the kidneys using an IV: a kind of dialysis. The question is whether that is desirable for a cat and who makes you happy with it: yourself or your cat?