Persian cat: to the question about PKD

In the fourth number of the magazine 'Friend' the article about polycystic kidney disease of Persian cats by Larisa Voronina was published. It is a pity that Russian owners regarded to this material as to cognitive. Aqlas, this problem stands in Russia not less sharp as in America or Europe, just almost nobody care about it here. After all, in most cases here is occupied with not breeding but reproduction of pedigree cats, just to live easily in the condition of economic crisis. And if to analyse the state of affairs in Russian phelinology, it should to think about - where the many stars of cats' rings disappears, why in many nurseries it is enough big mortality of kittens before one year, why veterinaries can't diagnose, and the treatment doesn't give any result? Maybe it is finally a time for us to bring up given question into public discussion?

What do we know about PKD now? Polycystic kidney disease of cats is heritable pathology of kidneys, discovered in Persian cats. Information about polycystic kidney disease of cats (PKD) in the USA periodically appeared in the literature beginning with 1967, but till 1990 given disease haven't been really studying. At present time, when heritage of PKD and scale of this genetic disease is enough studied, many breeders of Europe and Amarica had a peculiar paranoia, hysterical phobia of PKD. Many breeders from Russia, leaving to european countries on the exhibitions and saled kittens there, including me, had felt it on our own back and perse. But the problem of PKD concerns not only breeders, practicing in Persians, alas, this disease is begun to occur in many breeds, where Persians and Exots were widely used as improvers of type and carriers of rare colors - for example, some lines of the British and Scttish-Folds both importing from european countries and of own breeding have PKD. Our club veterinary several times made necropsy of British animals, died from kidney deficiency and discovered changes of kidneys, similar to PKD's presentations.

How can the owner of animal discover clinical presentations of PKD? This is a depression, loss of weight and diminished appetite, excess thirst, often urination. It is noticed essential distinctions by terms and speed of affection of separate cats, it exists a probability of suficiently late development of disease , and cat may die from other diseases, but not from kidney deficiency. Usually the kidney deficiency is showed when cysts begin to grow. Gradually increasing a kidney, cysts don't give it to functionate properly, that inevitably leads to refusal of kidney. More seldom cysts affect other organs, for example, liver, stomach and urinary bladder.

It is more often to diagnose PKD with the help of ultrasound. Ultrasound is harmless analysis, which allow to identify the disease the very early in stages. All you need for it is to cut the hair in the area of stomach and fix the animal during the short time of medical inspection, to find the presence of cysts. It takes only few minutes with the using of little number and without using sedatives. By having necessary equipment and experienced staff given disease can be discovered since 8 weeks. Usually the older cat the more cysts she has and the easier to find them. Ultrasound diagnose gives the probability of 98% in amnimals beginning with 10 months.

For example, in Germany all pedigree animals must go thruogh the ultrasound inspection at the age of 6 months for to find the presence of cysts in kidneys. If the results of inspection are positive, it is needed to check parents if it is possible. The fastest way to solve a problem is to geld (sterilize) given animals. In thesis about breeding of many Germanic clubs animals positive by PKD are subjected to immediate (!) geld. In the USA the owner decides himself - if the using of the given animal is desirable in breeding, it is possible to get PKD-negative kittens if one of the parents is PKD-negative and the other one is heterozygously positive by PKD. When the got kittens become enough adult it is necessary the ultrasound inspection for to define their PKD-status. By this way it is able to avoid geld (sterilizing) of ill animal and use his bloods for breeding.

For the convinience of owners and veterinaries in Germany, animal, went through the PKD-test, is given to the individual fifteen-unit number with barcode , and hypodermically into the withers of animal microchip is sewed, which bring the given code and lightened the identification of given animal by losing the documents or loss of cat. Label with given number and barcode sticking on the veterinary passport and the pedigree of the animal. It would be great if here, at least in Moscow, there will be clinic, being able to do the PKD-inspection and using similar equipment and experience for the testing and marking of PKD-negative cats. Alas, for today there noone from telephoned clinics couldn't take a responsibility on the inspection of cats from my nursling because of absence of equipment or experienced doctors.

We must discuss this problem of PKD openly, only then we will have a chance to stop it. You know what the people are in our cat's amateurishness. Of course, there will be many gossips and talks, but don't be afraid of talking that your animal has PKD, that people will misunderstand. After all, dilleme is approximately so: to laugh means to risk of being ridiculous, to cry means to risk of being sentimental, to touch others means to risk of involving somebody else into your problems, to show your feelings means to risk to run into misunderstanding, to express your opinion before other people mens to risk of being absurd. But risk must exist, we need to run risks, because the biggest danger in the life is run the risk of nothing. Person who dosen't run the risk of nothing, does nothing, has nothing, he represents nothing. Maybe he will avoid gossips and troubles, but he will not be able to learn anything, can;t change himself and can't love his animals in the right way.

As the heritage of given disease is known, it is possible to solve this problem in the shortest possible time by the right method of it and coordination of clubs' actions, of different systems in this question. It's impossible to do nothing for many reasons. The main reason is the health of our nurslings. We shouldn't increase their sufferings! We shouldn't increase the owners' sufferings when they see how their nursling dies, and the treatment doesn't help.

I offer the veterinaries and owners to begin the discussion of the question of PKD in Russia and to draw up the way of its solution in the shortest time.

Moscow clinic 'Ideal' is ready to do the PKD-inspections of cats not expensive - 300 roubles. With thegiving of medical certificate in any language and picture of kidney. Doctor Irina Inozemtseva.