Structural and functional changes in organs and tissues in polycystic kidney disease in cats

To date, there are a great many research articles and scientific papers covering kidney problems in the feline family, but only a few of them are devoted to polycystic kidney disease. The study was conducted on the basis of the private veterinary clinic "Zoodoctor" in Simferopol, as well as at the Department of Anatomy and Physiology of Animals of the Institute of Agrotechnological Academy of the Crimean Federal State Educational Institution named after V.I. Vernadsky. The object of this study were cats from 9 months to 13 years of age with an established diagnosis of polycystic kidney disease. The aim of the study was to determine the structural and functional changes in organs and tissues in polycystic kidney disease in cats. The paper analyzes the factors influencing the development of the disease. Comprehensive clinical and structural and functional changes of organs and tissues of cats of various age groups were carried out, as well as morphological abnormalities in the tissues of parenchymal organs of cats at different stages of the disease development were established. The revealed functional and morphological changes observed in polycystic kidney disease in cats allow veterinary specialists to use them for early diagnosis and prevention of the disease. The disease is most often diagnosed in cats aged 3 years and older. Polycystic kidney disease in cats occurs mainly in a chronic form with gradual loss of body weight, lack of appetite, increased blood pressure, loss of elasticity of the skin, increased thirst, polyuria and dehydration. Polycystic kidney disease in domestic cats was characterized by the formation of multiple cysts in the kidneys, the sizes of which ranged from 0.9 cm to 2.5 cm, affecting both the cortical and cerebral substance of the kidneys. Histological examination of cats affected by polycystic kidney disease revealed the proliferation of dense connective tissue around large-sized cysts in the renal parenchyma with stretching of the walls of small cysts, the inner layer of which is represented by the basement membrane of the renal tubules, stretching due to the contents.