There's a useful web site which reports statistics on PKD testing to date. Although I'm sure there are many catteries who, for one reason or another, have chosen not to report their results, I find this the best source of information currently available. Taking the stats for US Catteries through 10/8/98 and using MS Excel to manipulate the data, I came up with the following information: Slightly less than one half of the US cats tested are included in the Cattery stats (1547 vs.

PKD expresses itself differently in each cat. And, based on the best information available, it appears that most PKD positive cats die from other reasons -- not from End Stage Renal Failure resulting from PKD. So it is entirely possible to have PKD positives and never have a cat exhibit the signs of renal failure, much less die from PKD. PKD can only be detected by ultrasound or necropsy. Most if not all PKD cases would be picked up on necropsy with histopathology, if that were routinely done.

Based on all available information, not many Persian catteries of any size have zero positives, at least unless they've already tested and eliminated positives from their breeding program. So if "unscathed" means "no PKD positives", the answer is that not many catteries are unscathed. And because we've never been able to identify PKD positives before, the only reason any cattery would be unscathed is pure, blind luck.

Why? Because PKD is a genetic disease, not a communicable disease. So any cattery lucky enough to have only PKD negative foundation stock AND never bring in a PKD positive cannot produce PKD positive cats, and thus will be a PKD free cattery.

The only thing that affects the number of PKD Positives in any particular breeding program are the number: The number of PKD positives cats you've purchased or otherwise acquired over the years that are still in your breeding program. Whether any positives are homozygous or heterozygous. (Note that homozygous positives may not exist ex utero, or may not survive until breeding age.

To date, there is no proof whether PKD positive homozygotes (PP) exist or not. We may not know the answer to this question until a DNA test is available and that test has been used on a significant number of PKD positive cats. quot;In all likelihood, the homozygous state (PP) for ADPKD probably is not viable.

I'm not aware of any evidence that spaying or neutering would put a PKD positive cat at any more risk than any other cat, unless the cat was already in kidney failure. However, since certain anesthesia agents can be nephrotoxic, in my opinion it would be best not to use these agents in any cat with known kidney problems, including PKD. quot;I cannot see how spaying would have any effect, positive or negative, on the progression of PKD.

First thing: Don't panic! In the United States, living with HIV is no longer an automatic death sentence. Many people are alive and well who were diagnosed many years ago. Although HIV can be life threatening, and you will have to monitor your physical health and have regular medical tests, there are many things you can do to maintain a normal life. It's important to learn all you can about HIV in order to keep yourself healthy.

Hyperthyroidism occurs in middle- to old-aged cats with a range of 4–22 years of age and a mean age of 11–13 years.

PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) is a progressive, genetic disease of the kidneys. It occurs in humans, cats, dogs, and other animals. PKD is characterized by the presence of multiple cysts in each Kidney (i.e, bilateral). (See also Is a Single Cyst in One Kidney Conclusive for PKD? and Can Kidney Cysts be Caused by Something Other Than PKD?, below). Research at Ohio State University conducted by Dr.

Melamine has been found in the kidneys and urine of cats that died and in the food they ate. Melamine alone may not be the cause of illness and death because melamine is a relatively non-toxic substance. FDA is examining melamine-related compounds, such as cyanuric acid, also found in pet food. The combination of melamine and cyanuric acid appears to be more toxic than either compound alone.

We do not officially have record of this data. We have been told by cat owners that their older, Positive cats have never been diagnosed with HCM.

For our clients and their cats, the answer is not so simple. So far in the united States there is no reported cases we know of. But the general answer is YES, please review this article http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/resources/madcow.htm .

A positive HIV test result means that you are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Being infected with HIV does not mean that you have AIDS right now. However, if left untreated, HIV infection damages a person's immune system and can progress to AIDS.

The mere fact of testing positive is not enough to merit putting a cat to sleep, although there may be other significant factors involved which do make putting the cat to sleep the best option. There are vets who recommend putting all FeLV+ cats to sleep. If your vet recommends this and you feel comfortable with that decision, then that is the best solution. Sometimes putting an FeLV+ cat to sleep is the best option for the cat, especially if it has acute symptoms and is in pain.

Because there are so many different ways to respond to the presence of the virus, it is impossible to predict exactly what will happen (and when it will happen) to your cat. I've noticed that any 5 vets you ask will give you 5 different answers to this question. The scientists who experiment and publish on the disease are also in disagreement. I have presented two different (published) viewpoints below.

In humans, there are two modes of inheritance: autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive (with at least two, and possibly three different autosomal dominant forms of PKD caused by different genes at different loci). To date, only the autosomal dominant form has been identified in cats. To quote Dr. DiBartola, Professor of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and Co-Editor of the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (one of the Dr.

Currently, the best method to diagnose PKD in living cats is by ultrasounding the kidneys. Other radiological modalities have been used, but have proven to be generally less accurate and more costly. However, even the most skilled sonographer using the best equipment cannot be 100 percent accurate in diagnosing PKD via ultrasound, since the resolution afforded by ultrasound is not sufficient to detect very small cysts.

PKD itself has no symptoms. Only when PKD has progressed to the point of causing renal failure will symptoms occur, and those symptoms will be those associated with renal failure, and not PKD specific. quot;Many cats with PKD will never develop kidney failure so they will have no physical symptoms at all. Their routine blood tests will be normal. Other cats will develop kidney failure, depending on the severity of their disease and how rapidly the cysts grow.

Yes. If you have a cat which tests positive on the ELISA test, you should immediately have an IFA test done. If it tests negative on the IFA test, you should have your cat retested with the ELISA test in 3 months. If a cat does not test negative again in roughly three months, chances are it will always test positive. Vets and virologists have devised an entire classification scheme of the different types of infected cats (transiently infected, persistently infected, etc.

No. Their medical history is probably entirely different from yours. Unless there is a definite active case in the classroom & there has been contact, there is no need to be tested.

Yes. The City of Frisco received confirmation on September 13, 2007 that a mosquito sample tested positive for West Nile virus.

If you have had a positive GBS test result (from the vagina or rectum) during the current pregnancy, and no further tests, you should be offered intravenous antibiotics from the onset of labour or membrane rupture until delivery (antibiotics are recommended if the positive result was from the urine). However, if the positive result was early in your pregnancy, you may have lost carriage by the time your baby is born.

You have been infected with HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, the germ which causes AIDS. It does not necessarily mean you have full blown AIDS at this time. A positive test means that the virus has entered your body through blood, semen or vaginal secretions and that you can spread HIV to others, even if you have no symptoms.

You will need to submit a statement to Employee Infection Control Clinic indicating that you have previously tested positive for tuberculosis as well submitting a copy of your last chest x-ray report.

The DNA oligos are annealed such that they get cloned into the pKD backbone using the SmaI and EcoRI sites. Every pKD plasmid is then tested in tissue culture and its KD ability assessed. We test either by Q-RT-PCR and/or by western blotting.

No! Never, ever. Our boarding units were carefully designed to make sure cats can't even see another cat above, below or on either side.

Yes, absolutely! Cat Chat is trying hard to dispell some of the myths about this virus, and to help as many healthy FIV+s as we can to have the chance at a normal, happy life. We have homed many FIV cats through our Top Cats page, just use our on-line form to send us their details and photograph (if available). Please mention under 'any special needs' that they are FIV positive && List an FIV cat on Cat Chat