Outcome of Donor Cats After Unilateral Nephrectomy as Part of a Clinical Kidney Transplant Program.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To compare 1) complications between 2 ureteral harvest techniques (ureteral papilla harvest [UPH] and ureteral transection [UT]); 2) to investigate the prevalence of kidney failure in a population of kidney donors; and 3) to evaluate owner satisfaction with commercially sourced cats adopted after kidney donation. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS Cats (n = 72) that had unilateral nephrectomy for kidney donation. METHODS: Medical records were reviewed and information on short- and long-term complications and evidence of kidney failure was recorded. Clients were interviewed by telephone to ascertain their satisfaction with the adopted donor cats as pets. RESULTS: Seventy-two cats had unilateral nephrectomy. Forty-two owners were able to be contacted for survey data. Twenty-eight cats had complete medical records including serum BUN, creatinine, and urine specific gravity. For these 28 cats, mean age at nephrectomy was 1.9 years (median, 1.1 years; range, 0.5-9.3 years) and mean age at follow-up was 6.8 years (median, 5.1 years; range, 1.0-18.7 years). There was no difference in major or minor complication rates between UPH and UT techniques. Kidney failure occurred in 17.8% of cats. All owners were satisfied with the adopted donor cats, which were obtained from commercial facilities. CONCLUSIONS: UPH is a safe technique in cats being used for kidney donation. Commercially sourced cats make suitable pets after kidney donation. The prevalence of kidney failure in the donor population appears to be higher than that in the general population, but definitive conclusions cannot be made based on this study. Further, prospective study is needed to identify the true prevalence of kidney failure in cats after unilateral nephrectomy.