$40 AUD (Approximately $ 38 USD / 24 EUR)

Animal DNA Laboratory is pleased to announce that they are now licensed to offer feline PKD testing.

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) in cats is an autosomal dominant condition affecting approximately 36% of Persian cats. This means that only one copy of the gene is required to be inherited to produce PKD, hence half of a PKD positive cat’s offspring will inherit PKD. Also being a autosomal dominant condition means that breeding a normal “Clear” cat with a heterozygous “Positive” cat (ie one bad copy of the gene) will result in approximately half their offspring inheriting the PKD gene.

Recent research at the University of California, Davis uncovered the causative mutation in the PKD1 gene. A change in the DNA sequence at nucleotide 10063 was found that results in the creation of a stop codon. In other words, the correct size and shaped protein can no longer be made.

Cats with the PKD mutation will develop PKD in its lifetime, however the DNA test cannot predict the age of onset of the disease nor its severity.

PKD mutations have been found in many cat breeds including Persians, Exotics, Himalayans, British Shorthairs, American Shorthairs, Ragdolls, as well as Persian first generation out-crosses.

You can now screen your cat(s) for PKD simply by receiving one of our free sample collection kits. These allow you to take a simple mouth swab of your cat. The sample can then be sent to our laboratory from anywhere in the world by mail. Once received in our laboratory results will be available within 5 working days.

The test can be performed on cats of any age, so long as you can obtain a reliable sample.

Your report certificate will state whether your cat is “Clear” of the mutation or that it is “Positive”, and therefore does, or will develop PKD.

• Request for free DNA collection sample kit
• View sample collection procedure