About Polycystic Kidney Disease testing (PKD)

PKD is a crippling disease and could be fatal. The PKD DNA test is offered starting at just  for one Cat. Your results will be ready in 2-3 weeks from the moment we receive your samples at the laboratory.

Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is a condition which is prevalent in Persian cats. It causes cysts on the ovaries and swelling, abdominal pain and often results in death as the kidneys become overwhelmed by the liquid filled sacs. Because of the characteristically large number of cysts, draining each cyst is generally impossible and vets will suggest putting the animal down. DNA testing offers the only way of preventing the disease by selectively mating only those felines that are free of the gene responsible for PKD. If you are interested in buying a kit but are concerned about whether or not it carries the gene, you can carry out our DNA test.

The disease does not require a copy of the gene from both parents to develop and thus, from a litter of kittens having one parent carrying the PKD gene, half will suffer from the condition. This is due to the fact that the PKD gene is dominant. The onset of the disease usually happen quite late in the cat’s life, which means that by then, many litters could have been affected with the gene.

Why carry out a PKD DNA test?

Your cat’s health and wellbeing is of paramount importance. Polycystic kidney disease is not always easy to diagnose. Usually an ultrasound can be carried out in older cats and the cysts will be visible on the kidneys if the cat has developed the illness to an extent which is clearly visible under an ultrasound. In younger cats, the cysts may be too small to see. A PKD DNA test is more advantageous because you can determine whether your cat carries the disease causing gene even before the disease has set it. The information you can get from our PKD test is thus priceless.

• As a breeder you can exclude any cats carrying the PKD gene from mating, thus providing buyers with PKD free cats.
• As a buyer, you may want to consider running a DNA test for PKD disease on a cat you wish to purchase to confirm that cat is free of the genetic mutation.

How can I order my test?

If you are interested in this test, kindly contact us directly with a detailed explanation of the service you require. We can provide you with a personalised consultation and quote. Orders can then be place over the phone or by email.

It really is so simple

Once you have confirmed your order, easyDNA will send out your sample collection kit. Our kit will make it possible for you to collect the required DNA sample from the cat by simply rubbing a swab inside the mouth of the cat and then allowing the swabs to dry. We will provide you with instructions. Our test can be carried out on cats of any age (although nursing kittens will need to be separated from the mother for 30 minutes prior to collecting their samples). Results for your PKD DNA test will be ready in 2-3 weeks following the receipt of samples at the laboratory.