Study suggests urolithiasis risk with PPVH
Four out of 14 dogs with PPVH also developed urolithiasis.
A new study has explored the link between primary portal vein hypoplasia (PPVH) in dogs and the development of urolithiasis.
Analysis has revealed that almost a third of dogs which had been diagnosed with PPVH would go on to develop urolithiasis.
Researchers analysed records from 15 UK referral hospitals, seeking cases where dogs had been diagnosed with PPVH between 2010 and 2023. Each record was reviewed for clinical signs, biochemical parameters, urinalysis findings and any diagnosis of urolithiasis.
The study hoped to improve understanding of PPVH, a congenital vascular anomaly causing underdeveloped portal veins, which leads to reduced blood flow to the liver. It particularly sought to explore associated prevalence and risk factors of urolithiasis.
Of the fourteen dogs which had a documented diagnosis of PPVH, four (29 per cent) also had urolithiasis.
All four affected dogs had crystalluria, including three with ammonium biurate crystals and one with bilirubin crystals. Three had cystoliths and one had concurrent multifocal obstructive ureterolithiasis.
The dogs diagnosed with urolithiasis showed gastrointestinal signs, however only two of the dogs showed lower urinary signs, such as haematuria or pollakiuria.
Meanwhile acquired extrahepatic portosystemic shunts appeared more commonly in dogs with urolithiasis. These were found in two of the dogs with urolithiasis, but only in ten per cent of dogs without.
This could mean that urolithiasis is less common on dogs with PPVH than in those with congenital portosystemic shunt.
Researchers conclude that dogs with PPVH are therefore at risk of developing uroliths, as well as lower and upper urinary tract stones.
They have now highlighted the importance of diagnostics when assessing dogs with PPVH. Researchers have urged vets to perform urinalysis and diagnostic imaging to assess for urolithiasis.
The full study has been published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice.
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