Comparative Pathophysiological Aspects of the Glomerulonephritis Associated With Pyometra in Dogs

Abstract

This report deals with some clinical features of bitches with pyometra accompanied by polyuria. According to previous morphological studies a glomerulonephritis often acompanies pyometra in bitches. The renal dysfunction of pyometra has been compared with observations made on human beings with morphologically similar nephropathies. Reduction of the glomerular filtration rate and filtration fraction, the occurrence of proteinuria, and hypercholesterolaemia are clinical features in common. The reduced concentrating ability of pyometra bitches — probably the result of toxin released from the uterus — gives polyuria, a clinical sign which does not appear in human beings with glomerulonephritis. Other differences are the absence of oedema and hypertension in pyometra bitches. These differences do not necessarily imply a difference in the nature of the renal damage; they more likely represent species differences in reaction patterns. Possible causal relationships between the different functional abnormalities and between the functional abnormalities and the morphological changes are discussed.