Case series summary: The medical records from 25 cats with feline plasma cell pododermatitis (PCP) and concurrent glomerular disease presenting between 2017 and 2025 were reviewed. The aim of this study was to highlight that feline patients with PCP may be predisposed to glomerular disease and to document the clinical presentations of these patients. Inclusion criteria included diagnosis of PCP by physical exam or histopathology and diagnosis of glomerular disease via renal histopathology or urine SDS–PAGE. Data collected included signalment, physical exam findings, clinicopathologic parameters, imaging results, urinalysis, urine SDS–PAGE results, renal histopathology, treatment protocols and survival times. Affected cats were most commonly young (<5 years old) and neutered males. Clinicopathologic abnormalities included marked anemia, hyperglobulinemia and proteinuria, though urine protein-to-creatinine ratios varied widely between patients. Renal ultrasound findings were typically nonspecific. Urine SDS-PAGE consistently demonstrated evidence of glomerular dysfunction and renal histopathology demonstrated immune complex glomerulonephritis in 14/17 cases (82%). Immunosuppressive therapy was the primary treatment for renal disease but was often delayed due to challenges diagnosing glomerular dysfunction as the underlying cause of renal disease. Median survival times after onset of renal disease were short, at approximately 1 month. Relevance and novel information: Our findings suggest that plasma cell pododermatitis, particularly in young males, can be associated with concurrent glomerular disease which is often immune mediated in nature. Urine SDS–PAGE may be useful in identifying underlying glomerular damage. Median survival times in these patients are poor, emphasizing the need to closely monitor cats presenting with PCP for evidence of developing glomerular disease.
Sarkan et al. (Tue,) studied this question.