Anatomical and Intravenous Urography Investigation of the Kidneys, Ureters and Urinary Bladder in German Shepherd Dogs

The aim of this study was to evaluate the anatomical structures of the urinary system in the nephrogram and pyelogram phases, and also to determine an accurate standard for the size of kidneys, ureters, and bladder in German shepherd dogs. This study was conducted on 14 German shepherd dogs with mean age of 2.7 years and an average weight of 35.12 kg. For urography studies, xylazine and diazepam were first administered to each animal to sedate, and then meglumine compound was slowly injected into the cephalic vein. Radiography was performed in the lateral and ventro-dorsal positions at 0, 1 and 5 minutes after injection, and then this procedure was continued every 5 minutes until the 60th minute to visualized the pyelogram phase completely. In the lateral radiographs of each dog, the length of the second lumbar vertebra body was measured to be used as an index in determining the standard size of the kidneys. Based on the results of this study, the mean ratio of the length, width and thickness of the left kidney and the ratio of the left ureter length to the length of the second lumbar vertebra body in German shepherd dogs were 2.69, 1.21, 1.24 and 6.47, respectively. The same ratios in the right kidney were 2.77, 1.30, 1.28 and 8.28, respectively. According to the radiological results, 15 minutes after the injection of the contrast media, the nephrogram and pyelogram phases are observed, which indicates the normal functioning of the kidneys. The exact standards obtained in this study can be used in the interpretation of results and clinical decisions to determine the normal and abnormal size of kidneys, ureters and bladder in German shepherd dogs.