Clinical Technique: Peritoneal Dialysis and Percutaneous Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Placement in Small Mammals

Peritoneal dialysis can be used in the management of many disease states in veterinary medicine, the most common being acute renal failure. Other conditions that may be appropriate for this treatment modality include removal of certain toxins (e.g., ethylene glycol, barbiturates, ethanol), presurgical stabilization of uroabdomen, hypothermia, hyperthermia, and treatment of fluid overload. Although small mammals including rats and rabbits have been used extensively for peritoneal dialysis research, little is known about the clinical use of peritoneal dialysis in these patients. Peritoneal dialysis and catheter maintenance are time and labor intensive, and potential complications include damage to internal organs during catheter placement, peritonitis, catheter failure, and leakage or infection at the entry site. This article reviews the indications for peritoneal dialysis catheter placement, explains the procedure for placement, and briefly reviews recommended small animal protocols for instillation of dialysate solutions.