The equine kidneys not only have very different shapes compared to the rest of the domestic species but they also each have a different shape. The right kidney is described as heart shaped whilst the left is described as being pyramidal. Each organ weighs approximately 700g and both are dorsoventrally flattened. The kidneys are basically unipyramidal and the only demarcation between what were the multiple pyramids of the foetus are the interlobar arteries. This is not always the case in the foal where it is common to be able to identify lobes and the external surface is not always smooth. The horse has a single renal papilla like the dog and its renal pelvis is large and irregular with 2 recesses (finger like processes). The cells of its pelvis secret mucin giving the urine its cloudy appearance. | The equine kidneys not only have very different shapes compared to the rest of the domestic species but they also each have a different shape. The right kidney is described as heart shaped whilst the left is described as being pyramidal. Each organ weighs approximately 700g and both are dorsoventrally flattened. The kidneys are basically unipyramidal and the only demarcation between what were the multiple pyramids of the foetus are the interlobar arteries. This is not always the case in the foal where it is common to be able to identify lobes and the external surface is not always smooth. The horse has a single renal papilla like the dog and its renal pelvis is large and irregular with 2 recesses (finger like processes). The cells of its pelvis secret mucin giving the urine its cloudy appearance. |