Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
SDMA blood levels in dogs with protein-losing enteropathy
By Park, Yeon Joon et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2025·Institute of Infection, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A Retrospective Evaluation of Serum Symmetric Dimethylarginine Concentration in Dogs With Protein-Losing Enteropathy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 17 dogs with protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) had higher levels of a specific blood marker (SDMA) compared to healthy dogs. After treatment, the SDMA levels decreased significantly, indicating an improvement. Additionally, the dogs with PLE had lower protein levels in their blood before treatment, but these levels increased after they received care, although they still remained lower than those of healthy dogs. This suggests that monitoring SDMA could be helpful in managing dogs with PLE, but more research is needed to understand its full significance.
People also search for: dog protein-losing enteropathy treatment · high SDMA levels in dogs · dog low protein blood levels
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Serum symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) is abnormally increased in people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Changes in dogs with gastrointestinal disease, such as protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), have not been assessed. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate SDMA concentration in non-azotemic dogs with PLE. ANIMALS: A total of 127 client-owned dogs, 17 with PLE, 34 controls matched for age, breed, sex, and neuter status, and 76 additional controls for multiple linear regression modeling. METHODS: Retrospective case-control study. The clinical records of a United Kingdom referral hospital were reviewed. Dogs with azotemia or prior glucocorticoid or immunosuppressive treatment were excluded. Dogs diagnosed with PLE that had serum symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) concentrations measured were compared with the matched controls. Signalment, clinical presentation, clinicopathological abnormalities, treatment, and SDMA concentration pre- (PLE-T0) and post- (PLE-T1) treatment were recorded. RESULTS: At baseline, SDMA concentration was higher in PLE (T0, 15.2 ± 2.02 μg/dL) than in control (11.0 ± 3.13 μg/dL) dogs (p < 0.001; Hedge's G, 1.48), but decreased with treatment (PLE-T1: 10.3 ± 2.78 μg/dL; T0 vs. T1: p = 0.01, Hedge's G, 1.31). Serum creatinine concentration was similar in PLE (T0, 0.81 ± 0.24 μg/dL) and control (0.85 ± 0.26 μg/dL) dogs at baseline (p = 0.57; Hedge's G, 0.18). Serum albumin concentration was lower in PLE (1.60 ± 0.51 g/dL) than in control (2.96 ± 0.49 g/dL) dogs (p < 0.001; Hedge's G, 2.68) before treatment, but increased with treatment (PLE-T1: 2.29 ± 0.65 g/dL; T0 vs. T1: p = 0.003; Hedge's G, 1.14), although it remained lower than the concentration in controls (p = 0.002; Hedge's G, 1.23). No other clinicopathological differences were evident. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Serum SDMA concentration is increased in dogs with PLE; the clinical relevance of this finding requires further investigation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40123416/