Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Comparing urine protein tests in dogs and cats
By Welles, Elizabeth G et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2006·Department of Pahology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparison of Multistix PRO dipsticks with other biochemical assays for determining urine protein (UP), urine creatinine (UC) and UP:UC ratio in dogs and cats.
Plain-English summary
This study looked at a new urine test called the Multistix PRO dipstick, which measures protein and creatinine levels in urine from dogs and cats. Researchers compared the results from this dipstick to more traditional lab tests to see how well it worked. They found that the dipstick gave results that were fairly close to the lab tests for dogs, making it a useful tool for spotting significant protein in urine, which can indicate kidney issues. However, for cats, the dipstick results did not match up well with the lab tests, so it may not be reliable for them. Overall, the Multistix PRO dipstick could be a good option for diagnosing kidney problems in dogs, but it is not recommended for use in cats.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Urine protein: urine creatinine (UP:UC) ratio determined from the quantitative measurement of protein and creatinine in a single urine sample is the best feasible assessment of clinically significant proteinuria in dogs and cats. A dipstick that measures urine protein, urine creatinine, and UP:UC ratio has been used in human medicine and could have application for veterinary practice. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the Multistix PRO dipstick (Bayer Corporation, Elkhart, IN, USA) to other biochemical methods for determination of urine protein and creatinine, and UP:UC ratio in canine and feline urine. METHODS: A complete urinalysis, including sulfosalicylic acid (SSA) precipitation, was performed on urine samples submitted to our laboratory between February and April 2003 from 100 dogs and 49 cats. Urine protein and creatinine concentrations were determined by the Multistix PRO dipstick using a Clinitek 50 analyzer (Bayer) and compared with the results of SSA precipitation and quantitative biochemical analysis. The UP:UC ratios from the dipstick results (calculated by the Clinitek 50 and also manually) were compared with those calculated from quantitative values. Pearson product-moment correlation analysis and diagnostic sensitivity and specificity (using quantitative results as the gold standard) were determined. RESULTS: For both canine and feline urine, protein and creatinine concentrations determined by the Multistix PRO correlated closely with quantitative concentrations for protein (dogs r = .78, P = .0001; cats r = .87, P = .0001) and creatinine (dogs r = .78, P = .0001; cats r = .76, P = .0001). The Multistix PRO was more sensitive and less specific than SSA precipitation for diagnosing clinically significant proteinuria. UP:UC ratios obtained by manual calculation of dipstick results correlated best with quantitative UP:UC ratios in dogs, and had higher specificity but lower sensitivity for the diagnosis of proteinuria. In cats, UP:UC ratios determined by the dipstick method did not correlate (r = -.24, P = .0974) with quantitative values. CONCLUSIONS: The Multistix PRO, with manual calculation of UP:UC, may be a good alternative for the diagnosis of clinically significant proteinuria in dogs, but not cats. Dipstick creatinine concentration should be considered as an estimate.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16511788/