Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Urine test results linked to bacteria in dogs and cats without active
By Broadbridge, C & Williams, T L·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2023·Department of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of haem dipstick pad, urine protein, urine pH and urine protein:creatinine ratio results as a marker of bacteriuria in dogs and cats with inactive urine sediment.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at urine tests in dogs and cats to see if they could help detect urinary infections (bacteriuria) when there were no signs of active sediment in the urine. Out of 668 dog samples, 25% showed a positive culture for bacteria, while only 17% of 169 cat samples did. The results indicated that a positive result on a haem dipstick test (which checks for blood in the urine) was linked to a higher chance of a urinary infection in dogs, but not in cats. While the haem dipstick could be a helpful screening tool for dogs, more research is needed to confirm its effectiveness.
People also search for: dog urine infection symptoms · cat urinary tract infection treatment · haem dipstick test for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of haem dipstick pad, urine protein, urine pH and urine protein:creatinine ratio results as a marker of bacteriuria in dogs and cats with inactive urine sediment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cats and dogs with contemporaneous urine dipstick, microscopic sediment analysis and microbiological culture and sensitivity results over a four-year period (2016 to 2020) were retrospectively identified. Dogs and cats with active urine sediments (at least five erythrocytes and/or five leukocytes per high-power field) and/or spermaturia were excluded. Association between urine pH, haem dipstick result, protein dipstick result and urine protein:creatinine ratio with bacteriuria were evaluated using binary logistic regression analysis. Likelihood ratios for bacteriuria were calculated at different diagnostic thresholds. RESULTS: A total of 668 and 169 dog and cat urine samples were included. Of these, 166 dogs (25%) had a positive urine culture, whilst only 29 cats (17%) had a positive urine culture. In dogs and cats, any positive haem dipstick result was significantly associated with bacteriuria, although only a ≥4+ haem positive result in dogs was associated with a small increase in the likelihood of a positive urine culture, and positive likelihood ratios did not support the use of haem dipstick results as a screening test for bacteriuria in cats. pH, urine protein:creatinine ratio and protein dipstick results were not associated with bacteriuria. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings provide proof of concept that haem dipstick pad results in dogs with inactive sediment and without spermaturia might be useful as a screening test for bacteriuria, although further studies are required to confirm these findings.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37122145/