Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Urine calcium to creatinine ratios in male Miniature Schnauzers
By Carr, Susan V et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2020·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Measurement of preprandial and postprandial urine calcium to creatinine ratios in male Miniature Schnauzers with and without urolithiasis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of male Miniature Schnauzers, some with and some without calcium oxalate (CaOx) stones, were tested to see if measuring urine calcium levels before and after meals could help identify those at risk for developing stones. The results showed that the dogs with stones had higher levels of calcium in their urine, but the timing of the urine collection after eating didn't significantly change the results. This simple urine test could be useful for vets to help detect potential stone problems in these dogs.
People also search for: Miniature Schnauzer calcium oxalate stones · dog urine test for stones · how to prevent stones in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: We aimed to identify a simple test for excessive calciuresis and predict calcium oxalate (CaOx) disease in Miniature Schnauzers. We investigated the impact of postprandial time on the urine calcium to creatinine ratio (UCa/Cr) in male dogs of this breed, with the goal of improving the utility of the UCa/Cr. HYPOTHESES: (1) Significant differences will exist in preprandial and postprandial UCa/Cr between CaOx urolith-forming and control Schnauzers. (2) The UCa/Cr will increase significantly from the first morning baseline at ≥1 postprandial time point(s) in both control and CaOx urolith-forming dogs. (3) Biochemical abnormalities and other variables may be associated with urolith status. ANIMALS: Twenty-four male Miniature Schnauzer dogs, consisting of 9 with (urolith formers) and 15 without (controls) CaOx uroliths. METHODS: Urine was collected before and 1, 2, 4, and 8 hours after feeding a standardized diet. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was performed to identify the UCa/Cr cutoff that most accurately differentiates dogs based on urolith status. RESULTS: Urolith formers had significantly higher mean UCa/Cr over the course of 8 hours. The postprandial change in UCa/Cr was not significant at any time point between or within groups. The cutoff UCa/Cr value of 0.06 had a specificity of 93% (95% confidence interval [CI], 80%-100%) and a sensitivity of 56% (95% CI, 21%-86%) for identifying CaOx urolithiasis. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Urolith-forming male Miniature Schnauzers have excessive calciuresis, and the postprandial sampling time up to 8 hours is not critical. This simple urine measurement has potential as a marker of CaOx disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31926039/