Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How urine tests relate to protein and infection in dogs
By Meindl, Alison G et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2019·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Relationships among urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio, urine specific gravity, and bacteriuria in canine urine samples.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 394 dogs to see if urine tests could help predict kidney issues. The researchers found that the urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (a measure of kidney health) didn't reliably correlate with urine specific gravity (how concentrated the urine is) or with the presence of bacteria in the urine. This means that if a dog has a urinary tract infection, the protein levels might not accurately reflect kidney function. It's recommended that vets repeat the protein test after treating any urinary infections to get a clearer picture of the dog's kidney health.
People also search for: dog kidney disease symptoms · dog urine test results explained · how to treat dog urinary tract infection
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Proteinuria is a marker of chronic kidney disease in dogs and a risk factor for increased morbidity and death. Predictive models using the results of readily available screening tests could foster early recognition. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether urine specific gravity (USG) and semiquantitative category of dipstick protein can be used to predict urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio (UP : C) and to examine the effect of urine culture results on UP : C in dogs. ANIMALS: Three hundred ninety-four dogs (482 visits) presented to a university Community Practice Clinic or Veterinary Teaching Hospital between January 2011 and November 2015. METHODS: Retrospective study. Medical records were searched to identify dogs for which urinalysis, UP : C measurement, and urine culture testing were performed during a single hospital visit. Urine specific gravity, UP : C, dipstick protein concentration, and findings of urine sediment analysis and urine culture were recorded. Regression or Spearman correlation analysis was used to test for relationships between UP : C and USG within dipstick categories and between UP : C and bacterial colony-forming units per milliliter, respectively. Cohen's kappa test was used to evaluate agreement between urine culture and UP : C testing. RESULTS: There were significant (P < .05) weak negative correlations (Rrange, 0.14-0.37) between UP : C and USG for all nonnegative urine protein dipstick categories. The presence of a positive urine culture did not agree with the presence of abnormal UP : C (κ = -0.06). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Within dipstick protein categories, UP : C cannot be accurately predicted from USG. Repeating UP : C measurement after resolution of urinary tract infection is advisable.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30506746/