Retrospective Evaluation of Blood Urea Nitrogen-to-Albumin Ratio as a Novel Biomarker of Illness Severity in Dogs With Bacterial Pneumonia (2018-2023): 30 Cases.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between the BUN-to-albumin (BUN/ALB) ratio and markers of illness severity including mortality, length of hospitalization, oxygen dependence, duration of oxygen therapy, and presence of multilobar pneumonia in canine patients with bacterial pneumonia. DESIGN: Retrospective medical records review, 2018-2023. SETTING: A private practice referral hospital and a university teaching hospital. ANIMALS: Thirty dogs with confirmed bacterial pneumonia MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We found a higher BUN/ALB ratio was correlated with increased length of hospitalization, need for initial oxygen supplementation, presence of multilobar pneumonia, and decreased odds of survival in dogs with bacterial pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: Although the BUN/ALB ratio shows promise as a marker of severity of bacterial pneumonia in canine patients, future studies are warranted to determine optimal cutoff values and how it can be used to predict disease severity.