Symmetric Dimethylarginine: Improving the Diagnosis and Staging of Chronic Kidney Disease in Small Animals.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common condition in cats and dogs, traditionally diagnosed after substantial loss of kidney function when serum creatinine concentrations increase. Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) is a sensitive circulating kidney biomarker whose concentrations increase earlier than creatinine as glomerular filtration rate decreases. Unlike creatinine SDMA is unaffected by lean body mass.

Specificity of a canine pancreas-specific lipase assay for diagnosing pancreatitis in dogs without clinical or histologic evidence of the disease.

Objective: To evaluate the specificity of a canine pancreas-specific lipase (cPSL) assay for diagnosing pancreatitis in dogs without clinical or histologic evidence of the disease.

Animals: 20 dogs from another study with macroscopic evidence of pancreatitis and 44 dogs surrendered for euthanasia or expected to die.

Procedures: Prior to death, physical examination of each dog was performed and blood samples were collected for serum biochemical, serum cPSL, and hematologic analyses.

Analytical validation of an ELISA for measurement of canine pancreas-specific lipase.

Background: The diagnosis of canine pancreatitis is challenging. Clinical presentation often includes nonspecific clinical signs, such as vomiting, anorexia, and abdominal discomfort. Increased serum lipase activity can be indicative of pancreatitis; however, it can also be increased with other conditions.