Clinical importance of borderline proteinuria in nonazotemic cats and evaluation of other risk factors for the development of chronic kidney disease.

Background: Borderline proteinuria is associated with decreased survival in cats with azotemic chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Objectives: Determine the clinical importance of borderline proteinuria in nonazotemic cats.

Animals: A total of 201 healthy client-owned cats ≥7 years of age; 150 nonproteinuric (urinary protein : creatinine ratio [UPC] <0.

Value of repeated health screening in 259 apparently healthy mature adult and senior cats followed for 2 years.

Background: Although regular health screening is recommended, long-term follow-up data in healthy aged cats are lacking.

Objectives: Determine the most common conditions in a large group of apparently healthy older cats and which diseases are manifested within 2 years in cats confirmed to be healthy based on extensive health screening.

Animals: Client-owned cats.

Serum symmetric dimethylarginine in older dogs: Reference interval and comparison of a gold standard method with the ELISA.

Background: Serum symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) is used to screen for renal dysfunction in dogs. The gold standard technique for measuring SDMA, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is not widely available. Age-specific reference intervals for SDMA in older dogs are lacking.

Effect of storage temperature and time on measurement of serum symmetric dimethylarginine concentration using point-of-care and commercial laboratory analyzers in cats and dogs.

Background: Stability of serum symmetric dimethylarginine (sSDMA) during short- and long-term storage has not been assessed for the immunoassay of the Point-of-Care IDEXX Catalyst DX (POC) analyzer and the Enzyme Multiplied Immunoassay Technique of IDEXX commercial laboratory (CL). Also, the agreement between both analyzers is questioned.

Objectives: To determine (a) the effect of storage time and temperature on sSDMA measured by POC and CL; (b) the agreement between sSDMA measured by POC and CL; and (c) the imprecision of the POC.

Comparison of cystocentesis versus home sampling to determine urinary protein: Creatinine ratio and urine specific gravity in cats.

Background: Urinalysis is necessary for the diagnostic evaluation of chronic kidney disease in cats. Performing cystocentesis is not always feasible, but data comparing urine obtained by cystocentesis in the clinic with voided samples collected at home are lacking in cats.

Objectives: To compare urinary protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) and urine specific gravity (USG) and to detect clinically relevant changes in proteinuria substage or urine concentration between urine collected at home and in-clinic by cystocentesis in cats.

Reference interval, longitudinal variability and reliability of activated clotting time in healthy dogs using a point-of-care analyser.

Background: Activated clotting times (ACTs) are used to screen for coagulopathies and monitor heparin therapy.

Objectives: To determine a reference interval (RI) for ACT in dogs using a point-of-care analyser, to quantify intra-subject within- and between-day variability, to quantify analyser reliability and inter-analyser agreement and to study the influence of a delay in measurement.

Methods: Forty-two healthy dogs were included.

Systolic blood pressure measurements with Doppler ultrasonic flow detector and high-definition oscillometry are comparable on population level but show large intra-individual differences in apparently healthy elderly dogs.

Objective: Agreement of systolic blood pressure measurements (SBP) between noninvasive blood pressure devices in conscious dogs is poorly studied. Situational hypertension is expected in clinics, but studies are lacking. This study aimed to compare SBP measurements obtained with Doppler ultrasonic flow detector (Doppler) versus high-definition oscillometry (HDO) in clinics and at home and to estimate the prevalence of situational hypertension in conscious, apparently healthy elderly dogs.

Urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding protein in clinically healthy elderly cats: Evaluation of its potential to detect IRIS stage 1 chronic kidney disease and borderline proteinuria.

Background: Urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (uL-FABP) is a promising biomarker to detect early chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats. Few healthy cats show increased uL-FABP for unknown reasons.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate uL-FABP in a large healthy elderly cat population comparing cats with and without International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) stage 1 CKD and with and without borderline proteinuria.

Renal biomarkers in cats: A review of the current status in chronic kidney disease.

Serum creatinine concentration, the classical biomarker of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats, has important limitations that decrease its value as a biomarker of early CKD. Recently, serum symmetric dimethylarginine concentration was introduced as a novel glomerular filtration rate biomarker for the early detection of CKD in cats. However, data on its specificity are still limited.

Liver-type fatty acid-binding protein and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in cats with chronic kidney disease and hyperthyroidism.

Background: Liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) are candidate biomarkers for the detection of early chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats.

Objective: To evaluate urinary and serum L-FABP and NGAL concentrations in CKD cats and in hyperthyroid cats before and after radioiodine ( I) treatment.

Animals: Nine CKD cats, 45 healthy cats and hyperthyroid cats at 3 time points including before (T0, n = 49), 1 month (T1, n = 49), and 11 to 29 months after (T2, n = 26) I treatment.

Long-term follow-up of renal function assessing serum cystatin C in dogs with diabetes mellitus or hyperadrenocorticism.

Background: Serum cystatin C (sCysC) is used as biomarker for glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The effects of diabetes mellitus (DM) on renal function in dogs are unclear. Some renal variables have been evaluated in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism (HAC), but not sCysC.