Determination of age-specific reference intervals for selected serum and urinary biomarkers in elderly cats.

J Feline Med Surg

Small Animal Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

Published: November 2023

Objectives: Annual health screening is recommended in elderly cats to allow the early detection of conditions such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hyperthyroidism. Nevertheless, age-specific reference intervals (RIs) for renal and thyroid parameters in this population are lacking. The aim of this study was to determine age-specific RIs for selected serum and urine biomarkers related to CKD and hyperthyroidism, namely serum creatinine (sCr), symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), phosphate (P), total calcium (tCa), total thyroxine (TT4), urinary protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) and urine specific gravity (USG). These RIs were established for elderly cats (aged ⩾7 years) in general, as well as for mature adult cats (aged 7-10 years) and senior cats (aged >10 years) separately.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted on client-owned cats aged ⩾7 years and considered healthy by their owners. The cats were screened to rule out metabolic and systemic diseases by means of a thorough history, complete physical examination, blood examination and urinalysis. The data from 206 healthy elderly cats (134 mature adult and 72 senior cats) were included. Age-appropriate RIs were determined following the guidelines of the American Society of Veterinary Clinical Pathology and compared with existing laboratory RIs.

Results: Clinically relevant differences between the age-specific RI and the laboratory RI were found for several variables. Compared with the laboratory RI, the upper limit of the RI for cats aged ⩾7 years was lower for sCr, TT4 and P, and higher for SDMA. The lower limit of the age-appropriate RI was lower for USG. The new RI was almost identical to the existing laboratory RI for tCa and UPC.

Conclusions And Relevance: Using age-specific RIs for renal and thyroid biomarkers in mature adult and senior cats has important clinical consequences for the interpretation of health screening results in elderly cats. This confirms the need to adapt laboratory RIs to the specific animal population for which the RI will be used.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10812001PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1098612X231207492DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

elderly cats
20
cats aged
20
cats
12
aged ⩾7
12
⩾7 years
12
mature adult
12
senior cats
12
age-specific reference
8
reference intervals
8
selected serum
8

Similar Publications

Capnocytophaga canimorsus in Iliac Artery Mycotic Aneurysm: The Role of Molecular Diagnostics.

Am J Case Rep

January 2025

Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Mayo Clinic Health System, Eau Claire, WI, USA.

BACKGROUND The bacterial organism Capnocytophaga canimorsus is an oral commensal of cats and dogs and can cause life-threatening infections like mycotic aneurysm, meningitis, and sepsis. Mycotic aneurysms occur when microbial infections cause arterial wall degeneration. Difficulty in diagnosing Capnocytophaga canimorsus infection can occur due to the bacteria's fastidious nature and laboratory testing limitations, contributing to the infection's high morbidity and mortality.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Baseline Estimates for Companion Animals Living in Households in Hawai'i: Associated Socio-Demographic, and Select Health Variables, as Measured by a Household Survey.

Hawaii J Health Soc Welf

January 2025

Retired, Research Statistician Hawai'i Department of Health, Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Hawai'i, Office of Public Health Studies, Honolulu, HI.

Information on companion animals in Hawai'i is lacking. The Hawai'i Department of Health's Hawai'i Health Survey, collected data on adults and households by telephone interview. National estimates of companion animals range from 50-67%.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Antemortem diagnostic tests and treatment outcomes using ivermectin in 13 cases of presumptive feline neurocuterebriasis.

Can Vet J

January 2025

Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1.

Background: Limited reports exist on the antemortem presumptive diagnosis and treatment of feline neurocuterebriasis. A 3-day treatment protocol reported for 3 cats had no adverse effects. This protocol comprised ivermectin (0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

[Retrospective analysis of animal-related injuries in 1 266 patients based on the emergency department electronic medical record system].

Zhonghua Wei Zhong Bing Ji Jiu Yi Xue

December 2024

Department of Emergency, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310012, Jiangsu, China. Corresponding author: Jiang Aihua, Email:

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of animal-related injuries and summarize the epidemiological features of the affected population using the hospital's emergency department electronic medical record system.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted, collecting data on animal-related injuries (dogs, cats, rodents, or other animals) as recorded in the outpatient registration system of the emergency department at Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province from October 8, 2022, to October 30, 2023. The study variables encompassed patient demographic characteristics (gender, age, occupation, residence, etc.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have already been associated, in some studies, with various diverse psychosocial abnormalities in later life. However, it is still unclear whether ACEs reported by biological parents differ from ACE scores in community samples. : The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which parents of a patient sample differ from a community sample in terms of reporting childhood experiences.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!