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SET Yorkies · 10-27-2009, 05:16 PM

I wish we could get the word out to more vets and breeders as most do not use urinalysis as a routine screen.

Urinalysis is simply another line of defense in catching renal failure early in asympotomic puppies and without the concerns of a BAT with regard to small / young puppies. It is routine in our 12 wk check up, if one is already there, why not have a urine sample collected and checked. (One note, however, anything prior to 12 wks is useless as decreased concentration of urine and increased albuminuria are generally due to immature renal function, as those results are considered normal up to the 8th week or so.)

So anyway, as the BAT is more invasive, I like the urinalysis as a starting point. If the USG is off or sediment is abnormal, we proceed from there. If not, we wait until the dog is capable of handling a BAT, and I follow my vet's discretion on that (case by case).

The following is a 2008 clinical pathology report:
Urinary bile acids appear to be more specific (100% specificity) than serum bile acids (pre and/or post-prandial, 67% specificity) for detection of liver disease, although are less sensitive (urinary bile acids, 61% versus serum bile acids, 78% sensitivity). This data suggests that an abnormal (high) urinary bile acid result is compatible with liver insufficiency, cholestasis or portosystemic shunting. However, since the numbers of dogs with non-hepatic disease in this study were small (n=9), if clinical signs do not correspond to test results, further diagnostic testing is recommended. Results within the provided reference interval do not exclude the presence of underlying liver insufficiency or shunting. If clinical signs in the patient are compatible with these liver disorders despite “normal” urinary bile acid values, pre- and post-prandial bile acid concentrations should be obtained.

10-27-2009, 05:16 PM	#37
SET Yorkies Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2007 Location: Beaumont Texas Posts: 285	Urinalysis I wish we could get the word out to more vets and breeders as most do not use urinalysis as a routine screen. Urinalysis is simply another line of defense in catching renal failure early in asympotomic puppies and without the concerns of a BAT with regard to small / young puppies. It is routine in our 12 wk check up, if one is already there, why not have a urine sample collected and checked. (One note, however, anything prior to 12 wks is useless as decreased concentration of urine and increased albuminuria are generally due to immature renal function, as those results are considered normal up to the 8th week or so.) So anyway, as the BAT is more invasive, I like the urinalysis as a starting point. If the USG is off or sediment is abnormal, we proceed from there. If not, we wait until the dog is capable of handling a BAT, and I follow my vet's discretion on that (case by case). The following is a 2008 clinical pathology report: Urinary bile acids appear to be more specific (100% specificity) than serum bile acids (pre and/or post-prandial, 67% specificity) for detection of liver disease, although are less sensitive (urinary bile acids, 61% versus serum bile acids, 78% sensitivity). This data suggests that an abnormal (high) urinary bile acid result is compatible with liver insufficiency, cholestasis or portosystemic shunting. However, since the numbers of dogs with non-hepatic disease in this study were small (n=9), if clinical signs do not correspond to test results, further diagnostic testing is recommended. Results within the provided reference interval do not exclude the presence of underlying liver insufficiency or shunting. If clinical signs in the patient are compatible with these liver disorders despite “normal” urinary bile acid values, pre- and post-prandial bile acid concentrations should be obtained.