The occurrence of small amounts of albumin in urine, microalbuminuria (MA), is used both in human- and veterinary medicine as an indicator for patients who have developing proteinuria. Proteinuria can be prerenal, renal or postrenal which is important to establish during an investigation. With conventional methods decreased renal function is not detected until 70 % of renal function is lost. The ability to detect and start a treatment earlier might reverse or slow the progression of disease.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of Heska® E.R.D.-Health Screen™, a test for microalbuminuria in dogs, to detect albuminuria. Urine samples from 40 clinically healthy dogs were collected and examined. Protein in the urine was analysed with the test for microalbuminuria, a dipstick test, sulfosalicylic acid test and quantitative protein. Urine protein-creatinine ratio and specific gravity was determined and sediment was examined by microscope. The dogs that tested positive on the test for microalbuminuria were investigated more thoroughly. Five of the clinically healthy dogs (13%) tested positive on the test for microalbuminuria.
In two of these dogs a cause of proteinuria was identified afterwards. Trace of protein was seen on dipstick test in eight dogs that tested negative on the other tests for protein. The specific gravity in these samples was high, from 1.040 to 1.056. Only one dog that was positive for proteinuria with all other tests was negative on the test for microalbuminuria.
The urine is diluted to a specific gravity of 1.010 before analysis with the test for microalbuminuria. This makes the test less affected by changes in specific gravity compared with the dipstick and sulfosalicylic acid test. It also makes it possible to compare results from different occasions. The microalbuminuria test, which has a high sensitivity for...
