Urinary cortisol-creatinine ratio in dogs with hypoadrenocorticism

Background Basal serum cortisol (BSC) >= 2 mu g/dL (>55 nmol/L) has high sensitivity but low specificity for hypoadrenocorticism (HA). Objective To determine whether the urinary corticoid:creatinine ratio (UCCR) can be used to differentiate dogs with HA from healthy dogs and those with diseases mimicking HA (DMHA). Animals Nineteen healthy dogs, 18 dogs with DMHA, and 10 dogs with HA. Methods Retrospective study. The UCCR was determined on urine samples from healthy dogs, dogs with DMHA, and dogs with HA. The diagnostic performance of the UCCR was assessed based on receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves, calculating the area under the ROC curve. Results The UCCR was significantly lower in dogs with HA (0.65 x 10(-6); range, 0.33-1.22 x 10(-6)) as compared to healthy dogs (3.38 x 10(-6); range, 1.11-17.32 x 10(-6)) and those with DMHA (10.28 x 10(-6); range, 2.46-78.65 x 10(-6)) (P < .0001). There was no overlap between dogs with HA and dogs with DMHA. In contrast, 1 healthy dog had a UCCR value in the range of dogs with HA. The area under the ROC curve was 0.99. A UCCR cut-off value of <1.4 yielded 100% sensitivity and 97.3% specificity in diagnosing HA. Conclusions and Clinical Importance The UCCR seems to be a valuable and reliable screening test for HA in dogs. The greatest advantage of this test is the need for only a single urine sample

Case-control study of plasma mean platelet component concentration and survival analysis for dogs with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether dogs with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) had a low plasma mean platelet component (MPC) concentration and whether MPC was associated with outcome. DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study and survival analysis. ANIMALS: 95 dogs with IMHA (cases) as well as 95 healthy dogs and 95 sick dogs without IMHA (controls) matched to cases by age, reproductive status, and breed. PROCEDURES: Plasma MPC concentration at initial examination was compared among groups. For dogs with IMHA only, sex, age, serum urea and bilirubin concentrations, Hct, platelet count, and plasma fibrinogen, D-dimer, and MPC concentrations were evaluated for associations with survival to 42 days after initial examination. RESULTS: Plasma MPC concentration was significantly lower in dogs with IMHA than in the other 2 dog groups. In dogs with IMHA, plasma MPC concentration was the only factor significantly associated with outcome. The optimal plasma MPC concentration cutoff value for predicting nonsurvival of dogs with IMHA was 19.1 g/dL; values 19.1 g/dL. The mean estimated risk of death for dogs with IMHA decreased by 16% for every unit increase in plasma MPC concentration. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In dogs with IMHA, platelets appeared to have been activated to a greater degree, as determined by lower plasma MPC concentrations, than in healthy dogs or sick dogs without IMHA. Plasma MPC concentration at initial examination may be useful for predicting prognosis in dogs with IMHA