Diagnostic approach for proteinuria in dogs and cats

Urinary disease is the common cause of death in dogs and cats in Japan, and it can be due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) because it is a very common condition for them. Appropriate diagnosis, management and monitoring of CKD are very important to prolong the life expectancy and maintain the quality of life in animals.​ Two previous studies investigated the prevalence of proteinuria in clinically healthy elderly dogs, revealing that 20-30% of these dogs, without apparent clinical signs, had elevated urine protein creatinine (UPC) ratios. This suggests that proteinuria could serve as an early indicator for detecting CKD. In this lecture, you will learn the basic knowledge of proteinuria, its diagnosis and treatment.