Rotating Intern Pulse Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Sherwood Park, AB, Canada
Abstract: BackgroundUrethral obstruction (UO) can be a fatal disease in male cats. Prolonged hospitalization and re-obstruction are common. Non-invasive, and cost-effective method of testing the kidney function at home could help owners seek veterinary care earlier. A commercially available feline saliva urea nitrogen (SUN, Kidney-Chek™, SN Biomedical Inc., Canada) test is available.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study is to determine if this salivary test can detect azotemia in cats with UO.AnimalsAdult (>1 year of age) male domestic cats with UO presenting to the Emergency service at a single center were enrolled in this study. UO was defined as a firm, non-expressible bladder on physical examination (and a bladder greater than 4 cm on ultrasound when performed). Cats that received fluid therapy or had a urinary catheter / cystocentesis in the past 72 hours were excluded from the study.MethodsCats with urethral obstructions were unblocked, and over the course of hospitalization, their blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and blood creatinine was assessed every 24 hours. A saliva urea nitrogen test was run simultaneously. The study was done in accordance with VICH guidelines.Results In cats with urinary obstructions, the SUN and BUN were positively correlated (ρ= 0.65, p Conclusion and Clinical Importance The salivary urea nitrogen test can be used to evaluate azotemia in cats with urinary outflow obstruction.
