Utility of Serum Cystatin C as a Clinical Measure of Renal Function in Dogs

A human kit for cystatin C determination was evaluated for use with canine sera. A reference range was also established. The association between cystatin C and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was evaluated in 60 dogs with various diseases, by using exogenous creatinine plasma clearance (ECPC) as a measure of GFR. The correlation between cystatin C and ECPC (correlation coefficient [r] = -0.630; P<0.001) was stronger than the correlation between serum creatinine and ECPC (r = -0.572; P<0.001). Nonrenal diseases (e.g., neoplasia, infection) did not influence serum cystatin C concentration. Test sensitivity was significantly better (P<0.001) for cystatin C (76%) than for creatinine (65%). Specificities for the two tests were 87% and 91%, respectively.