Estimation of quantitative proteinuria in the dog, using the urine protein-to-creatinine ratio from a random, voided sample

The correlation between 24-hour urine protein excretion and the protein-to-creatinine ratio (U-P/C) from random, voided urine specimens was assessed in 16 healthy Beagles (9 to 11 months old) and in 14 dogs with suspected renal proteinuria. Initially, a voided urine specimen was obtained from each dog, and the U-P/C was determined. An attempt was not made to standardize the time of collection of the voided urine. Subsequently, each dog was placed in a metabolism cage, and 24-hour urine specimens were collected for quantitative protein analysis. The Coomassie blue technique was used to measure urine protein. The correlation between the U-P/C and the 24-hour urine protein excretion (mg/kg/24 hr), evaluated by linear-regression analysis, was found to be significant (r = 0.975, P less than 0.01). These results substantiate previous findings and indicate that random, voided urine specimens may be used to compute the ratio and to accurately reflect 24-hour urinary protein loss in the dog.