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Background: Evaluating regeneration is essential for the classification and differential diagnosis of anemia in dogs. Early detection of regeneration is challenging in anemic dogs. Objectives: This study assessed the value of immature reticulocyte fraction (IRF) in differentiating preregenerative anemia (PRA) from nonregenerative anemia (NRA) in dogs. Animals: Ninety‐four dogs: 49 controls and 45 with anemia. Methods: Case‐control study. Fractions of low‐, medium‐ (MFR), and high‐fluorescence reticulocytes (HFR), were measured using the ADVIA 2120i hematology analyzer. The IRF was calculated as the sum of percentages of MFR and HFR. Data from dogs with regenerative anemia (RA, n = 19), PRA (n = 11), and NRA (n = 15) were retrospectively analyzed. The value of IRF was compared with reticulocyte production index (RPI) using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: The median of IRF was significantly higher in dogs with RA (46.5%; range, 40.9‐53.6%; P <.001) and PRA (40.6%; range, 27.7‐47.1%; P =.01) than in controls (22.1%; range, 16.9‐29.3%). The IRF in dogs with PRA showed no difference compared to dogs with RA (P >.99) but was higher than dogs with NRA (18.7%; range, 8.8‐24%; P =.00). The area under the ROC curve of IRF was superior to that of RPI (0.897 vs 0.818, P =.00) in differentiating dogs with PRA from NRA. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: The IRF is a reliable variable for detecting early regeneration in anemic dogs without reticulocytosis. The study suggests that the measurement of IRF could be useful in classifying anemic dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Serum uromodulin concentration has been described as a novel biomarker of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in humans but not dogs. Objective: To evaluate the serum uromodulin concentration in dogs with CKD and assess its diagnostic performance in distinguishing dogs with CKD from healthy dogs. Animals: Forty‐nine dogs with CKD (International Renal Interest Society [IRIS] Stage 1, n = 23; Stage 2, n = 20; Stage 3‐4, n = 6) and 25 healthy controls. Methods: Prospective, observational study. Serum uromodulin concentration was measured using a canine‐specific enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and its correlation with conventional renal markers was analyzed. Results: Serum uromodulin concentrations were significantly lower in the CKD group than in the control group (P <.001), but no significant difference was observed among stages of CKD. A negative correlation was observed between serum uromodulin concentration and conventional renal markers (blood urea nitrogen concentration, r = −.60, P <.0001; serum creatinine concentration, r = −.46, P <.0001; serum symmetric dimethylarginine concentration [SDMA], r = −.65, P <.0001). In receiver operating characteristic analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) of uromodulin (AUC, 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.94‐1.00) was higher than that of SDMA (AUC, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.79‐0.95) for CKD diagnosis (P =.01). The AUC of uromodulin (AUC, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.89‐1.00) also was higher than that of SDMA (AUC, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.58‐0.87) in distinguishing dogs with Stage 1 CKD from controls (P =.001). Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Serum uromodulin concentration is decreased in dogs with CKD. Thus, serum uromodulin may be a valuable diagnostic marker for CKD in dogs, particularly in identifying early‐stage CKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]