OBJECTIVE To investigate effects of storage conditions on the canine urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPC) and on SDS-agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) of urinary proteins. SAMPLE Urine specimens from 20 proteinuric (UPC > 0.5) and 20 nonproteinuric (UPC ≤ 0.2) dogs. PROCEDURES UPC and SDS-AGE were performed on urine specimens stored at room temperature (20°C) and 4°C for up to 5 days and at -20° and -80°C for up to 360 days; some specimens were subjected to 3 freeze-thaw cycles. Results were compared with those obtained for fresh urine specimens. RESULTS UPC was not affected by storage at room temperature or by freezing. A decrease in UPC was observed for specimens from nonproteinuric dogs after 5 days at 4°C (10%) and from both groups after 90 days at -20° and -80°C (≤ 20% and ≤ 15%, respectively). The SDS-AGE profiles revealed no visual changes regardless of duration of storage for specimens stored at room temperature, 4°C, and -80°C, except for 1 profile after 360 days at -80°C. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles did not affect SDS-AGE profiles. Appearance or strengthening of high-molecular-weight bands that could alter interpretation was evident in SDS-AGE profiles after storage at -20°C for ≥ 15 days (31/40 dogs). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Storage of urine at -20° or -80°C for up to 1 year influenced the UPC without affecting clinical interpretation. Storage of urine specimens at -20°C impaired visual analysis of SDS-AGE. When SDS-AGE cannot be performed on fresh or recently refrigerated urine specimens, storage at -80°C is recommended.

Laser-based haematology analysers are routinely used in veterinary clinical pathology laboratories, and are available to practitioners. However, feline haematological reference intervals (RIs) determined according to international recommendations are, to our knowledge, not available. Furthermore, platelet count RI is difficult to establish in cats because of the frequent occurrence of platelet aggregation in blood specimens. The purpose of this study was to establish feline haematological RIs with the Sysmex XT-2000iV and ProCyte DX analysers, in ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) and in citrate, theophylline, adenosine and dipyridamole (CTAD), which is a combination of anticoagulants limiting platelet aggregation. Blood specimens from 120 healthy cats were analysed in duplicate, and the degree of platelet aggregation was assessed on blood smears. After exclusion of inadequate specimens, 81 sets of results (from 44 males and 37 females, aged from 6 to 116 months) were available for the determination of RIs by the non-parametric method. The effects of the anticoagulant, analyser and aggregation score were assessed. When the aggregation effect was significant, the RIs were determined using the subgroup of blood specimens with no or little aggregation. The effects of sex, age and weight were also investigated, but were moderate. The different RIs obtained with the Sysmex XT-2000iV and ProCyte DX analysers, and the two anticoagulants, were very similar to previous RIs established in EDTA with the ADVIA 120, another laser-based analyser, except for the platelet count in CTAD specimens. Its lower reference limit was higher in CTAD vs EDTA specimens, which confirms the interest in this anticoagulant in cats.

A 9-year-old, female Maltese dog was referred to the Veterinary School of Toulouse with a 2-day history of anorexia and weakness. On clinical examination, the dog had hyperthermia (39.7°C), abdominal discomfort, and polypnea. Significant laboratory findings included pigmenturia, hyperbilirubinemia, hypercreatininemia, hyperfibrinogenemia, abnormal Snap canine pancreas-specific lipase, and pancytopenia with a nonregenerative anemia. A peripheral blood smear revealed numerous intraerythrocytic large Babesia but no polychromasia. There was a discrepancy between the absolute automated reticulocyte count (Sysmex reticulocyte count: 60 × 10 /L; RI 19.4-150.1 × 10 /L) and the manual reticulocyte count (3.6 × 10 /L) as well as the absence of polychromasia. The optical red blood cell scattergram showed an abnormal isolated reticulocyte cluster at the location of low-fluorescence ratio cells. These findings were interpreted as erythrocytes parasitized by large Babesia. The discrepancy between the Sysmex reticulocyte count and the manual reticulocyte count has been reported previously in people with falciparum malaria and numerous intra-erythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum organisms. This spurious reticulocyte profile and reticulocyte count were observed with the Sysmex XT-2000iV and the ProCyte using the same fluorescent dye polymethine but not with the LaserCyte using new methylene blue which does not stain Babesia organisms on a blood smear performed for manual reticulocyte counting.

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