Test values for a squirrel

[PennyCash]

Hi everyone, I know that I've been MIA and I apologize. This winter has been another rough one for Resilie and I. Eventually I will write it all down and share its just going to be a book.
Until then my vet has asked me if the squirrel community might have had enough experience to have a baseline - the normal values for a squirrel with the new test SDMA - a urine test for kidney function.

Miss ya'll

https://www.idexx.com/en/veterinary/reference-laboratories/sdma/

[Diggie's Friend]

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=289402&d=1497412406



Save for the mean urine pH in the Gray squirrel study,I have not yet seen a study done on this, yet there may be one under a title that isn't easily located. The blood values of some squirrel species are included in this study file; scroll down to see the charts. The range for readings is noted to be from (6.0 to 8.0), yet the mean urine pH (6.4), which indicates that most of the readings were closer to 6.4 the mean, than 7.0, the average of the range. This also indicates that alkaline range readings were less frequent spikes in the urine pH. The known mean value for small domestic mammals is noted to be (6.5). mid slightly acidic 6 range.

When the mean urine pH is either too low into the highly acidic range of (5.0 to 5.9), that the diet is too acidic due usually to a diet too high in nuts and grain portion of the diet. When the mean urine pH range falls in the alkaline range, either the diet is too high in pH, or an infection is present causing bacteria levels to rise, thus increasing the mean urine pH of the diet. Issues with pH in the alkaline and the highly acidic range lead to the loss of calcium and the promotion of kidney, and bladder stones. Keeping it between these proverbial ditches is what supports both metabolic and urinary tract health, that are both key factors in supporting longevity in tree squirrels.

These links and studies may be helpful in regards to kidney function.

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?57666-Kidney-Disease-Info-Data-and-potential-treatments&p=1271678#post1271678

Calcium citrate has been found to lend support in rats with lowered kidney function.

https://www.kidney-international.org/article/S0085-2538(15)49830-8/pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8617813_Calcium_citrate_ameliorates_the_progressio n_of_chronic_renal_injury

Pycnogenol extract was found to improve the kidney function in rats with renal injury..

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0886022X.2017.1282871



.

[PennyCash]

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=289402&d=1497412406



Save for the mean urine pH in the Gray squirrel study,I have not yet seen a study done on this, yet there may be one under a title that isn't easily located. The blood values of some squirrel species are included in this study file; scroll down to see the charts. The range for readings is noted to be from (6.0 to 8.0), yet the mean urine pH (6.4), which indicates that most of the readings were closer to 6.4 the mean, than 7.0, the average of the range. This also indicates that alkaline range readings were less frequent spikes in the urine pH. The known mean value for small domestic mammals is noted to be (6.5). mid slightly acidic 6 range.

When the mean urine pH is either too low into the highly acidic range of (5.0 to 5.9), that the diet is too acidic due usually to a diet too high in nuts and grain portion of the diet. When the mean urine pH range falls in the alkaline range, either the diet is too high in pH, or an infection is present causing bacteria levels to rise, thus increasing the mean urine pH of the diet. Issues with pH in the alkaline and the highly acidic range lead to the loss of calcium and the promotion of kidney, and bladder stones. Keeping it between these proverbial ditches is what supports both metabolic and urinary tract health, that are both key factors in supporting longevity in tree squirrels.

These links and studies may be helpful in regards to kidney function.

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?57666-Kidney-Disease-Info-Data-and-potential-treatments&p=1271678#post1271678

Calcium citrate has been found to lend support in rats with lowered kidney function.

https://www.kidney-international.org/article/S0085-2538(15)49830-8/pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8617813_Calcium_citrate_ameliorates_the_progressio n_of_chronic_renal_injury

Pycnogenol extract was found to improve the kidney function in rats with renal injury..

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0886022X.2017.1282871



.

That's a lot of information right there.
Unfortunately I mistakenly said SDMA was a urine test. It's actually a blood test for kidney function. My vet was hoping that the collective squirrel community might have had enough testing to find a average. I'm going to guess that since it's a fairly new one that perhaps we've not had many tested yet.
Thank you

[Diggie's Friend]

Here's what you need: Published in 2005 its the more recent and comprehensive data sources I know of to date.

Although it doesn't include data on the Eastern Fox squirrel, it does for the E. Gray squirrel, which should be similar.

Just copy this link and share it with your Veterinarian.

Scroll down to page 36 for Table with data. Too view more easily click on side arrows to remove side panels.

https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~boonstra/docs/Barker.2005.sciurid.hematology.pdf

This is an older one: http://www.jwildlifedis.org/doi/pdf/10.7589/0090-3558-12.3.349

There is another from 1966 also.

Pycnogenol source: https://villagevitaminstore.ca/products/org-liquid-pycnogenol

[PennyCash]

Thanks for trying DF but unfortunately, none of those have SDMA values. As I've said it's a fairly new (2015), very specific test.
My vet had hoped that perhaps there were enough squirrels in our community that have had this test to be able to get a baseline.

[Diggie's Friend]

This test is noted to be the early detection of kidney disease, moreover being used as prediction of kidney disease development.

According to the present established research, kidney disease is inevitable in rodents as they age.

Rather than looking for whether kidney disease, lowering of the function of the kidney, may be developing, look at at what has been found that supports kidney health that when used prophylactically, like Calcium citrate in the diet, and feeding fresh fruits that are high in both potassium and citric acid, that inhibits early damage. Also, by supporting a diet that is balanced in pH (mid 6 range for squirrels and small mammals), higher in Ca:P ratio, that lessens stress on the kidneys of adult squirrels.

Also Pycnogenol, that is high in anti oxidants that inhibit oxidative damage in the kidney, and supports its healing.