The biochemical profile was performed by the Catalyst Dx® Chemistry Analyzer (Idexx Laboratories, Westbrook, ME, USA), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for the evaluation of symmetric dimethylarginime (SDMA) (IDEXX Laboratories, Novara, Italia S.r.l) and by a latex agglutination reaction on an automated analyzer AU480 for the evaluation of serum amyloid A (SAA) (Beckman Coulter, Brea, California at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, Cambridge University, UK).
Urinalysis was performed by dipstick analysis (Combur 9 Test strips, Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA), urine specific gravity (USG) was measured by a Vet 360 refractometer (Reichert, Seefeld, Germany) and microscopic evaluation of urine sediment by using the Kova glasstic slides (Kova International, Garden Grove, CA, USA). The UPC was assessed with the Catalyst Dx® Chemistry Analyzer (Idexx Laboratories, Westbrook, ME, USA).