A bloodwork gotcha - ask for SDMA

Tim & Pookey

Member Since 2025
Administrator
SDMA (symmetric dimethylarginine) is an important kidney marker. Newer studies have shown that this biomarker can detect reduced kidney function earlier than traditional markers like creatinine. SDMA is believed to be less sensitive to non-renal conditions than creatinine/UPC. And it is a part of the IRIS CKD staging guidelines as well.

SDMA is not always included in every cat's bloodwork.

Maybe they have lab panels that were created before SDMA was adopted (pre-2010s). Or some other reason. It's worth checking with your vet if they have the capability to include that or if the sample can be sent to IDEXX.

Sources:

Comparison of Serum Concentrations of Symmetric Dimethylarginine and Creatinine as Kidney Function Biomarkers in Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease
 
Maybe they have lab panels that were created before SDMA was adopted (pre-2010s). Or some other reason. It's worth checking with your vet if they have the capability to include that or if the sample can be sent to IDEXX.

China's vet sent everything to Antech, so if I wanted the SDMA (which I did), I had to pay separately for it and they had to send it out to IDEXX. If your vet doesn't have an account with IDEXX (and is unwilling to start one), they can't use them but Antech now offers both the SDMA and their AI driven RenalTech.

However, Antech Diagnostics now offers RenalTech®, an AI-driven tool that predicts chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats up to two years before it occurs with greater than 95% accuracy. By analyzing common blood and urine markers—including creatinine, BUN, white blood cell count, urine specific gravity, protein, and pH, along with the cat's age—this tool allows veterinarians to intervene early with personalized care plans

How RenalTech Works
Unlike traditional diagnostics that often detect kidney disease only after significant damage (up to 75% loss of function) has occurred, RenalTech is designed to be proactive. [1, 2, 3]
  • Predictive AI: It uses machine learning trained on 20 years of data from 150,000 cats to forecast the onset of CKD.
  • Key Parameters: It evaluates six health measurements plus age to provide a risk assessment.
  • Early Intervention: A positive result allows your vet to start dietary changes or medications sooner, which may delay the progression of the disease. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Other Early Detection Methods
In addition to RenalTech,
How RenalTech Works
Unlike traditional diagnostics that often detect kidney disease only after significant damage (up to 75% loss of function) has occurred, RenalTech is designed to be proactive. [1, 2, 3]
  • Predictive AI: It uses machine learning trained on 20 years of data from 150,000 cats to forecast the onset of CKD.
  • Key Parameters: It evaluates six health measurements plus age to provide a risk assessment.
  • Early Intervention: A positive result allows your vet to start dietary changes or medications sooner, which may delay the progression of the disease. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Other Early Detection Methods
In addition to RenalTech, Antech also provides SDMA (Symmetric Dimethylarginine) testing. SDMA is a sensitive biomarker that can indicate a decrease in kidney function earlier than creatinine, often when only about 40% of function is lost
 
Interesting share, Chris, thanks.

I’m not sure why actually but my early blood work for Pookey didn’t have SDMA. It would have been good to be able to trend that alongside traditional markers…
 
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