Assessment of Blood Urea Nitrogen to Creatinine Ratio in Diagnosing Prerenal Azotaemia in Dehydrated Cattle in Taraba State, North East Nigeria

Prerenal azotaemia resulting from dehydration is a common and reversible metabolic complication in cattle under harsh environmental conditions, and its accurate diagnosis is vital for rational fluid therapy. This study evaluated the diagnostic utility of the blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio in differentiating prerenal from renal azotaemia in dehydrated cattle in Jalingo, Taraba State, North East Nigeria. Sixty cattle with clinical signs of dehydration and sixty healthy non-dehydrated controls were recruited from farms and veterinary clinics. Serum blood urea nitrogen and creatinine were measured by automated spectrophotometry, and clinical dehydration scores were assigned using standard skin tent and eyeball retraction assessments. The blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio was significantly elevated in dehydrated animals compared to controls, with a mean ratio of 29.4 versus 12.6, consistent with the disproportionate urea retention characteristic of prerenal states. Following rehydration therapy, ratios normalised in forty-nine of sixty dehydrated animals within forty-eight hours, confirming a prerenal aetiology in this subset. Eleven animals with persistent azotaemia post-rehydration were reclassified as having concurrent intrinsic renal disease. These findings support the blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio as a rapid diagnostic discriminator in field veterinary practice in Taraba State. Keywords: blood urea nitrogen, creatinine ratio, prerenal azotaemia, dehydration, cattle.