Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
D-dimer and clotting tests in five dogs with ischemic stroke
By Koch, Bodil Cathrine et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2019·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: D-Dimer Concentrations and Thromboelastography in Five Dogs With Ischemic Stroke.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Five dogs were diagnosed with ischemic stroke, a condition where blood flow to the brain is blocked. When they were examined, all had normal D-dimer levels, which are often used to check for blood clots. However, two of the dogs showed signs of a hypercoagulable state, meaning their blood was more likely to clot than normal, based on a test called thromboelastography (TEG). This suggests that normal D-dimer levels may not reliably rule out ischemic stroke in dogs, and further research is needed to understand the underlying causes of these strokes.
People also search for: dog ischemic stroke symptoms · D-dimer levels in dogs · thromboelastography for dogs
Abstract
Ischemic stroke is a condition increasingly recognized in dogs; however, the number of publications on dogs with ischemic stroke is still limited and hemostatic parameters are infrequently reported. D-dimer levels have been shown to be elevated in people with acute ischemic stroke compared to a healthy control population and it has been proposed that a normal D-dimer can be used to exclude thromboembolism in dogs. In this case series, we report hemostatic parameters, including D-dimer and thromboelastography (TEG) along with clinical and imaging findings for five dogs diagnosed with ischemic stroke. All dogs had a normal D-dimer concentration on presentation. A hypercoagulable state was identified in two dogs based on the results of the TEG, and was suspected in the remaining three cases based on a shortened TEG clot reaction time. Based on the findings in the present cases, a D-dimer within the normal reference range does not seem an appropriate negative predictor for canine ischemic stroke. The demonstration of a possible hypercoagulable state, as identified by the TEG, is an interesting finding which should be explored further to help reveal predisposing hypercoagulable conditions in dogs with ischemic stroke.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31448295/