Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How to monitor rivaroxaban blood thinner in dogs with clot risk
By Phillips, Erin M. et al.·Published in Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine·2025·Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph Department of Clinical Studies, , Guelph, Ontario,, Canada·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: Monitoring of Rivaroxaban Therapy in Hypercoagulable Dogs
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Twelve dogs diagnosed with hypercoagulability (a condition where blood clots too easily) were monitored while receiving rivaroxaban, a medication to prevent blood clots. Blood tests were done before treatment and at one week and one to three months after starting the medication. The results showed that a common blood test called prothrombin time (PT) effectively tracked how well rivaroxaban was working. This means that pet owners can rely on PT as a convenient way to monitor their dogs' treatment, ensuring they are on the right track to prevent clotting issues.
People also search for: dog blood clot treatment · rivaroxaban monitoring in dogs · prothrombin time test for dogs
Abstract
Abstract Background Measurement of rivaroxaban efficacy using the rivaroxaban-specific anti-Xa assay (raXa) can be used for monitoring in veterinary medicine. Detection of rivaroxaban efficacy using other hemostatic tests would make monitoring timelier and more accessible. Objectives Compare results of raXa with prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), fibrinogen concentration, tissue factor (TF) and kaolin-activated thromboelastography (TEG), and thrombin generation (TG) in hypercoagulable dogs. Animals Twelve client-owned dogs, diagnosed with hypercoagulability or thromboembolic disease, and prescribed rivaroxaban, were recruited from a tertiary referral hospital from 2020 to 2022. Methods Prospective clinical trial. Jugular vein blood samples were collected before treatment, and 1 week and 1–3 months after initiation of rivaroxaban therapy. Hemostatic tests were performed at each visit (3 h after rivaroxaban dosing). TG curve parameters lag time, endogenous thrombin potential (ETP), peak, and time to peak (ttpeak) were assessed. Results There was a significant linear relationship between raXa and PT (r2 = 0.74, p < 0.001), ETP (r2 = 0.83, p < 0.001), lag time (r2 = 0.87, p < 0.001), peak (r2 = 0.86, p < 0.001), and ttpeak (r2 = 0.86, p < 0.001). There was a weak linear relationship between raXa and kaolin-activated TEG parameter reaction time (R) (r2 = 0.49, p = 0.026). There was no significant relationship between raXa and aPTT, fibrinogen concentration and the remainder of the TEG variables (p > 0.05). Conclusion and Clinical Importance PT and TG correlated with raXa. PT performed at a reference laboratory appeared to be a convenient method to monitor a small cohort of dogs receiving rivaroxaban therapy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.70014