Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How vets monitor rivaroxaban blood thinner in dogs with clots
By Phillips, Erin M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2025·Department of Clinical Studies, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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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 then again after one week and one to three months of therapy. The results showed that a common blood test called prothrombin time (PT) closely matched the specialized test for rivaroxaban, making it a practical option for monitoring these dogs. This means that vets can use PT to check how well rivaroxaban is working in dogs, helping to ensure they are safe and healthy while on the medication.
People also search for: dog blood clot treatment · rivaroxaban monitoring in dogs · prothrombin time test for dogs
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 (r = 0.74, p < 0.001), ETP (r = 0.83, p < 0.001), lag time (r = 0.87, p < 0.001), peak (r = 0.86, p < 0.001), and ttpeak (r = 0.86, p < 0.001). There was a weak linear relationship between raXa and kaolin-activated TEG parameter reaction time (R) (r = 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 PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39968742/