Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Low blood protein test in a dog with immune anemia and high bilirubin
By Garner, Bridget C et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2014·University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pseudo-hypoproteinemia in a hyperbilirubinemic dog with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old spayed female Miniature Poodle was brought to the vet after showing signs of lethargy, vomiting, and not eating for four days. The vet diagnosed her with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, a condition where the body destroys its own red blood cells, which also caused her bilirubin levels to be high. Tests showed a discrepancy in her protein levels due to interference from the bilirubin, but other tests confirmed her protein levels were normal. With the right treatment, she was able to recover from her symptoms.
People also search for: dog vomiting and lethargy · Miniature Poodle anemia treatment · high bilirubin in dogs
Abstract
A 10-year-old spayed female Miniature Poodle was presented to the University of Georgia veterinary teaching hospital for evaluation of lethargy, vomiting and anorexia of 4 days' duration. Physical examination, history and a minimum database led to a diagnosis of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia accompanied by marked hyperbilirubinemia. Refractometric protein determination was within the reference interval, whereas the biuret method indicated hypoproteinemia. This discrepancy was attributed to interference of bilirubin and biliverdin with the spectrophotometric read-out of the biuret total protein assay. The albumin concentration, determined by bromcresol green, and refractometric total protein were less affected by this interference.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24627963/