Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Neutropenia in dogs with acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome
By Dolan, Cormac & Santo-Domingo, Neus Elias·Published in Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)·2025·Emergency and Critical Care Department, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Retrospective evaluation of the incidence and outcome of neutropenia in dogs with acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome (2017-2022): 54 cases.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 54 dogs with acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome (AHDS) was evaluated for a condition called neutropenia, which is a low white blood cell count. About half of these dogs developed neutropenia during treatment, and those affected had a higher risk of not surviving compared to dogs with normal white blood cell counts. Interestingly, while neutropenic dogs were more likely to show signs of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), this did not help predict their survival. Overall, neutropenia was common in dogs with AHDS, and while it indicated a higher risk of death, it did not affect how long the dogs needed to stay in the hospital.
People also search for: dog diarrhea treatment · acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome in dogs · neutropenia in dogs · dog SIRS symptoms · dog survival rates with AHDS
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report the occurrence of neutropenia in dogs with suspected acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome (AHDS) and to assess its association with survival. Secondary objectives were to assess whether neutropenia was associated with length of hospitalization, fulfillment of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria, and whether SIRS status was associated with survival. Finally, the association of antimicrobial use with neutropenia, SIRS status, and survival was evaluated. DESIGN: Single-center, retrospective study from the medical records of dogs diagnosed with AHDS between 2017 and 2022. SETTING: Private referral hospital. ANIMALS: Fifty-four dogs with suspected AHDS referred to the Emergency and Critical Care specialist service. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of 54 dogs, 28 (52%) presented with or developed neutropenia during their treatment course. Overall, 9 (17%) dogs were nonsurvivors. A total of 8 of 28 (29%) dogs with neutropenia were nonsurvivors, while only 1 of 26 (4%) dogs with a normal neutrophil count was a nonsurvivor (P = 0.025). Upon hospital admission, neutropenic dogs were significantly more likely to fulfill SIRS criteria than nonneutropenic dogs (P = 0.0096). There was no difference in mortality between SIRS-positive (fulfilling ≥2 SIRS criteria) and SIRS-negative (fulfilling <2 SIRS criteria) dogs (P = 0.14). There was no difference in the median length of hospitalization between neutropenic and nonneutropenic dogs (P = 0.49). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of neutropenia is high in this population of dogs presenting with AHDS. In this retrospective study, neutropenia was significantly associated with an increased risk of nonsurvival and an increased likelihood of fulfilling SIRS criteria; however, a fulfillment of SIRS criteria could not be used to predict survival. Neutropenia in dogs with AHDS was not associated with an increased length of hospitalization.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39831443/