Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Erythropoietin levels in normal, anemic, and polycythemic dogs and
By Cook, S M & Lothrop, C D·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·1994·Department of Environmental Practice·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum erythropoietin concentrations measured by radioimmunoassay in normal, polycythemic, and anemic dogs and cats.
Plain-English summary
In this study, researchers looked at the levels of a substance called erythropoietin (Epo), which helps produce red blood cells, in healthy and sick dogs and cats. They found that normal dogs had Epo levels between 7 and 37 mU/mL, while normal cats had levels from 9 to 38 mU/mL. Dogs and cats with a condition called polycythemia (where there are too many red blood cells) had Epo levels that were mostly within the normal range, but those with a specific type called polycythemia vera had lower levels compared to others with different causes of polycythemia. In contrast, dogs and cats with anemia (a low red blood cell count) had higher Epo levels than normal animals, except for cats with anemia due to chronic kidney disease, which had normal levels. Overall, while measuring Epo levels can help assess anemia or polycythemia, the results can overlap with normal values, making it less useful for diagnosis.
Abstract
Serum erythropoietin (Epo) concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) in normal, polycythemic, and anemic dogs and cats. The serum Epo concentration in normal dogs (n = 25) ranged from 7 to 37 mU/mL (median, 20 mU/mL); and in normal cats (n = 11) ranged from 9 to 38 mU/mL (median, 18 mU/mL). Polycythemic animals (PCV > 55% in dogs, > 45% in cats) were classified as those with primary (polycythemia vera), secondary, or polycythemia of uncertain etiology. Dogs with polycythemia vera (PV, n = 8) had a median serum Epo concentration in the normal range (17 mU/mL); cats with PV (n = 7) also had a median serum Epo concentration that was within the normal range (10 mU/mL). In the category of secondary polycythemias, dogs (n = 7) (median, 30.7 mU/mL) and cats (n = 2) had normal Epo concentrations. The median serum Epo concentration was significantly decreased (P < .05) in dogs with PV compared with dogs with secondary polycythemias. The median serum Epo concentrations in dogs (n = 13) and cats (n = 5) with anemias not due to chronic renal disease were significantly increased (P < .05) compared with normal dogs and cats. In cats with anemias due to chronic renal disease (n = 5) the median serum Epo concentration was not significantly different from normal cats. The measurement of the serum EPO concentration may be useful in assessment of anemia or polycythemia but the overlap of values with the normal range in all groups evaluated limit its diagnostic use.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8176658/