Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using HbA1c to find dogs at risk for diabetes with normal blood sugar
By Ha, Jeong-Ho et al.·Published in Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire·2025·Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine and Institute of Veterinary Science, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The role of HbA1c in identifying dogs at high risk for diabetes despite normal blood glucose levels.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs, including overweight and elderly ones, were tested for diabetes risk using a blood test that measures hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). The results showed that dogs in these higher-risk groups had significantly higher HbA1c levels compared to healthy dogs. This suggests that even if a dog's blood sugar levels are normal, an elevated HbA1c can indicate a risk for diabetes. Veterinarians may use this test to identify dogs that need closer monitoring or preventive care for diabetes.
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Abstract
The objective of this study was to confirm the clinical utility of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in identifying dogs at a high risk for diabetes. In this cross-sectional study, all the dogs were categorized into a control group and 3 experimental groups (overweight, elderly, and dogs with diseases that can contribute to diabetes). The control group included young and healthy dogs that visited veterinary clinics mainly for health checkups or neutering. The HbA1c concentration of all the dogs was estimated and compared between the control group and the experimental groups. The HbA1c level was significantly higher in the experimental groups than in the control group. In addition, a significant correlation was observed between the HbA1c concentration and all experimental variables. The HbA1c concentration was higher in the overweight group [mean, median: 3.94, 3.9; range (R): 3.5 to 4.3%], the elderly group [mean, median: 3.94, 3.9 (R: 3.5 to 4.3%)], and the disease group [mean, median: 3.99, 4.0 (R: 3.5 to 4.9%)] than in the control group [mean, median: 3.52, 3.6 (R: 2.9 to 3.8%)]. According to the results of this study, HbA1c can be used to evaluate high-risk groups for diabetes in the veterinary field, as in human medicine.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41070219/