Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Trace element levels found in healthy Labrador retriever dog tears
By Pe'er, Oren et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2026·Koret School of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Trace Element Levels in Canine Tear Film.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at the tear film of 25 healthy Labrador retrievers to understand the levels of trace elements present. The researchers found important elements like calcium, chloride, iron, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and sulfur in the dogs' tears. Interestingly, female dogs had higher levels of sulfur and calcium compared to males. While this research doesn't directly address any specific health issues, it helps veterinarians understand more about eye health in dogs, which could be useful for diagnosing and treating eye problems in the future.
People also search for: dog eye health · Labrador retriever tear film analysis · trace elements in dog tears
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the levels of trace elements in the tear film of healthy dogs. ANIMALS STUDIED: Twenty-five healthy Labrador retrievers. PROCEDURES: Tear samples were collected from the ventral conjunctival fornix of each dog using a Schirmer tear test strip. Elemental analysis was conducted using the particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) method with a 1.7 MV Pelletron accelerator. Trace element levels were compared across all dogs using the Kruskal-Wallis test with post hoc Tukey analysis and between male and female dogs using the Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: The study included 14 neutered males and 11 spayed females, with a mean (±SD) age of 19.8 ± 3.1 months (range 14.3-26.5, median 18.8 months). Elemental analysis of tear samples revealed the presence of calcium (Ca), chloride (Cl), iron (Fe), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sodium (Na), and sulfur (S). The median ± SEM peak area levels were highest for Cl (69 530 ± 1432) and K (5782 ± 514), followed by S (3545 ± 772), Na (3387 ± 159), P (1408 ± 160), Ca (593 ± 85), and Fe (276 ± 206). Compared to males, female dogs had significantly higher peak areas for S (2272 ± 549 vs. 4389 ± 1484, p = 0.037) and Ca (536 ± 76 vs. 800 ± 148, p = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a detailed assessment of the trace element composition in the tear film of healthy dogs. These findings enhance our understanding of canine ocular surface physiology and may have potential implications for the diagnosis and management of ocular surface diseases in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40045516/