Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
D-dimer blood test helps diagnose blood clots in dogs with skin
By Rosser, Edmund J·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2009·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of the D-dimer assay for diagnosing thrombosis in cases of canine cutaneous vasculitis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with skin problems, specifically cutaneous vasculitis, were tested for blood clots using a D-dimer test. The results showed that dogs with higher D-dimer levels (over 500 ng/mL) were more likely to have blood clots, while those with lower levels (under 250 ng/mL) typically did not have clots. Some dogs with moderate D-dimer levels developed serious skin issues within a couple of days, indicating that the test can help predict complications. Overall, the D-dimer test proved useful in diagnosing potential blood clots in dogs with skin conditions.
People also search for: dog skin problems D-dimer test · cutaneous vasculitis in dogs · dog blood clot symptoms
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to measure D-dimer concentrations and assess their value in diagnosis of thrombosis in three groups of dogs; (i) dogs with cutaneous vasculitis without histopathological evidence of thrombosis; (ii) dogs with cutaneous vasculitis with histopathological evidence of thrombosis; and (iii) pruritic dogs with erythematous skin and underlying allergic skin disease. D-dimer test results were reported as negative at <250 ng/mL, and positive at > or =250 ng/mL. Ten dogs with a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis and/or cutaneous adverse food reaction were enrolled in the study, and the D-dimer results were <250 ng/mL (eight dogs) and 250-500 ng/mL (two dogs). Twenty-six dogs with a diagnosis of cutaneous vasculitis had blood samples submitted for D-dimer analysis at the time of the initial submission of skin biopsies and results were: 15 had cutaneous vessel thrombi present with a D-dimer of >500-1000 ng/mL (14 dogs) and >1000 ng/mL (one dog); 11 dogs had no histological evidence of thrombi with a D-dimer of <250 ng/mL (four dogs), 250-500 ng/mL (three dogs) and >500-1000 ng/mL (four dogs). However, two of four dogs with a D-dimer of >500-1000 ng/mL without histological evidence of thrombi developed necrotic skin lesions over the next 24-48 h. In conclusion, a D-dimer >500 ng/mL is strong evidence to support the current presence or subsequent development of cutaneous vessel thrombosis, and a D-dimer of <500 ng/mL correlates well with the absence of cutaneous vessel thrombi and necrotic skin lesions. No dogs with histopathological evidence of thrombi had a false-negative D-dimer.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20178498/