Coagulation Abnormalities in Dogs with Parvoviral Enteritis

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Canine parvoviral enteritis is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in young dogs worldwide. Systemic inflammatory response as well as the loss of endogenous anticoagulant, and the vascular endothelial damage, often predispose dogs to a hypercoagulable state. In the present study, the standard coagulation parameters and the relationship between them and clinical variables were measured in nine dogs affected by parvoviral enteritis. All the dogs included in the study presented alterations of the standard coagulation parameters. Moreover, the study evidenced a linear relationship between the activated partial thromboplastin time and clinical score, underlining the importance of assessing the coagulation parameters in canine parvoviral enteritis. ABSTRACT: Hemostatic alterations have been documented in dogs with canine parvoviral enteritis. This study’s aims were to measure the standard coagulation parameters, and to assess the relationship between them and the clinical variables in dogs with canine parvoviral enteritis. Nine client-owned dogs with a canine parvoviral infection were included in a prospective, observational clinical study. Clinical score and coagulation status were assessed at admission. All nine dogs showed alterations of three or more standard coagulation variables. A correlation analysis evidenced a significantly high positive correlation between the activated partial thromboplastin time and clinical score. The present study concurs that dogs with canine parvoviral enteritis have coagulation disorders that are detectable by measuring the standard coagulation parameters.