Serum nitrate concentration in dogs with acute diarrhoea

SUMMARYSerum Nitrate Concentration in Dogs with Acute DiarrhoeaIt has been previously reported that plasma nitrate concentration was significantly increasedin both children and adults with acute infectious diarrhoea. The present study aimed toevaluate the condition of serum nitrate concentration in dogs with acute diarrhoea. For thispurpose, 30 diarrheic and 12 healthy dogs aged between 1.5 to 3.5 months were used.Diarrheic dogs were separated into three groups with slight (group 1; n=8), moderate (group2; n=10) and severe (group 3; n=12) impression of diarrhoea in relation to their clinicaldehydration and depression criteria. In order to determine the haematological and biochemicalparameters, blood samples were taken for once. Faecal samples were also collected toexamine the presence of the parasites and the CPV antigen. Haematocrit level, haemoglobinconcentration and erythrocyte numbers along with plasma total protein, albumin, urea andcreatinine concentrations were evaluated to determine the degree of diarrhoea. Total anddifferential leukocyte counts together with plasma ALT, AST and AP activities and faecalexaminations were analyzed for the etiological aspect. While the mean total leukocyte,lymphocyte, monocyte and neutrophil numbers were significantly lower, creatinine, AST andnitrate levels were significantly higher in diarrheic dogs than those of healthy dogs. The meanserum nitrate concentration (15.60 ± 9.55 µmol/L vs. 5.77 ± 3.19 µmol/L) was significantly(p<0.001) higher in diarrheic dogs than in the healthy dogs. Serum nitrate concentration wassignificantly (p<0.001) high in dogs in the groups 2 and 3 compared to healthy dogs whereasthere was no significant difference between the group 1 and healthy dogs. The mean of serumnitrate concentration of 11 diarrheic dogs with CPV antigen positive in faecal samples (20.79± 10.76 µmol/L) were significantly higher than those of the healthy dogs and the dogs withascaridiosis (11.05 ± 6.34 µmol/L).In conclusion, a significant increase in serum nitrate concentration in dogs with acutediarrhoea was determined. Further detailed studies are needed to establish the clinicalimportance of the increase in serum nitrate concentration.