Evaluation of Pretreatment Serum Albumin-to-Globulin Ratio in Dogs with Naturally Occurring Parvovirus Infection

Abstract

A pretreatment albumin (ALB)-to-globulin (GLB) ratio (AGR) with a predictive significance has been used as an indispensable marker among cancer types for recurrence and prognosis in human patients. This study aims to determine whether the pretreatment AGR and total calcium (tCa), magnesium (Mg), ionised phosphorus (iP), total protein (TP), and haematology parameters—as bedside markers—differs in dogs with naturally occurring parvovirus infection (PVI). Fourteen client-owned dogs aged 2-8 months that were naturally infected with parvovirus (PV) were enrolled as the study group. Seven client-owned, healthy dogs of the same age formed the control group. Pretreatment mean complete blood counts, serum tCa, Mg, iP, TP, ALB, globulin GLB and AGR values, were compared between groups. The pretreatment mean WBC, NEU, LYM, EOS, GLB, and TP levels were found to be significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the study group, when compared to the control group. On the other hand, pretreatment AGR with iP was found to be statistically higher (P < 0.05) in the study group, when compared to the control group. There was a significant positive correlation between mean serum GLB and WBC levels in the current study. A significant positive correlation between mean serum TP and WBC levels was also found. This preliminary study demonstrates that pretreatment serum GLB levels and the AGR—as easy, inexpensive, objective, and non-invasive biomarkers—could be the new prognostic marker candidates in dogs with naturally occurring PVI.