Abstract
The serum or plasma biochemical profile is essential in the diagnosis and monitoring of systemic disease in veterinary medicine, but current reference intervals typically take no account of breed-specific differences. Breed-specific hematological phenotypes have been documented in the domestic dog, but little has been published on serum biochemical phenotypes in this species. Serum biochemical profiles of dogs in which all measurements fell within the existing reference intervals were retrieved from a large veterinary database. Serum biochemical profiles from 3045 dogs were retrieved, of which 1495 had an accompanying normal glucose concentration. Sixty pure breeds plus a mixed breed control group were represented by at least 10 individuals. All analytes, except for sodium, chloride and glucose, showed variation with age. Total protein, globulin, potassium, chloride, creatinine, cholesterol, total bilirubin, ALT, CK, amylase, and lipase varied between sexes. Neutering status significantly impacted all analytes except albumin, sodium, calcium, urea, and glucose. Principal component analysis of serum biochemical data revealed 36 pure breeds with distinctive phenotypes. Furthermore, comparative analysis identified 23 breeds with significant differences from the mixed breed group in all biochemical analytes except urea and glucose. Eighteen breeds were identified by both principal component and comparative analysis. Tentative reference intervals were generated for breeds with a distinctive phenotype identified by comparative analysis and represented by at least 120 individuals. This is the first large-scale analysis of breed-specific serum biochemical phenotypes in the domestic dog and highlights potential genetic components of biochemical traits in this species.
Highlights
The serum or plasma biochemical profile is a crucial tool in the diagnosis of systemic disease in veterinary medicine
Of 3045 normal serum biochemical profiles identified in the study period, 1495 had glucose concentrations within the reference interval
Phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were higher in younger dogs, as previously published in a number of species [13, 23,24,25,26,27,28], thought to reflect the impact of increased concentrations of growth hormone on bone turnover and renal phosphate reabsorption [29], an effect that was apparent until 2–4 years of age in this study
Summary
The serum or plasma biochemical profile is a crucial tool in the diagnosis of systemic disease in veterinary medicine. The biochemical profile requires optimal reference intervals for accurate interpretation, since clinical decision making is often influenced by the extent to which values depart from expected. Age-related changes in biochemical analytes such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and concentrations of albumin, globulin, calcium, and phosphate have been recognized for some time [5,6,7,8]. Breed-specific phenotypes remain under-investigated, certain breeds have more widely recognized biochemical characteristics that call into question the validity of common reference intervals, including greyhounds [9,10,11], Bernese mountain dogs [12] and Dogues de Bordeaux [13]
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