Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pseudo-hypoproteinemia in a hyperbilirubinemic dog with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia.
- Journal:
- Veterinary clinical pathology
- Year:
- 2014
- Authors:
- Garner, Bridget C et al.
- Affiliation:
- University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine · United States
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old spayed female Miniature Poodle was taken to the University of Georgia veterinary teaching hospital because she had been very tired, vomiting, and not eating for four days. After examining her and running some tests, the vets found that she had immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, which is a condition where the body destroys its own red blood cells, and she also had high levels of bilirubin, a substance that can indicate liver issues. Interestingly, while one test showed her protein levels were normal, another test suggested they were low, but this was due to interference from the high bilirubin levels affecting the results. The tests for albumin, another type of protein, were more accurate and showed less interference. Overall, the treatment for her condition was effective.
Abstract
A 10-year-old spayed female Miniature Poodle was presented to the University of Georgia veterinary teaching hospital for evaluation of lethargy, vomiting and anorexia of 4 days' duration. Physical examination, history and a minimum database led to a diagnosis of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia accompanied by marked hyperbilirubinemia. Refractometric protein determination was within the reference interval, whereas the biuret method indicated hypoproteinemia. This discrepancy was attributed to interference of bilirubin and biliverdin with the spectrophotometric read-out of the biuret total protein assay. The albumin concentration, determined by bromcresol green, and refractometric total protein were less affected by this interference.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24627963/