Study on the Closure Time in Healthy Small-Breed Dogs by Platelet Function Analyzer-200

Platelet function evaluation by PFA-100 or-200 has been known to be objective and sensitive for assessing platelet function and dysfunction of Von Willebrand Factor in humans and dogs. However, using the C/EPI cartridge in dogs is controversial. This study aimed to establish a reference range for PFA closure time in healthy small breed dogs (body weight < 10 kg) and to evaluate the effective-ness of both C/ADP and C/EPI cartridges for these dogs. Citrated blood samples were collected from 50 clinically healthy small breed dogs that were admitted for presurgical procedures or health checkups, and closure times were measured using the PFA-200. Reference ranges were determined as 42-144 s (median 67 s, mean 71.2 s, SD ± 21.2 s, 95% RI 43-140 s), for CT-C/ADP and 41-200 s (median 87, mean 91.2 s, SD ± 31.8 s, 95% RI 44-195 s) for CT-C/EPI. The present study demonstrated that the reference ranges for PFA closure times in small breed dogs are in line with existing reference ranges. The utilization of C/ADP cartridges is the preferred choice for evaluating platelet function in small breed dogs. However, due to variable responses of epinephrine to platelet aggregation in dogs, caution should be exercised when using C/EPI cartridges.