Research Article: C-reactive protein concentrations, clinical presentation, and short-term outcome in dogs with acute vomiting: a retrospective primary care cohort
Abstract:
Vomiting is a common reason for dogs to be presented to veterinary hospitals and may accompany disorders of widely varying severity. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a major acute-phase protein in dogs, but its clinical relevance in dogs with acute vomiting in primary care remains poorly defined. This study aimed to characterize initial plasma CRP concentrations, evaluate their associations with clinical presentation and short-term outcome, and describe their distribution across underlying diagnoses.
Medical records of 481 client-owned dogs presenting to a primary care hospital with vomiting of less than 2?weeks duration and undergoing CRP measurement at initial presentation were retrospectively reviewed. Dogs were categorized as Group A (<10?mg/L), Group B (10 to <35?mg/L), or Group C (?35?mg/L).
The median plasma CRP concentration was 14?mg/L (interquartile range [IQR], 6–57?mg/L). Dogs were classified into Group A ( n =?204), Group B ( n =?119), and Group C ( n =?158). Vomiting frequency and the prevalences of reduced appetite and reduced activity differed significantly among the three groups (all p <?0.001), with higher values in Group C than in Groups A and B on pairwise comparisons. Definitive diagnoses were established in only 117 dogs (24.3%), with substantial overlap in CRP concentrations among underlying diseases. The 14-day mortality rate differed significantly among the groups ( p <?0.001) and was higher in Group C than in Groups A and B (8.2% vs. 1.0 and 1.7%, respectively). Non-surviving dogs had significantly higher CRP concentrations than surviving dogs ( p <?0.001). However, among 44 dogs with CRP concentrations >100?mg/L, only two (4.5%) died within 14?days.
In this primary care cohort, higher initial CRP concentrations were associated with more frequent vomiting, reduced appetite, reduced activity, and increased 14-day all-cause mortality. Nevertheless, most dogs with CRP concentrations >100?mg/L survived the 14-day follow-up period. Thus, although CRP was associated with mortality at the cohort level, marked CRP elevation alone should not be equated with a grave short-term prognosis in an individual dog presenting with acute vomiting.
Introduction:
Vomiting is a common reason for dogs to be presented to veterinary hospitals and may accompany disorders of widely varying severity. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a major acute-phase protein in dogs, but its clinical relevance in dogs with acute vomiting in primary care remains poorly defined. This study aimed to characterize initial plasma CRP concentrations, evaluate their associations with clinical presentation and short-term outcome, and describe their distribution across underlying diagnoses.
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