ASSESSMENT OF A BREATH COLLECTION TECHNIQUE AND PORTABLE BREATH HYDROGEN MONITOR FOR USE IN CATS AND DOGS

Until now the use of breath hydrogen testing in companion animal gastr oenterology has been limited to academic institutions because of the e xpense of the equipment. Recently portable breath hydrogen monitors, d esigned for use in paediatric gastroenterology, have been developed. T hey may be suitable for use in veterinary medicine as an ancillary dia gnostic aid but, before widespread use can be recommended, thorough va lidation is required. Hydrogen breath tests were conducted in five dog s and four cats, undergoing investigations for small intestinal diseas e. Breath samples were taken using a closed-flow collection system and concurrently analysed with a commercially available portable breath h ydrogen monitor and a previously validated breath hydrogen monitor. In cats, sample collection was troublesome and complete studies could on ly be performed in two individuals. Goad correlation was demonstrated between the readings of both monitors (r(s) = 0.902 and 0.935 for dogs and cats respectively; P < 0.002) but agreement was poor with signifi cant under-read from the portable monitor. Our results demonstrate tha t more studies on validation and the generation of a reference range w ould be required before the use of this portable hydrogen monitor coul d be recommended.