Blood glycated hemoglobin evaluation in sick dogs

Blood glycated hemoglobin concentration reflects long-term serum glucose le vels in dogs. In this study, the effects of several diseases on blood glyca ted hemoglobin levels have been evaluated. For this study, blood samples we re drawn from 93 unhealthy dogs. The animals were distributed into 10 group s according to pathological process (group 1, digestive problems; group 2, leishmaniasis; group 3, anemia; group 4, dermatological disorders; group 5, urinary problems; group 6, cardiorespiratory problems; group 7, diabetes m ellitus; group 8, insulinoma; group 9, general diseases; group 10, control group). Blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin concentrations and hemoglobin and hematocrit values were analyzed in all the animals. In diabetic dogs, a strong increase in blood glycated hemoglobin was observed when compared w ith the other groups (P < 0.01). In contrast, dogs with insulinoma showed a decrease in blood glycated hemoglobin, though significant differences were not reported in all cases. No change in blood glycated hemoglobin concentr ations were reported in dogs affected by other diseases. So, we can suppose that only the chronic alterations in glucose metabolism (chronic hyper- or hypoglycemia) can induce significant changes on the blood glycated hemoglo bin concentrations in dogs.