AUTHOR=Koch Bodil Cathrine , Motta Luca , Wiinberg Bo , Westrup Ulrik , Kristensen Annemarie Thuri , Skerritt Geoff , Berendt Mette , Gredal Hanne TITLE=D-Dimer Concentrations and Thromboelastography in Five Dogs With Ischemic Stroke JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science VOLUME=6 YEAR=2019 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2019.00255 DOI=10.3389/fvets.2019.00255 ISSN=2297-1769 ABSTRACT=

Ischemic stroke is a condition increasingly recognized in dogs; however, the number of publications on dogs with ischemic stroke is still limited and hemostatic parameters are infrequently reported. D-dimer levels have been shown to be elevated in people with acute ischemic stroke compared to a healthy control population and it has been proposed that a normal D-dimer can be used to exclude thromboembolism in dogs. In this case series, we report hemostatic parameters, including D-dimer and thromboelastography (TEG) along with clinical and imaging findings for five dogs diagnosed with ischemic stroke. All dogs had a normal D-dimer concentration on presentation. A hypercoagulable state was identified in two dogs based on the results of the TEG, and was suspected in the remaining three cases based on a shortened TEG clot reaction time. Based on the findings in the present cases, a D-dimer within the normal reference range does not seem an appropriate negative predictor for canine ischemic stroke. The demonstration of a possible hypercoagulable state, as identified by the TEG, is an interesting finding which should be explored further to help reveal predisposing hypercoagulable conditions in dogs with ischemic stroke.