The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in canine inflammation

The clinical application of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) assay is challenging due to its long processing time. However, in 2020 a new automated instrument for veterinary ESR was released and validated. This study sought: (1) to refine the proposed reference range (reference interval, RI) for canine ESR; (2) to compare the ESR values of healthy and sick dogs; and (3) to correlate ESR with other inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, albumin:globulin ratio (A/G), and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR); and also (4) to study ESR behavior across illnesses of varying durations. A prospective cohort study of 396 client-owned dogs (n = 120 healthy and n = 276 sick dogs) was conducted. Animals with a full clinical evaluation, complete hematobiochemical profile and a final diagnosis were included. ESR was performed according to manufacturer’s instructions using the same 1 mL K3-EDTA tube used for the complete blood count. The RI was established at 1–8 mm/h in 14 min. Sick dogs had a significantly faster ESR (median 10 mm/h) than healthy dogs (median 1 mm/h; P