Abstract

In veterinary medicine the use of fluids supplemented with glucose is a common procedure. Our objective was to evaluate if spurious hyperglycemia can affect the leucocyte cell count (total number and differential count) in dog and cat blood with the ProCyte Dx (IDEXX). Blood samples were collected for EDTA tubes, in a total of 30 samples, previously collected by jugular venopunction, at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. The samples were divided into 5 Eppendorf’s of 1.5mL. One of the samples was left in the original status that served as control, 3 of the samples were “contaminated” experimentally adding a 40% glucose solution to achieve a final concentration of 5%, 10% and 20%. The last Eppendorf was left to haemodilution. The samples were left in mechanical agitation approximately 20 minutes at room temperature and were then analysed in the ProCyte Dx (IDEXX). The results of our study demonstrate that spurious hyperglycemia is not the main source of bias in automated leucocyte counting but rather haemodilution, when using the ProCyte Dx (IDEXX). We can conclude that apparently spurious hyperglycemia has no effects in the leucocyte’s parameters.

Keywords:Cat; Dog; Glucose; Hyperglycemia; Leucocyte