34th Annual Scientific Meeting proceedings

Objectives:

Digestive surgeries are commonly performed in veterinary medicine. Identifying surgical site dehiscence remains a challenge. C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase protein that serves as a useful predictive test for the early detection of inflammation. No studies have investigated CRP concentrations and kinetic following digestive surgeries in small animals. The objective of this study was to determine serum CRP levels in dogs following uncomplicated digestive surgery.

Methods:

This is a clinical monocentric prospective study. All dogs admitted in our hospital for digestive surgery were included in the absence of postoperative complication. Serum CRP levels were measured the day prior to surgery and then every 24 hours until day 3 to determine CRP variations in the postoperative period. Measure ANOVA was performed to find differences between CRP values at each point.

Results:

Twenty seven dogs were included. Surgical procedures included gastric, enteral or colorectal surgeries. Mean CRP concentrations in the preoperative period, and at 24, 48 and 72 hours postoperative were above the reference ranges (0-10mg/L). C-reactive protein levels increased in 88,9% of dogs during post-operative period with a rapid elevation on the first day peaking at 24 hours postoperative, and tend to decrease rapidly in patients with uncomplicated postoperative course.

Conclusions:

Preoperative CRP concentrations in dogs with digestive surgeries were generally above the normal reference range and were not associated with prognosis. Elevations in CRP levels are expected during the postoperative period, typically peaking on the first day in the majority of dogs. These levels tend to decrease rapidly with an uncomplicated postoperative course.