Clinico-haematological and serum biochemical alterations in pyometra affected bitches

Abstract

Canine pyometra is the infective disease of progesterone influenced uterus of intact bitches and known to cause a systemic inflammatory responses leading to multiple systemic dysfunctions. In the study twenty bitches were divided into two groups after a presumptive diagnosis of pyometra. The diagnosis was based on history, clinical examination and ultrasonography. Ten animals were placed into two groups each. Group I comprised of non-surgical cases receiving medicinal treatment and group II of the surgical cases going for ovariohysterectomy and blood samples of same animals were obtained again fifteen days after undergoing treatment either non surgical that is, medicinal (group III) or surgical (group IV), respectively. Blood was also collected from ten clinically healthy bitches. Haematological examination revealed a decrease in the total erythrocyte count (TEC), haemoglobin, and packed cell volume (PCV) in all pyometra infected animals in comparison to control value. In this study, the mean haemoglobin content of control animals was determined to be 13.42±0.76 g/dl. In group I animals the mean haemoglobin was determined as 9.32±2.51 g/dl, which increased after 15 days of treatment to 12.14±2.14 g/dl. In pyometra infected bitches, the mean value of haemoglobin was increased 15 days post surgery to 11.07±1.70 g/dl from a mean value of 7.38±2.16 g/dl before surgery and moreover the mean value of TEC was increased 15 days post surgery to 5.21±1.14×10⁶/μl from a mean value of 3.77±1.12×10⁶/μl before surgery. In pyometric animals undergoing surgical treatment, the mean value of PCV before surgery was 24.18±6.85%, which 15 days post surgery was increased up to 36.2±4.87%. Band cells and Total Leucocyte count (TLC) parameters differed significantly with their control values. Leucocytosis with neutrophilia was a consistent finding along with increased number of band cells per microscopic field in pyometric cases which were decreased after both surgical and medicinal treatments. Biochemically, there were significant elevations of serum Alanine transferase (ALT), Aspartate transferase (AST), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Total bilirubin (BIT), Gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and Creatinine (CRE), and decrease in protein and albumin concentration in serum of all dogs with pyometra. In pyometric animals undergoing medicinal treatment by drugs the mean value of ALT was determined as 71.86±21.95 IU/L, which decreased to 58.04±14.44 IU/L after treatment. In pyometric animals undergoing ovariohysterectomy, the mean value of ALT was decreased 15 days post surgery to 39.8±17.91 IU/L from the mean value of 99.16±44.01 IU/L before surgery. The mean value of AST was decreased 15 days post ovariohysterectomy to 21.06±2.19 IU/L from a mean value of 54.02±23.94 IU/L before surgery. In pyometra infected animals undergoing treatment by drugs the value of ALP was determined as 102.33±46.03 IU/L, which decreased to 51.80±34.16 IU/L after treatment. An increase in serum CRE and BUN values were recorded in all cases of pyometra which reduced to lower levels during both treatments in follow-ups. All the haemato-biochemical parameters were comparable to their respective reference values after either medicinal treatment or ovariohysterectomy of dogs. Thus the dogs with pyometra show significant abnormalities in haemato-biochemical parameters indicative of reversible nature of liver and kidney dysfunction in pyometra.

Keywords: Canine, pyometra, clinical, haematological, biochemical alterations

African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(13), pp. 1564-1570