Pseudothrombocytopenia secondary to the effects of EDTA in a dog

Pseudothrombocytopenia (PTCP) secondary to the effects of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) has been noted in horses and pigs and should be considered in dogs with moderate thrombocytopenia and no clinical bleeding tendency. This type of pseudothrombocytopenia is not a pathological process by itself, but it can be clinically significant if diagnostics and medical treatments are initiated based on the reported thrombocytopenia. Platelet clumping occurs with EDTA-dependent PTCP, resulting in inaccurate hematology analyzer platelet concentrations. A nontraumatic venipuncture may be sufficient to obtain an accurate platelet count. However, rare cases in the dog may require blood drawn into a different anticoagulant, such as sodium citrate, to help discriminate a true thrombocytopenia from PTCP.