Breed-specific biochemical reference intervals for the adult Dogue de Bordeaux

Breed-specific reference intervals are of increasing interest in veterinary medicine. The health monitoring of the Dogue de Bordeaux, a breed predisposed to familial juvenile glomerulonephropathy and hypothyroidism, would benefit from specific reference intervals.

The purpose of this study was to establish breed-specific biochemical reference intervals for the Dogue de Bordeaux in accordance with the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines.

One hundred and twenty Dogues de Bordeaux from France and Belgium were recruited. Complete urinalysis and chemistry panels, venous blood gas variables, total thyroxin and thyroid stimulating hormone, and fibrinogen and antithrombin were measured for each dog. Reference intervals were determined using the non-parametric method. Confounding variables such as sex, age and color of facial mask were analyzed.

Due to pre-defined criteria for exclusion, 62 healthy dogs were finally selected for the reference intervals determination. Using the instrument manufacturer's generic canine RI for most analytes did not have a significant impact on potential clinical decisions, except for total proteins, ALT, AST, total cholesterol, lipase and total thyroxin, for which possible clinically relevant differences were noted.

Specific reference intervals for biochemical analytes in the Dogue de Bordeaux were determined under controlled pre-analytical and analytical conditions, and according to international recommendations. The use of these breed-specific reference intervals is recommended when using the specified analytic instruments, especially for the 6 analytes for which the reference intervals differed considerably from those provided by manufacturers.