Characterization of C-reactive protein in dogs undergoing medial patellar luxation surgery

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a major acute phase protein used to monitor response to treatment during surgical recovery. Depending on the anatomical problem, surgery type and technique, the level of CRP can change drastically. The aim of this study was to describe the changes in CRP and white blood cell (WBC) levels following surgery for medial patellar luxation in otherwise healthy dogs. Twenty-two dogs completed the study. CRP was measured using a commercially available dry chemistry slide on a commercially available in-clinic analyser. Analyses were performed using the Wilcoxon Rank Sum test and a mixed effects Poisson regression model. A significant change in CRP levels was found between the pre-anesthetic and 24 hr post-surgical timepoint with a median difference of 92.0 mg/dL (P < 0.001). Though a median drop in the CRP value of 13.9 mg/dL was observed between the 24 hr and 48 hr post-surgical time period, the result was not statistically significant (P = 0.456). Similarly, there was a significant increase in WBC between the pre-anesthetic and 24-hr post-surgical time point (P < 0.001) followed by a significant decrease in WBC between the 24 hr and 48-hr post-surgical time points (P = 0.015). In this study population, CRP levels were observed to aid in monitoring of the overall health of the dogs following surgery for medial patellar luxation. The results of this study suggest that both CRP and WBC values significantly increase by 24 hr but where CRP levels remain elevated through 48 hr post-surgery, WBC showed a significant drop between 24 and 48 hr. Further investigation into the length of time for both CRP and WBC to reach basal levels in this particular type of surgery would be of value to monitor recovery from surgery.