Why Has A D-dimer Test Been Run On My Dog Or Cat’s Blood?
The D-Dimer Test
When blood clots (thrombi) that have formed anywhere in your dog or cat’s body begin to dissolve, they liberate a compound called D-dimer. That is because those clots contain fibrin and when fibrin dissolves (fibrinolysis) D-dimer fragments are released.
Besides confirming the presence of blood clots, D-dimer blood levels can also increase in life-threatening clotting defects that sometimes accompany shock and trauma. That situation is called disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).
The d-dimer test is only one of a group of tests that investigate the state of your pet’s blood clotting mechanism. Your veterinarian might include it if he/she is suspicious that your pet is bleeding internally (or excessively through an unseen wound) due to a fault in its blood clotting mechanism. Because the clotting of blood is such a complex process (the coagulation cascade) with many different stages or steps and the interplay of many different body chemicals and cells; a series of tests might be required to determine exactly what is wrong. The other tests used include a thrombocyte count, prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT), fibrinogen level and thrombin clot time TCT.
Reasons Why Your Dog Or Cat’s D-dimer Blood Levels Might Be High
A disseminated intravascular coagulation crisis (DIC), blood clots, severe trauma, after extensive surgery, cancer, internal hemorrhage, anaphylactic shock. Perhaps after a vaccination reaction or a bee sting, liver disease, lung embolisms (perhaps associated with heartworms) and occasionally in widespread inflammatory disease such as FIP in cats
Complementary Tests
Prothrombin time (PT), aPTT, CBC /WBC and blood chemistry panel
About The Author:
Dr. Ron Hines DVM PhD
My name is Dr. Ron Hines, and I am a retired veterinarian in Brownsville, Texas, who provides low-cost or free online consultations to pet owners worldwide.
A trusted veterinarian you can see in person in your town is as important to your pet’s health as a good airplane mechanic is to the success of your next flight. Please use this information wisely to inform yourself – not to diagnose and treat the pets you love. Don’t try to be your own mechanic.
Help Support Us
Dear reader, Besides your donations, visits to the products that Google and others display on this website help defray some of the costs of keeping my articles online to keep you informed. As you already know, sites like mine that intentionally use no AI robots and are not written to Sell You Things are getting harder and harder to find., Best wishes to you and all the little furries that depend on you. Ron Hines