Assessment of haematological values and iron profile in dogs with iron deficiency, iron deficiency anaemia and anaemia without iron deficiency

Abstract

Iron deficiency (ID) has important effects on both animals and humans, causing illness and non-specific signs. The blood changes associated with ID develop as a decrease in some erythrocyte parameters and microcytic anaemia. In this study, 175 blood samples from dogs were obtained for the measurement of complete blood count (CBC), copper, and iron profiles that included serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation (TS%), unbound iron binding capacity (UIBC), and canine ferritin. The cut-off values for serum iron and TS% were found using the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve test. The estimated cutoffs for the diagnosis of iron deficiency in the dogs were 115.74 mg/dL (serum iron) and 34.07% (TS%). The dogs with serum iron ≤ 115.74 mg/dL and TS% ≤ 34.07 were iron deficient. The dogs were divided into three groups based on the ROC curve results: iron deficiency (ID), iron deficiency anaemia (IDA), and non-iron deficiency anaemia (NIDA). The iron concentration and TS% of ID and IDA dogs were significantly lower than those of NIDA dogs, while the TIBC, UIBC, and ferritin did not differ among groups. The serum copper was not significantly lower in dogs with ID, but in the ID group (85.85±11.30 mg/dL) was less than levels in IDA and NIDA dogs (98.46±15.92 and 78.69±11.77, respectively). The study concluded that the ROC curve and area under the curve provided guidelines for the diagnostic accuracy of tests and the diagnosis of iron deficiency in dogs. The coefficient of variation of red blood cell distribution width (RDWc) was significantly higher when iron deficiency anaemia developed, as indicated by red blood cell (RBC) anisocytosis. The decreases in serum iron and TS% were considered "golden tests" for the diagnosis of IDA in dogs