Borin et al; Capillary Blood Glucose and Venous Blood Glucose Measured with Portable Digital Glucometer in Diabetic Dogs. Braz J Vet Pathol, 2012, 5(2), 42 - 46 Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Pathology. www.bjvp.org.br . All rights reserved 2007. 42 Original Full Paper Capillary Blood Glucose and Venous Blood Glucose Measured with Portable Digital Glucometer in Diabetic Dogs Sofia Borin *1 , Leandro Zuccolotto Crivelenti 1 , Mariana Cristina Hoeppner Rondelli 1 , Mirela Tinucci-Costa 1 1 Department of Veterinary Clinics and Surgery of São Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil. * Corresponding Author:, Department of Veterinary Clinics and Surgery of São Paulo State University (Unesp), Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil. Phone +55 16 32039082. E-mail address: sofiaborin_vet@yahoo.com.br. Submitted October 24 th 2011, Accepted May 24 th 2012 Abstract This study aimed to compare the glycemic values obtained with a glucometer with those determined by a colorimetric enzymatic assay in venous blood as well as to evaluate the possibility of using capillary blood samples of dogs with diabetes mellitus. A group with 30 diabetic dogs was formed and from each dog three blood samples were obtained for glycemic evaluations by different methods and blood collection sites. The mean glycemic values showed no significant difference between the different sites of blood collection and methods (P=0.90). Venous, pinna and carpal pad blood glucose showed excellent correlation with the colorimetric enzymatic assay (r=0.98; r=0.95 and r=0.96 respectively) and the obtained values fit properly the clinically acceptable intervals in the error grid analysis. The present study revealed that carpal pad, venous and pinna glucose measurements are clinically acceptable and this method is feasible for use in hospitalized diabetic dogs. The sample attainment of carpal pad proved to be effective and a viable alternative. Further work is necessary to assess the utility of this technique in a home environment. Key Words: glycemia, venous blood sample, pinna, carpal pad, diabetes mellitus. Introduction The attainment of information about blood glucose concentration is an important parameter for the establishment of many diagnoses and vital therapeutic decisions in veterinary medicine (5). Situations as monitoring diabetic patients or patients with other endocrine diseases, obese or anorexic animals, hospitalized, intoxicated patients or those in emergency procedures usually require continuous glycemic measurement in small animal clinics. Historically, before 1975, the routine blood glucose monitoring in patients consisted only in urinary determination (9). Only around 1980 glucose monitoring using blood samples replaced tests that used urine and was recommended as the standard method to be implemented in clinical routine (8). The glucometers are devices developed to measure glycemia of capillary blood in humans, obtained through digital or heel puncture using a lance or hypodermic needle. They are automatic and easy to use and determine the blood glucose contents by means of chemical reactions calculated from arranging reagent strips impregnated with glucose oxidase, peroxidase and chromogeny (16). Among the main advantages of a glucometer use are the small blood amounts required (1-5µL of blood), the quickness the results are given (around 5 to 25 seconds) and the low cost. The method’s accuracy has been studied and the correlation with traditional methods is generally good once the blood collection and measurement techniques are correct (12, 16).