You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Interpretation of laboratory results is complex if the sample has been collected from an animal that is on treatment with sulphonamides.

Sulphonamides affect a variety of normal laboratory findings including the following :

• Haematology :
  • Increased Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)
  • Increased clotting time
  • Increased thrombin
  • Decreased Packed Cell Volume (PCV)
  • Decreased platelet count
• Blood Chemistry
  • Increased Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
  • Increased urea - due to toxicity
  • False positive Anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) test
  • Increased (alkalosis) or Decreased (acidosis) pH
  • Decreased glucose
• Urinalysis
  • Increased proteinuria (with sulphosalicylic acid)
  • Increased urobilinogen

Veterinarians should be aware of these possible effects when interpreting laboratory results from samples taken from animals on sulphonamide medication.

Last updated : January 2016