Nitric oxide (NO) reacts with hemoglobin in the blood to form methemoglobin, and is associated in patients with sepsis and organ dysfunction. This retrospective study evaluated circulating methemoglobin in dogs with sepsis to determine if it holds prognostic value.

A total of 131 dogs with sepsis were included in the study, of which 24 of them had methemoglobin levels greater than or equal to 2.2%. Methemoglobin was found to be slightly higher in dogs with sepsis over healthy dogs. No difference was seen between dogs with uncomplicated sepsis vs septic shock, multi-organ dysfunction vs no organ dysfunction, and between survivors vs non-survivors.

A higher mortality rate was seen in dogs with methemoglobin greater than 2.2% which might be associated with a more unfavorable outcome than dogs who had lower levels of the methemoglobin.

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The value of methemoglobin in dogs with sepsis