Evaluation of two point-of-care analysers for measurement of fructosamine or haemoglobin A1c in dogs

Measurement of glycosylated proteins such as fructosamine and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) can be used to assess glycaemic control in canine diabetic patients. Two point-of-care analysers, designed for human diabetics, were evaluated for use in dogs. Blood samples were collected from 50 normoglycaemic dogs, 100 diabetic patients and five dogs with insulinoma and tested using the In Charge fructosamine meter and the Haemaquant/Glycosal HbA1c meter. Readings were obtained in all cases except for 21 of 50 diabetics, which were above the upper limit of the In Charge meter. Diabetic dogs had higher fructosamine and HbA1c concentrations compared to controls. However, there was poor agreement between the In Charge meter readings and serum fructosamine concentrations, suggesting that there are problems associated with the use of this device in dogs. HbA1c concentrations showed a high degree of correlation with glycosylated haemoglobin measured at an external laboratory, suggesting that the Haemaquant/Glycosal meter warrants further evaluation for veterinary use.