OBJECTIVE: To establish reference intervals for traditionally- and Stewart's approach-determined acid-base parameters in a population of clinically healthy dogs. DESIGN: Prospective study (June 2011-September 2012). SETTING: Veterinary teaching hospital. ANIMALS: Two hundred twenty-four client-owned, clinically healthy dogs. INTERVENTIONS: Blood was collected from the jugular vein and the dorsal pedal artery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In the whole blood samples, pH, PCO2 , and PO2 were measured and HCO3- , standard and total bicarbonate, base excess, oxygen content, and alveolar-arterial oxygen differences were calculated. Plasma sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, albumin, and lactate concentrations were measured and the following parameters were calculated separately for venous and arterial samples: anion gap, anion gap corrected for albumin and phosphate, sodium chloride difference and ratio, chloride gap, strong ion difference, strong ion gap, and unmeasured anions. CONCLUSION: Reference intervals for traditionally- and Stewart's approach-determined acid-base parameters were established for venous and arterial blood in dogs.

Department of Physiology University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno 612 42 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Surgery and Orthopedics University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno 612 42 Brno Czech Republic

Small Animal Clinical Laboratory University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno 612 42 Brno Czech Republic

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