Changes in CRP, SAA and haptoglobin produced in response to ovariohysterectomy in healthy bitches and those with pyometra.

The aim of the study was to assess changes in serum C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A component (SAA) and haptoglobin (Hp) concentrations in healthy bitches and in those with pyometra undergoing ovariohysterectomy, and to establish the usefulness of such determinations for monitoring the postoperative period. Our results indicate that CRP and SAA determinations serve to evaluate the severity of the inflammatory process in pyometra since the concentrations of these acute phase proteins were increased immediately after surgery and diminished thereafter. The CRP and SAA response was rapidly produced while Hp concentrations increased in a more gradual manner. Thus, postoperative concentrations of CRP and SAA provide valuable information on the subsidence of the inflammatory response during the uneventful postoperative period. Our findings also suggest that acute phase proteins might be useful diagnostic markers of early postoperative complications.