An Explorative Study of Haemostasis in Canine Steroid-Responsive Meningitis–Arteritis Using Viscoelastic Monitoring
by
, ,
Kine Bergum Hjellegjerde
1,*,†,
Berry Wong
1,
Sophie Wyatt
2,
Elena Scarpante
3,
Patricia Alvarez
4,
Annette Wessmann
4,‡,
Lucy McMahon
1,
Adam Mugford
2,5 and
Josep Brocal
1,§ 1
Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists, The Granary, Bunstead Barns, Poles Lane, Hursley, Winchester SO21 2LL, UK
2
Hawkshead Campus, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL9 7TA, UK
3
Dick White Referral Veterinary Specialists, Station Farm, London Road, Six Mile Bottom, Cambridgeshire CB8 0UH, UK
4
Neurology and Neurosurgery Service, IVC Evidensia, Pride Veterinary Referrals, Riverside Rd, Derby DE24 8HX, UK
5
Banco de Sangue Animal, Rua de João de Deus, n°741, 4100-462 Porto, Portugal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Current address: EMPET Nydalen Animal Hospital, Rolf Wickstrøms vei 15, 0484 Oslo, Norway.
‡
Current address: Tierklinik Hofheim, Katharina-Kemmler-Strasse 7, 65719 Hofheim am Taunus, Germany.
§
Current address: Veterinary Speciality Hospital Kowloon, G/F-1/F 7 Liberty, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Animals 2026, 16(1), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16010050
Submission received: 7 November 2025
/
Revised: 21 December 2025
/
Accepted: 22 December 2025
/
Published: 24 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Companion Animals)
Simple Summary
Steroid-responsive meningitis–arteritis is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease involving the nervous system in dogs that can occasionally lead to bleeding inside or outside the brain and spinal cord. This study looked for any abnormalities in the blood clotting process using the Entegrion VCM Vet™ device in dogs diagnosed with steroid-responsive meningitis–arteritis. The study was performed at four veterinary hospitals in the United Kingdom between 2023 and 2025. Twenty dogs were included in the study, none of which had obvious bleeding or clotting problems on examination. One dog had blood that had increased likelihood for clotting, and two had blood that broke down clots too quickly when measured using the Entegrion VCM Vet™ device. Although no dogs had any outward signs of bleeding or clotting complications, the findings of this study are important because they suggest that steroid-responsive meningitis–arteritis may affect the blood’s clotting and clot-breaking systems, thereby supporting the need for further investigations into this. Understanding this better could help veterinarians predict, monitor, and prevent potential bleeding or clotting problems in dogs affected by steroid-responsive meningitis–arteritis.
Abstract
Canine steroid-responsive meningitis–arteritis (SRMA) is a systemic, immune-mediated, inflammatory disease which occasionally leads to spontaneous haemorrhage, both within and outside the central nervous system, as a possible complication. No previous studies have investigated the haemostatic profile in a cohort of dogs with SRMA using viscoelastic monitoring. The aim of this study was to assess haemostatic function in a cohort of dogs affected by SRMA using the Entegrion VCM (Viscoelastic Coagulation Monitor) Vet™ device. This was a multicentre prospective study conducted between April 2023 and April 2025 recruiting dogs with SRMA from four veterinary referral hospitals in the United Kingdom. All four research centres used the Entegrion VCM Vet™ device for evaluation of haemostasis. Twenty dogs were included in the study. One dog had a hypercoagulable VCM result, and two dogs were considered hyperfibrinolytic based on their VCM results. No dogs had any clinical signs of vascular complications (ischaemic and/or haemorrhagic stroke, haematomas, or haemorrhages). Although the pathophysiology of vascular events in dogs with SRMA remains unclear, the results of this study suggest that further investigations into the fibrinolytic system and endothelial structure in dogs affected by SRMA are warranted.
Keywords:
SRMA; VCM; dogs; coagulation; haemostasis; haemorrhage
