Usefulness of alpha 1 acid glycoprotein (alpha 1-AG) values in screening pound dogs acquired from animal shelters for experimental use.

The usefulness of alpha 1 acid glycoprotein (alpha 1-AG) levels in selecting pound dogs from animal shelters for experimental use, was assessed in 1,013 dogs. The mean (+/- SD), minimum, and maximum alpha 1-AG values were 375.9 (+/- 244.8), 20, and 1,650 micrograms/ml. The alpha 1-AG value exceeded 500 micrograms/ml, the cut-off value for the normal range, in 219 dogs. There was little correlation between alpha 1-AG values and any of 15 blood chemistry parameters or with hematocrit values. Of the 176 dogs that died within 2 weeks after arrival at our institution, the alpha 1-AG concentration was abnormal in one-third. These findings confirm that measurement of alpha 1-AG is extremely useful in identifying desperate dogs and in confirming of the prognosis.