Objective: To investigate the feasibility and validity of sampling blood from the carpal pad in hospitalised healthy and diabetic dogs.
Methods: The carpal pad was compared to the ear as a sampling site in 60 dogs (30 healthy and 30 diabetic dogs).
Results: Lancing the pads was very well tolerated. The average glucose concentrations in blood samples obtained from the ears and carpal pads exhibited a strong positive correlation (r = 0·938) and there were no significant differences between them (P = 0·914). In addition, 98·3% of the values obtained were clinically acceptable when assessed by the error grid analysis.
Clinical significance: The carpal pad is a good alternative sampling site for home monitoring, especially in animals with a soft and/or light-coloured pad.
© 2012 British Small Animal Veterinary Association.