The effects of aging on hematology and serum chemistry values in the beagle dog

To distinguish age-related changes in hematology and clinical chemistry values from those resulting from disease, hematology, and clinical chemistry values of healthy, age-matched Beagle dogs 3 to 14 years of age were analyzed. Serum potassium, total protein and globulin concentration, and lactic dehydrogenase activity increased with age, while urea nitrogen, creatinine and albumin concentration, and gamma-glutamyl transferase activity decreased. The 12-year-old group had some distinct differences from the other age groups: glucose concentration was lower, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activity and triglyceride concentration were higher. No significant age-related differences were found in the hematology parameters analyzed. This report extends the documented, age-related changes in normal Beagle dogs to 14 years of age. The age-related changes in organ-specific serum chemistries such as urea nitrogen and creatinine (kidney), and alanine aminotransferase (liver) noted here suggest that 12 years may be a pivotal age for determining longevity in the Beagle dog.