Hypophosphatemia in Dogs With Presumptive Sepsis: A Retrospective Study (2008–2018)

Background: In humans with sepsis, hypophosphatemia is a marker of illness severity and a negative prognostic indicator. Hypophosphatemia has not been previously investigated in dogs with sepsis, however. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of hypophosphatemia in dogs, the prevalence of presumptive sepsis in dogs with hypophosphatemia, the prevalence of hypophosphatemia in dogs with presumptive sepsis and the association between outcome and hypophosphatemia in dogs with presumptive sepsis.Methods: Electronic medical records of the Cornell University Hospital for Animals from 2008–2018 were queried to identify all dogs with hypophosphatemia and all dogs with presumptive sepsis. Hypophosphatemia was defined as a serum phosphate concentration