# An Explorative Study of Haemostasis in Canine Steroid-Responsive Meningitis–Arteritis Using Viscoelastic Monitoring

## TL;DR

This study explores blood clotting in dogs with a nervous system disease called steroid-responsive meningitis–arteritis, finding subtle clotting changes despite no visible bleeding issues.

## Contribution

This is the first study to use viscoelastic monitoring to assess blood clotting in dogs with steroid-responsive meningitis–arteritis.

## Key findings

- One dog showed increased clotting tendency, and two showed rapid clot breakdown using viscoelastic monitoring.
- No dogs displayed visible bleeding or clotting complications despite these findings.
- The results suggest the disease may affect clotting systems, warranting further investigation.

## Abstract

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.

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.