Red cell distribution width, illness severity, and all-cause mortality in dogs admitted to the ICU.

Objective: To determine whether red cell distribution width (RDW) can predict illness severity and mortality risk in a heterogenous population of dogs admitted to the ICU.

Design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: Large, urban, private teaching hospital.

Animals: One hundred eleven dogs consecutively admitted to the ICU between September 2017 and December 2018.

Interventions: None.

Measurements And Main Results: Abbreviated Acute Patient Physiologic and Laboratory Evaluation (APPLE ) score and RDW were measured within 6 h of ICU admission. This study did not demonstrate a significant difference in illness severity across patients stratified by RDW. There was no difference in RDW between survivors and nonsurvivors at hospital discharge or at 30 days.

Conclusions: In this study population, RDW did not correspond with illness severity as measured by APPLE . Moreover, RDW did not predict in-hospital or 30-day mortality.