In this paper we describe our clinical experience and results with the cuticle bleeding
time test in a colony of cross-bred Labrador retrievers with severe haemophilia A.
The dogs have a severe bleeding tendency with a high incidence of fatal haemorrhages
in the central nervous system. Homozygous females appeared to be especially prone
to this lethal complication. Factor VIII recovery and half-life determinations yielded
results similar to the data from human studies. The cuticle bleeding time proved to
be a good measure of the coagulation defect. The prolongation of the bleeding time
could be completely abolished by administration of 10 to 15 units of canine factor
VIII per kg body weight. We conclude that the cuticle bleeding time in canine haemophilia
provides us with a suitable model for the in vivo study of new therapeutic materials.
Key words
Haemophilia A - Dogs - Cuticle bleeding time
