Ethylene glycol intoxication: Use of the lactate gap for diagnosis and to determine length of intermittent hemodialysis treatment.

An 18-month-old dog was presented to the emergency department with a marked discrepancy in lactate measurements obtained on different analyzers (lactate gap), an elevated anion gap, and a renal azotemia, which raised concern for ethylene glycol intoxication. The dog was treated with intermittent hemodialysis until the lactate gap was normal. Key clinical message: It is hypothesized that the lactate gap can be used by veterinary clinicians as both a diagnostic tool and a therapeutic tool to determine when intermittent hemodialysis treatment can be stopped.