Carnitine (total)

Serum 0.5 ml (centrifuged and separated shortly after coagulation, pipetted off; cooled until arrival at the laboratory)

LCMS

Dog, cat

2–6 working days

• Testing for carnitine concentrations in dogs (and possibly cats) helps to assess energy metabolism, particularly mitochondrial β-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids. Carnitine acts as an essential carrier that transports fatty acids into the mitochondria. A deficiency can be primary (genetic, rare) or secondary due to diseases such as liver failure, pancreatitis, malabsorption, cardiomyopathies or long-term malnutrition.
• The significance is similar in cats, but they are less efficient at synthesising carnitine and are more sensitive to deficiencies, e.g. in anorexia or hepatic lipidosis.