Comparative analysis of C‐reactive protein levels in the saliva and serum of dogs with various diseases

We performed this study to characterize the difference between the inflammatory and non‐inflammatory status in diseased dogs by measuring salivary C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels. In addition, we assessed whether a correlation exists between CRP levels in saliva and those in serum. CRP levels were measured in 32 client‐owned dogs, which were then divided into inflammation and non‐inflammation groups based on the serum CRP level. The salivary CRP level was higher in the inflammation group than in the non‐inflammation group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between the salivary and serum CRP levels (R = 0.866, p < 0.001). These data suggest that canine salivary CRP measurements can effectively and non‐invasively detect an inflammatory state in dogs.