The NycoCard D-dimer test card required no specialised equipment and could therefore facilitate rapid screening for thromboembolic disease/disseminated intravascular coagulation in first opinion practice. Elevations in D-dimer concentration can be found in a number of clinical conditions apart from thromboembolic disease/disseminated intravascular coagulation and should not therefore be used as the sole basis of diagnosis. D-dimer may be considered a good screening test for thromboembolic disease/disseminated intravascular coagulation as only one case with histopathological evidence of thromboembolic disease/disseminated intravascular coagulation had a D-dimer concentration in the range seen in healthy dogs.