North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) Practice Test

Administering desmopressin acetate is the correct choice for a dog with elevated buccal mucosal bleeding time due to suspected von Willebrand's disease. Von Willebrand's disease is a common hereditary bleeding disorder in dogs, characterized by a deficiency or dysfunction of von Willebrand factor (vWF), which is essential for platelet adhesion and aggregation at the site of vascular injury.

Desmopressin acetate acts as a synthetic analog of vasopressin and stimulates the release of vWF from endothelial cells. This increase in vWF helps improve platelet function and, in turn, reduces the bleeding time, making it particularly beneficial in pre-surgical situations where minimizing the risk of excessive bleeding is critical.

When considering the other options, they do not directly address the underlying issue in von Willebrand's disease or are appropriate treatments for different conditions. For instance, whole blood transfusions could be indicated in cases of severe anemia or hemorrhage but would not correct the platelet function issue in this specific bleeding disorder. Vitamin K is necessary for the synthesis of certain clotting factors involved in the coagulation cascade but is not effective in cases of von Willebrand's disease since the disorder is not due to a deficiency in vitamin K-dependent factors.