Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Liver test changes and liver disease in dogs in Thailand
By Assawarachan, Sathidpak N et al.·Published in Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire·2020·Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A descriptive study of the histopathologic and biochemical liver test abnormalities in dogs with liver disease in Thailand.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in Thailand with liver disease showed various symptoms related to their condition, including changes in blood tests and liver tissue abnormalities. Chronic hepatitis was the most common issue found, along with other conditions like liver fibrosis and cancer. Blood tests that showed high levels of certain enzymes (ALT and ALP) were helpful in diagnosing liver problems, with a combination of these tests being very effective. The study emphasized the importance of considering a dog's history and symptoms alongside test results before deciding on a liver biopsy.
People also search for: dog liver disease symptoms · elevated ALT ALP in dogs · chronic hepatitis in dogs · liver biopsy for dogs · dog liver cancer signs
Abstract
The present study describes the serum biochemical alterations and histopathological abnormalities in the liver tissue of dogs with liver disease. A survey of hepatic lesions was conducted using ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle biopsies. The hematologic and biochemical changes in dogs with liver lesions were recorded. Chronic hepatitis was the most common liver histopathologic finding (37.9%). Other common findings included liver fibrosis (19.5%), vacuolar hepatopathy (10.3%), cholangiohepatitis (9.2%), hepatocellular carcinoma (4.6%), cholangitis (3.4%), cholangiocarcinoma (2.3%), and congestive hepatopathy (2.3%). Greater than 2-fold elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was a useful indicator, with a sensitivity of 40% to 65% for diagnosing all liver pathologies. Greater than 2-fold elevation of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) without significant elevation of ALT was useful for diagnosing liver diseases affected by inflammatory or regressive changes (sensitivity of 40% to 50%). Elevation of ALT, ALP, or a combination of ALT and ALP had a high sensitivity of up to 90% for identifying dogs with liver pathology. Hepatic injury and cholestasis enzymes should be interpreted together with patient history, clinical signs, and liver ultrasonographic appearance before performing a liver biopsy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32801457/