Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Low blood oxygen levels in dogs with liver and bile duct disease
By Kaneko, Yasuyuki et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2016·Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Arterial blood gas anomaly in canine hepatobiliary disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with liver disease, particularly those with extrahepatic biliary obstruction and chronic hepatitis, showed breathing problems during a study. The researchers found that many of these dogs had low oxygen levels in their blood, which can lead to serious complications. They suggested that checking blood gas levels before surgery or during routine exams could help identify these respiratory issues early. By recognizing these problems, veterinarians can better manage the health of dogs suffering from liver conditions.
People also search for: dog liver disease symptoms · dog breathing problems liver disease · extrahepatic biliary obstruction treatment
Abstract
Arterial blood gas analysis is an important diagnostic and monitoring tool for respiratory abnormalities. In human medicine, lung complications often occur as a result of liver disease. Although pulmonary complications of liver disease have not been reported in dogs, we have frequently encountered hypoxemia in dogs with liver disorders, especially extrahepatic biliary obstruction. In addition, respiratory disorders account for 20% of perioperative fatalities in dogs. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the respiratory status in dogs with hepatobiliary disease by arterial blood gas analysis. PaO2 and PaCO2 were measured. Alveolar-arterial oxygen difference (AaDO2), the indicator of gas exchange efficiency, was calculated. Compared to healthy dogs (control group), hepatobiliary disease dogs had significantly lower PaO2 and higher AaDO2. Hypoxemia (PaO2 of ≤80 mmHg) was observed in 28/71 dogs with hepatobiliary disease. AaDO2 was higher (≥30 mmHg) than the control group range (11.6 to 26.4 mmHg) in 32/71 hepatobiliary disease dogs. By classifying type of hepatobiliary disease, dogs with extrahepatic biliary obstruction and chronic hepatitis showed significantly lower PaO2 and higher AaDO2 than in a control group. Dogs with chronic hepatitis also had significantly lower PaCO2. The present study shows that dogs with hepatobiliary disease have respiratory abnormalities more than healthy dogs. Preanesthetic or routine arterial blood gas analysis is likely beneficial to detect the respiratory abnormalities in dogs with hepatobiliary disease, especially extrahepatic biliary obstruction and chronic hepatitis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26256228/