Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Liver lesions found in 12% of dogs after death linked to pancreatitis
By Watson, P J et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2010·Department of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of hepatic lesions at post-mortem examination in dogs and association with pancreatitis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that about 12% of dogs examined after death had chronic hepatitis (a long-term liver disease), and this condition was sometimes linked to chronic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). While some dog breeds showed a higher risk for chronic hepatitis, the overall prevalence was lower compared to chronic pancreatitis. Dogs with chronic pancreatitis were more likely to have reactive hepatitis, which can mimic chronic hepatitis in blood tests. This means that if your dog has pancreatitis, it’s important for your vet to confirm any liver issues with further tests to avoid misdiagnosis.
People also search for: dog liver disease symptoms · chronic pancreatitis in dogs · dog liver enzyme test results
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of canine chronic hepatitis (CH) and other liver diseases in first opinion practice and identify associations with concurrent chronic pancreatitis (CP). METHODS: One large section of left lateral lobe of liver was taken from 200 unselected canine post-mortem examinations from first opinion practices. Histological changes were categorised based on WSAVA criteria. Prevalence of CH and other liver diseases were calculated. Relative risks (RR) for liver histopathology in association with CP and for CH in different breeds were also calculated. RESULTS: The prevalence of CH was 12%. Some breeds had an increased RR of CH, although sample sizes were small. Dogs with CP had an increased RR of reactive hepatitis but no significant association with the other liver diseases. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: CH is common in the first opinion dog population but less common than CP. CP was significantly associated with reactive hepatitis but not CH. Possible breed associations mirrored another recent UK study. Some dogs with CP may be erroneously diagnosed clinically as having CH on the basis of increased serum liver enzymes because of concurrent reactive hepatitis if the diagnosis is not confirmed histologically.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20973784/