Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Scottish Terriers have higher blood alkaline phosphatase than other
By Nestor, Derek D et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2006·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum alkaline phosphatase activity in Scottish Terriers versus dogs of other breeds.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Scottish Terriers were found to have higher levels of a blood enzyme called alkaline phosphatase (ALP) compared to other dog breeds. This enzyme can indicate liver or bone problems, and the study showed that Scottish Terriers are more likely to have diseases linked to high ALP levels. Even when they didn't have these diseases, their ALP levels were still significantly higher than those of other breeds without such issues. If you have a Scottish Terrier, it's a good idea to discuss these findings with your vet, especially if your dog is showing any signs of illness.
People also search for: Scottish Terrier high ALP levels · dog liver disease symptoms · alkaline phosphatase in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether Scottish Terriers have higher serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities and a higher prevalence of diseases commonly associated with high serum ALP activity than do dogs of other breeds. DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study. ANIMALS: 85 Scottish Terriers and 340 age-matched control dogs that were not Scottish Terriers. PROCEDURE: Medical records were reviewed, and data for year of evaluation, age, sex, breed, serum ALP activity, and final diagnosis were recorded. RESULTS: Scottish Terriers had a significantly higher mean serum ALP activity than did control dogs (1,520 U/L vs 306 U/L). Regardless of breed, dogs that had a disease commonly associated with high serum ALP activity had a significantly higher mean serum ALP activity than did dogs without such diseases (1,304 U/L vs 427 U/L). Scottish Terriers were 2.4 times as likely to have a disease commonly associated with high serum ALP activity than were control dogs, but Scottish Terriers with diseases commonly associated with high serum ALP activity had a significantly higher mean ALP activity than did control dogs with such diseases (2,073 U/L vs 909 U/L), and Scottish Terriers without such diseases had a significantly higher mean serum ALP activity than did control dogs without such diseases (1,349 U/L vs 228 U/L). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that Scottish Terriers have higher serum ALP activities than do dogs of other breeds. Although Scottish Terriers also have a higher prevalence of diseases associated with high serum ALP activity, this alone did not explain the higher mean serum ALP activity in the breed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16426191/