Serum pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity in sick dogs after chronic administration of supraphysiologic doses of glucocorticoids.

Background: Glucocorticoids (GC) are commonly used for a long term to treat a multitude of immune-mediated, inflammatory, and neoplastic diseases in dogs. Conflicting results of published studies on the effects of exogenous and endogenous GCs on serum canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI) raise the question of whether cPLI concentrations can be reliably interpreted in patients receiving GCs.

Objective: We sought to determine the effect of long-term GC administration at supraphysiologic doses on serum cPLI concentrations in sick dogs.

Untargeted metabolomic profiling of urine from healthy dogs and dogs with chronic hepatic disease.

Chronic hepatic disease can present a diagnostic challenge with different etiologies being associated with similar clinical and laboratory findings. The histopathological assessment of a liver biopsy specimen is usually required in order to make a definitive diagnosis and the availability of non-invasive prognostic biomarkers is limited. The emerging science of metabolomics is used to detect changes in endogenous low molecular weight metabolites in biological samples and offers the possibility of identifying noninvasive markers of disease.

Development, validation, and application of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for quantitative determination of trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline concentration in the serum of dogs with chronic hepatitis.

Objective: To develop and analytically validate a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for measurement of endogenous trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline concentrations in canine serum and to assess serum trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline concentrations in dogs with chronic hepatitis.

Sample: Serum samples obtained from 20 dogs with histopathologically confirmed chronic hepatitis and 20 healthy control dogs.

Procedures: A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for quantification of trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline concentration was developed and assessed for analytic sensitivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, and reproducibility.

Longitudinal assessment of microbial dysbiosis, fecal unconjugated bile acid concentrations, and disease activity in dogs with steroid-responsive chronic inflammatory enteropathy.

Background: Mounting evidence from human studies suggests that bile acid dysmetabolism might play a role in various human chronic gastrointestinal diseases. It is unknown whether fecal bile acid dysmetabolism occurs in dogs with chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CE).

Objective: To assess microbial dysbiosis, fecal unconjugated bile acids (fUBA), and disease activity in dogs with steroid-responsive CE.

Untargeted metabolomic profiling of serum from dogs with chronic hepatic disease.

Background: Chronic hepatopathies present a diagnostic challenge, with different diseases being associated with similar clinical and laboratory findings. Characterization of dogs with chronic hepatopathies can be difficult and require costly diagnostic procedures such as acquisition of a liver biopsy specimen. Noninvasive and inexpensive biomarkers that reliably characterize chronic hepatopathies such as chronic hepatitis or a congenital portosystemic vascular anomaly may decrease the need for costly or invasive diagnostic testing and guide novel therapeutic interventions.

Proteomic analysis of liver tissue from dogs with chronic hepatitis.

Chronic hepatitis is the most common hepatic disease in dogs. Copper accumulation is an important cause of chronic hepatitis in dogs; however, the etiology in most dogs cannot be determined. Clinical signs of chronic hepatitis are often non-specific; therefore, this disease is frequently diagnosed in an advanced stage that makes successful intervention less likely.

Laboratory Evaluation of the Liver.

Laboratory evaluation of the hepatobiliary system has an important role in the diagnosis, monitoring, and assessment of patients with hepatobiliary diseases. Serum liver enzyme activities can be divided into markers of hepatocellular injury and cholestasis. Liver function can be assessed in several ways, including assessment of synthetic capacity, measurement of ammonia, and measurement of bile acids.

Characterization, treatment, and outcome of bacterial cholecystitis and bactibilia in dogs.

Objective-To characterize historical, clinicopathologic, ultrasonographic, microbiological, surgical, and histopathologic features of bacterial cholecystitis and bactibilia in dogs and evaluate response to treatment and outcomes in these patients. Design-Retrospective case-control study. Animals-40 client-owned dogs (10 with bacterial cholecystitis on histologic analysis or bactibilia on cytologic examination [case dogs] and 30 without bactibilia [controls]) evaluated at a veterinary teaching hospital between 2010 and 2014.

Clinical findings, diagnostics and outcome in 33 cats with adrenal neoplasia (2002-2013).

Objectives: The objective of this retrospective study was to describe the clinical signs and diagnostic findings in cats with histopathologically confirmed adrenal neoplasms, and to assess correlations with survival data.

Methods: Study data were acquired by reviewing medical records for all cats diagnosed with adrenal neoplasms at seven referral institutions between 2002 and 2013. Inclusion criteria required a histopathologic diagnosis of an adrenal neoplasm (ante-mortem or on necropsy).