The panel of laboratory tests available for diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases in dogs and cats is wide, and, recently, several new tests have been developed.  This article will focus on advances in laboratory tests that are available for the general practitioner for diagnosis of GI diseases.  

Laboratory tests for diagnosis of gastric and intestinal infectious diseases include fecal parasite screening tests, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for parvoviral enteritis, and some specific bacterial tests like fluorescent in situ hybridization for identification of specific bacteria attached to the intestinal epithelial cells.  

Serum concentrations of folate and cobalamin are markers of intestinal absorption, but are also changed in exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and intestinal bacterial overgrowth.  Hypocobalaminemia is common in GI and pancreatic disease.  Decreased serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity is a very sensitive and specific test for the diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in dogs and cats.  Serum pancreatic lipase is currently the most sensitive and specific test to identify pancreatic cell damage and acute pancreatitis.  However, serum canine pancreas-specific lipase is less sensitive in canine chronic pancreatitis.  Increased serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity is also specific for pancreatic damage but is less sensitive.  It is very likely that further studies will help to better specify the role of these new tests in the diagnosis of canine and feline pancreatic diseases.

• Stabilization
• Chemical Restraint
• Premedication
• Opioids
• Tranquilizers
• Anticholinergics
• Dissociative medications
• Alpha-2 agonist
• Reversal
• Induction
• Thiopental and Propofol
• Alfaxalone
• Opioids
• Etomidate
• Ketamine
• Multiple Agents
• Maintenance
• Intraoperative hypotension
• Recovery
• Summary
• References

• • Acetylcholine Receptor Antibody
  • Activated Coagulation Time (ACT)
  • Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT)
  • Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH), Endogenous
  • Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) Stimulation Test
  • Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT, Formerly SGPT)
  • Albumin
  • Alkaline Phosphatase, Serum (SAP or ALP)
  • Ammonia
  • Amylase, Serum
  • Anion Gap
  • Antinuclear Antibody (ANA)
  • Arterial Blood Gases
  • Evaluate PaO₂
  • Potential causes of hypoxemia
  • Evaluate pH
  • Assess acid-base status
  • Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST, Formerly SGOT)
  • Basophil Count
  • Bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻)
  • Bile Acids
  • Bilirubin
  • Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)
  • Buccal Mucosal Bleeding Time (BMBT)
  • Calcium (Ca)
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)
  • Chloride (Cl)
  • Corrected Hyperchloremia (elevation of chloride disproportionate to elevation of sodium):
  • Corrected Hypochloremia (loss of chloride relative to sodium)
  • Cholesterol (CH)
  • Cholinesterase
  • Cobalamin
  • Complete Blood Count (CBC)
  • Coombs Test
  • Cortisol
  • Creatine Kinase (CK, formerly CPK)
  • Creatinine
  • Cytologic Criteria of Malignancy
  • General Criteria
  • Nuclear Criteria
  • Cytologic Features of Discrete Cell (Round Cell) Tumors
  • Discrete Cells (Round Cells)
  • Specific Discrete Cell Tumors
  • Mast Cell Tumor
  • Lymphoma
  • Canine Cutaneous Histiocytoma
  • Malignant Histiocytosis/Histiocytic Sarcoma/Systemic Histiocytosis
  • Plasmacytoma
  • Transmissible Venereal Tumor
  • Melanoma
  • Cytologic Features of Mesenchymal Cells
  • Cytologic Features of Normal Epithelial Cells
  • Cytology of Ear Canal Swabs
  • Bacteria
  • Fungi
  • Mites
  • Neoplasia
  • Miscellaneous
  • Cytology of Nasal Swabs or Flush Specimens
  • Normal Findings
  • Infectious Agents
  • Noninfectious Conditions
  • Dexamethasone Suppression Tests
  • Low-Dose Dexamethasone Suppression Test (LDDST)
  • High-Dose Dexamethasone Suppression Test
  • Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC), Diagnostic Tests
  • Eosinophil Count
  • Erythrocyte Count (Red Blood Cell [RBC] Count)
  • Folate
  • Fructosamine
  • Gamma Glutamyltransferase (GGT)
  • Globulin
  • Glucose
  • Glucose Tolerance Test
  • Glycosylated Hemoglobin
  • Heartworm Antibody, Feline
  • Heartworm Antigen, Canine
  • Heartworm Antigen, Feline
  • Hematocrit (Packed Cell Volume, PCV)
  • Hemoglobin
  • Hemolysis, Prevention in Laboratory Samples
  • Steps to Prevent Hemolysis:
  • Immunoassays
  • Insulin
  • Iron-Binding Capacity (Total, TIBC)/Ferritin
  • Joint Fluid (Arthrocentesis)
  • Lipase
  • Lymphocyte Count
  • Magnesium (Mg)
  • Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)
  • Methemoglobinemia
  • Methods of Sample Collection for Cytology
  • Fine-Needle Biopsy (Aspiration or Nonaspiration Method)
  • Impression Smear
  • Scraping
  • Swab
  • Monocyte Count
  • Myoglobinuria
  • Neutrophil Count
  • Osmolality
  • Packed Cell Volume
  • Parathyroid Hormone (PTH)/Ionized Calcium
  • Phosphorus (P)
  • Platelet Count
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Potassium (K)
  • Protein, Total (TP)
  • Prothrombin Time (PT)
  • Red Blood Cell (RBC) Count
  • Reticulocyte Count
  • Sodium (Na)
  • Thoracocentesis Fluid
  • Eosinophilic Effusion
  • Thrombocyte Count
  • Thyroid Function Tests
  • Toxoplasmosis Antibody Titer
  • Triglycerides
  • Trypsinogen-Like Immunoreactivity (TLI)/Pancreatic Lipase Immunoreactivity (PLI)
  • Urinalysis
  • Appearance
  • Specific Gravity
  • Chemical Properties
  • Urinary Sediment Examination
  • Urine Cortisol/Creatinine Ratio
  • Urine Protein/Creatinine Ratio
  • von Willebrand Factor
  • White Blood Cell (WBC) Count

Chapter Outline

• Structure and Function
• • Structure
  • • Macroscopic Anatomy
    • Microscopic Anatomy
    • Blood Supply
    • Innervation
  • Function
  • • Duct Cells
    • Acinar Cells
    • Regulation of Secretion
• Diagnostic Evaluation of the Pancreas
• • Pancreatitis
  • Signalment, History, and Risk Factors
  • Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency
  • Clinical Features
  • Trypsin-Like Immunoreactivity
  • Pancreatic Fecal Elastase
  • Other Tests
  • Histopathology
  • Necrosis and Inflammation - Canine
  • Necrosis and Inflammation - Feline
  • Absecss, Necrosis, Pseudocyst, Phlegmon, Infection
  • Insufficiency
  • Neoplasia
• References

Figure 18-1. Normal canine intestinal water balance. Of a total volume of about 3 L of fluid presented to the intestine of a 20-kg dog each day, only about 20% comes from the diet; the remainder comes from the endogenous secretions of the gastroint estinal tract. Most of this fluid is resorbed, and only a fraction of it appears in the feces. A decrease in absorption or, less commonly, an increase in secretion results in an increase in fecal water content and diarrhea.



(From Burrows CF. Chronic diarrhea in the dog. Vet Clin North Am 1983;13:521.)

FIGURE 9-3. A, A canine rectal scraping showing a macrophage with numerous engulfed yeasts. These are Histoplasma capsulatum. B, A canine rectal scraping that shows inflammatory cells and spherical organisms with a clear halo. The organisms are Prototheca.