Early Detection of Canine Liver Disease

The early diagnosis of liver disease remains a major challenge for veterinary practitioners. In this back drop, a study entitled "Study on the comparative efficacy of diagnostic tests in the early diagnosis of canine liver diseases" was planned and conducted with the objectives of evaluating the incidence, etiological pattern, clinico-pathological and ultrasonographic changes of canine liver diseases Gamma glutamyl transferase was found to be significantly elevated in biliary disorders. The other enzyme levels were elevated in all the groups beyond the physiological normal range, but the increase was non-significant and their increase cannot be correlated with the type of canine liver diseases. Ultrasound was found to be very useful in the diagnosis of canine liver disease and strategic interpretation of the results can be effectively used for identifying the canine liver disease and the type of liver disease in majority of the cases. Hepatic histopathology is a gold standard test for the diagnosis of various liver disorders. In comparison, ultrasound is a non-invasive technique found to be effective in the early diagnosis of canine liver diseases.