The diagnosis of liver and pancreatic disorders in dogs and cats present their own set of challenges. However, as new diagnostic tests are developed and the optimal ways in which to use existing tests are determined, the ability of the veterinary profession to make these diagnoses continues to...

Feline lymphocytic-plasmacytic gingivitis/stomatitis (LPGS) or caudal stomatitis is an inflammatory disease that causes painfully erosive lesions and proliferations of the oral mucosa. The disease is difficult to cure and can affect cats at an early age, resulting in lifetime therapy. In this...

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 ...

Aims: This study aimed at isolating a probiotic strain from a collection of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with the high antioxidant property and confirms its potential in D-gal-induced oxidative stress (OS) murine model. Methods and results: The in vitro antioxidant ability of 16 LAB strains was...

Anorexia is one of the most common presenting signs in sick cats and is important to address since it has a number of potential adverse consequences including reduced immune function, altered drug metabolism and increased susceptibility to potentially fatal hepatic lipidosis. Nutritional assessment ...

Background - Severe Acute Liver Failure (ALF) is a life-threatening clinical syndrome characterized by hepatocyte necrosis, loss of hepatic architecture, and impairment of liver functions. One of the main causes of ALF is hepatotoxicity from chemical agents, which damage hepatocytes and result in...

Arsenic trioxide (As₂O₃) (ATO) and Cisplatin (CIS) have potent antineoplastic effects in several types of cancer. Autophagy is important for normal cell function and survival, it is also used by tumor cells so, and we studied its role as possible mechanism of ATO and/or CIS antitumor effect on mice ...

Determining the size of the heart is important for evaluating cardiac patients, because the increase of the cardiac silhouette in the chest radiography can be indicative of heart disease. The vertebral heart size (VHS) method is useful because it allows objective assessment of the limits of cardiac ...

Liver disease is relatively common in companion animal practice. Clinical signs can be vague and include weight loss, lethargy and anorexia, or be more specific, with signs of hepatic dysfunction such as jaundice or hepatic encephalopathy. Liver enzyme elevations can help guide the potential...

This special issue discusses the renal function testing in dogs and cats; laboratory diagnostic approach to hepatobiliary disease and small intestinal disorders in small animals; interpretation and application of exocrine pancreatic testing in small animals; cardiac biomarkers in veterinary...