Measurement of serum 7a-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one as a marker of bile acid malabsorption in dogs with chronic diarrhoea: a pilot study

Kent, A. C. C.; Cross, G.; Taylor, D. R.; Sherwood, R. A.; Watson, P. J.

Diagnostic investigations were performed as appropriate to each case, but typically included some combination of routine haematology and biochemistry, basal cortisol, faecal analysis, canine trypsin-like immunoreactivity, folate, cobalamin, abdominal ultrasound and gastrointestinal biopsies (most commonly gastric, duodenal, ileal and colonic biopsies). The final diagnosis was recorded for each case. Canine chronic enteropathy activity index scores were estimated and classified according to previously published guidance (Allenspach and others 2007) either at the time the case was investigated or retrospectively based on clinical notes. This involved severity scoring, on a scale of 0-3, 9 parameters: attitude/activity, appetite, frequency of vomiting, stool consistency, stool frequency, severity of weight loss, serum albumin levels, presence of ascites/oedema and severity of pruritus. Cases are then classified into insignificant disease (score 0-3), mild disease (4-5), moderate disease (6-8), severe disease (9-11) or very severe disease (12-27).