2015 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

Biliary sludge is prevalent, remains asymptomatic, and rarely resolves in healthy dogs over a period of 1 year. Gallbladder content became less gravity dependent, which may indicate changes in consistency over time. The role of mast cells and their major secretory product, histamine, in chronic gastrointestinal diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis has been intensely investigated over the last two decades in human medicine. Histamine is released following mast cell activation and exerts its action through binding to four different histamine receptors (H1, H2, H3, and H4). Histamine receptors are dispersed throughout the body, with each different receptor mediating unique responses in the body. Documentation of the presence and type of histamine receptors in the canine gastrointestinal tract will provide additional research opportunities to further explore the role of histamine and its receptors in chronic canine enteropathies as well as the therapeutic potential of histamine receptor antagonists.