2016 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

Establishing characteristics of normal and abnormal findings is an important step in the evolution of ALI as a diagnostic test. Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) has been documented in various cardiac diseases (i.e., congestive heart failure, constrictive pericarditis, and congenital heart diseases) typically related to increased interstitial pressure and intestinal lymphangiectasia in humans. Fecal a 1 -proteinase inhibitor (fa 1 -PI) is a stable protein lost into the gastrointestinal tract at a rate comparable to that of albumin and therefore serves as an endogenous marker of gastrointestinal protein loss. While PLE has been suspected in dogs with cardiac disease, no published studies are available. The aim of this study was to evaluate fa 1 -PI concentrations in dogs with variety of cardiac diseases.