Results of clinical and hematological examination in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts

Abstract

The article presents the results of a clinical and hematological study of data obtained from dogs, mainly small ornamental breeds, with subsequently confirmed portosystemic shunts. As a result of the work, it was determined that all animals had a disorder of the nervous system, which was the reason for their owners to contact the veterinary clinic to examine the pets. Thus, according to the results of the analysis of the anamnesis and during the full-time clinical examination, tremor, ataxia, impaired consciousness, apathy, play movements, auto-aggression and causeless aggression or vocalization, mydriasis were observed in sick dogs. A laboratory blood test revealed a number of signs indicating the possible presence of portosystemic vascular anomalies in the examined dogs, namely, hypoproteinemia (48.4±3.094 g/l) with dysproteinemia, an increase in the activity of ALT, AST and alkaline phosphatase enzymes up to 188.2±85.573 IU/l, 121.5±20.061 IU/l and 514.6±110.851 IU/l, respectively. A pronounced increase in the concentration of bile acids in the blood before and after feeding was also noted, up to 82.5±16.57 µmol/l and 155.4±26.103 µmol/l, respectively. An analysis of the results of a morphological blood test showed the presence of such nonspecific changes as hypochromic anemia (hemoglobin concentration was 129.3 ± 5.631 g/l) and leukocytosis (the number of leukocytes in the blood of sick dogs was 17.7 ± 2.586*109 /l). Thus, we can conclude that the complex of clinical and laboratory studies carried out may be sufficient for the differential diagnosis of portosystemic vascular anomalies in dogs, but, nevertheless, the final diagnosis is possible only with the use of instrumental diagnostic methods.