Diagnostic Tests

What are serum proteins?
Serum is the liquid portion of blood from which the red blood cells, white blood cells, and factors involved in blood clotting have been removed.

Canine Diabetes: An Overview
It is not uncommon for dog's to be born with or develop diabetes. Canine diabetes (also known as Canine Diabetes mellitus or sugar diabetes) results from a deficiency of - or decreased response to - insulin. The pancreas produces insulin, which helps body tissues process glucose (sugar). Without insulin or with a decreased response to insulin, blood glucose levels rise, resulting in hyperglycemia, while the dog's body tissues remain starved for glucose. The elevated blood glucose eventually passes into the urine, creating a condition called glycosuria. As the disease progresses, metabolism changes cause ketosis, a condition in which chemicals called ketones accumulate in the blood and body tissues.

What is Addison’s Disease?
Addison’s disease (or hypoadrenocorticism) is caused by a decreased production of two hormones from the adrenal gland. These hormones are cortisol (a stress hormone) and aldosterone (a mineralocorticoid hormone that regulates the body’s water balance through its effects on sodium and potassium).

What is Cushing’s disease?
Cushing’s disease is a condition caused by an increased production of the stress hormone cortisol by the adrenal glands. Increased cortisol production may be related to:

• excessive stimulation of the adrenal glands by the pituitary gland, usually as a consequence of a pituitary tumour (pituitary origin)
• the unregulated production of cortisol by the adrenal glands (adrenal origin)
• occasionally, administration of steroid-containing medications may result in the development of Cushing’s disease (iatrogenic origin)

What are the causes of increased thirst and urination?
These clinical signs are non-specific and can be caused by many different diseases or conditions. Usually it is the production of excess, dilute urine that results in a compensatory increase in water consumption, but occasionally the condition is one of increased water intake resulting in the production of large volumes of dilute urine.

What tests are suggested for the diagnosis of liver disease?
Generally the following screening tests are recommended when liver disease is suspected: a complete blood count (CBC), a serum biochemical profile, and a urinalysis.

What is the pancreas?
The pancreas is a glandular organ located close to the liver, the stomach, and the small intestine. It functions in the control of blood glucose (sugar) through the secretion of insulin and glucagon hormones, and aids in digestion through the secretion of lipase and amylase enzymes.

What might be the cause of abdominal enlargement?
The causes of abdominal enlargement include an increase in intra-abdominal fat due to simple overall weight gain as a result of excess calories or insufficient exercise. A redistribution of fat into the abdominal cavity may occur with Cushing's disease. Dogs suffering from hypothyroidism often gain weight, as do some dogs with insulinomas (tumors of the insulin producing cells of the pancreas). This weight gain may be perceived as abdominal enlargement.

What might be the cause of seizures in my dog?
There are numerous possible causes of seizures. These causes can be grouped into metabolic causes such as liver and kidney disease, into diseases or conditions resulting in hypoglycemia (reduced blood sugar concentrations) or hypocalcemia (reduced blood calcium concentration), and into diseases directly involving the central nervous system (CNS) including inflammation, infection, and tumors of the CNS. Toxins, trauma, and infectious conditions may also result in seizure activity. Occasionally seizures may be idiopathic (of unknown cause).

What might be causing my dog to lose weight?
Weight loss may be caused by physical problems in grasping, chewing, and swallowing food. It may be related to problems of inadequate nutrition because of increased energy requirements; for example due to rapid growth, increased levels of exercise, pregnancy, or lactation (nursing). A poor quality diet may result in weight loss. And finally, underlying medical conditions such as Addison’s disease in dogs, disease in the kidney, heart, liver or intestines, or cancer, may cause significant weight loss.

What is pallor?
By definition, pallor means paleness or absence of skin coloration. Because our dogs are covered with a thick hair coat, we usually cannot appreciate pale skin, but pallor may be seen on mucous membranes such as the gums or eyelids, or on the skin of the ears.

What may be causing my dog to be weak?
Weakness is a non-specific symptom that can be caused by many different diseases or conditions. Problems with the cardiovascular system are an important cause of weakness or fainting spells (called syncope) because of poor circulation or irregular heart rate or rhythm. Severe anemia from any cause will also cause lethargy or weakness. Severe hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), hypothyroidism, marked increases or decreases in serum potassium concentrations (termed hyperkalemia and hypokalemia, respectively), and neoplasia (cancer) are common causes of weakness. Spinal cord disease such as disc disease, may also present as weakness, usually of the hind limbs.  Musculoskeletal diseases such as arthritis may cause an apparent weakness.

What are the causes of nasal discharge and sneezing?
Although these two clinical signs may not always appear together, both are associated with disorders affecting the nasal cavity and/or nasal sinuses.
While occasional sneezing is perfectly normal, repeated bouts of vigorous sneezing may indicate irritation of the nasal cavity caused by foreign bodies, viruses, air-borne irritants or rarely, nasal mites.

My dog is urinating on the floor! What might be causing my dog to lose his house-training?
The causes of inappropriate urination include diseases (infections, tumors) affecting the kidneys, bladder and genital tract, endocrine diseases such as diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, Cushing’s disease and estrogen responsive urinary incontinence, as well as neurological disease and behavioral problems. Some drugs such as prednisone may cause your dog to drink more, causing increased urine production, which may result in ’accidents’ in the house.

What are the causes of vomiting?
Vomiting is a non-specific symptom of many different diseases and conditions. The frequency and type of material that is vomited along with a history and other clinical signs that your dog is exhibiting may give us clues as to its cause. If, for example, a dog has recently ’raided’ the garbage and subsequently begins to vomit, it is likely that he is experiencing a simple bout of ’dietary indiscretion’. However in many cases, the underlying cause is not so clear.

What are the causes of diarrhea?
Many different diseases and conditions may result in diarrhea. The frequency, urgency, and physical characteristics of the diarrhea, along with a history and other clinical signs that your dog is exhibiting may provide some clues to its cause.

What could be causing my dog to cough?
A number of different conditions may cause coughing episodes. Some of these conditions include inflammation and infection (bacterial, fungal, and viral) of the respiratory tract, foreign bodies or tumors within the respiratory tract, allergies, tracheal collapse, parasitic disease (including heartworm infections and lungworm infections), aspiration pneumonia, and underlying heart disease.

What does fever of unknown origin mean?
This is a term that is generally used to refer to a persistent fever of greater than 39.7 °C, for which the underlying cause is not readily evident.

What might be causing low blood sugar in my dog?
There are several conditions that may cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar also known as low blood glucose), some of which are more serious than others.  Severe liver disease, hypoadrenocorticism (Addison’s disease), severe bacterial infection (sepsis), inadequate nutrition in toy breed puppies, and some types of tumors may all cause this abnormality.  One of the more common tumors to cause hypoglycemia is a specific tumor of the pancreas, called an islet cell tumor or insulinoma, which produces excessive levels of insulin, thus lowering the blood sugar level.  Other tumors that may result in hypoglycemia include tumors of the liver and smooth muscle.

What could be the cause of bleeding?
One of most common and obvious causes of bleeding (hemorrhage) is trauma. In most instances the bleeding will be self-limiting (stop on its own) unless the wound is severe. Occasionally bleeding may occur from sites such as the nose, mucous membranes, or urinary tract, but no incidence of trauma has occurred. Or perhaps 'pin point' hemorrhages are found on the gums or skin (these are called petechiae). These more troublesome clinical signs may be associated with problems related to blood coagulation factors, platelets, platelet function, or some other underlying disease.

What is the thyroid gland?
The thyroid gland is found near the trachea (windpipe), just below the larynx (voice box). It is a paired gland that is responsible for the production of thyroid hormones. The major thyroid hormone that is produced by the thyroid gland is thyroxine (T4). A small amount of another thyroid hormone, triiodothyronine (T3), is also made by the thyroid gland. Thyroid hormones have far-reaching effects on the body, in essence governing the body’s metabolic rate.

What is trypsin-like immunoreactivity?
Trypsinogen is a proenzyme (a non-activated enzyme) that is secreted into the small intestine by the pancreas, along with other pancreatic digestive enzymes. When it reaches the small intestine, trypsinogen is converted to trypsin, an enzyme that is involved in the digestion of proteins. In healthy animals, a small amount of trypsinogen escapes from the pancreas into the blood circulation, and can be measured in a blood sample by a test called trypsin-like immunoreactivity.

What is a urinalysis?
Urinalysis is a simple test that assesses the physical and chemical composition of urine. Abnormal results usually indicate that there is a disorder affecting the kidneys and/or urinary system. However, a urinalysis can also provide clues about problems in other organ systems, or may indicate the presence of a metabolic disease, such as diabetes mellitus. Urinalysis is necessary for a complete assessment of the kidneys and urinary system, and should be included in any thorough evaluation of a dog’s health status.

What is von Willebrand’s disease?
Von Willebrand’s Disease is one of the most common hereditary bleeding disorders in dogs, and has been identified in more than 50 different breeds. Breeds with an increased incidence of von Willebrand’s disease include the Doberman Pinscher, Manchester Terrier, Pembroke Welsh Corgi, French Poodle, Shetland Sheepdog (or Sheltie), and Scottish Terrier.

What is wellness testing?
Wellness testing is the term given to a group of tests that is performed specifically to detect signs of early disease in a dog that is apparently healthy.