The clinical course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in dogs is characterized by spontaneous exacerbations and remissions, which makes assessment of disease burden difficult. The objectives of this study were to develop a scoring system for evaluation of canine IBD activity and to validate this scoring method by correlating it to objective laboratory and histologic indices of intestinal inflammation. Fifty-eight dogs with IBD were evaluated prospectively and compared to 9 disease-free control dogs. Clinical disease activity was quantified by a simple scoring system, the canine IBD activity index (CIBDAI), and compared to serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), haptoglobin (HAP), ␣-acid glycoprotein (AGP), and serum amyloid A (SAA), as well as histology scores derived from endoscopic biopsy specimens. Forty-six dogs were available for a reevaluation of the CIBDAI, CRP, HAP, and AGP, and 34 dogs had repeat analysis of SAA performed after medical therapy. Serum concentrations of CRP were significantly (P Ͻ .02) increased in dogs with CIBDAI scores Ն5 (mild disease activity or greater) compared to controls. Among IBD dogs, the CIBDAI showed good correlation (r ϭ 0.82, P Ͻ .0001) to both histology and HAP scores, but CRP also was a strong co-correlate of disease activity. The IBD dogs showed significantly (P Ͻ .0001) decreased CIBDAI and CRP values but significantly (P Ͻ .0001) increased HAP concentrations after medical therapy compared to pretreatment values. We conclude that the CIBDAI is a reliable measure of inflammatory activity in canine IBD and that CRP is suitable for laboratory evaluation of the effect of therapy in these patients.

Background: Previous multidrug studies have identified the value of prednisolone in treating steroid responsive meningitisarteritis (SRMA) and the potential value of acute phase proteins (APPs) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) in diagnosis and monitoring.Hypothesis: (1) Prednisolone monotherapy is a successful immunosuppressive modality in the treatment of SRMA; (2) protein markers are useful in identifying the potential for relapse.Animals: Twenty client-owned dogs with SRMA presented to the University of Glasgow Small Animal Hospital between May 2006 and May 2008.Methods: A prospective, observational study: CBC, biochemistry, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analyses were performed. C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid-A, a-1-acid glycoprotein, and haptoglobin (Hp) were assessed in the serum. IgA concentrations were determined in the serum and CSF.Results: Clinical resolution of SRMA was achieved in all 20 dogs. Serum CRP concentration remained increased at remission in 16/20 dogs whereas CSF cytology was within normal limits in 20/20 dogs. Serum APPs decreased significantly on treatment (P o .05) except Hp, which remained unaltered. Serum and CSF IgA concentrations remained increased for the duration of treatment.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: The prednisolone regimen presented was successful in treating SRMA without the need for additional drugs. Serum APPs are of use in the diagnosis and management of SRMA, particularly in relation to identifying relapse. Serum and CSF IgA concentrations remain increased throughout disease, aiding in diagnosis but not contributing to the management of SRMA.

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is notoriously difficult to differentiate from the many other diseases with similar clinical signs and at present the only conclusive diagnostic test is the histopathological examination of a biopsy. The potential value of raised levels of the acute phase reactants, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and haptoglobin in the diagnosis of the disease was investigated. The concentrations of the two proteins were determined in serum samples from healthy cats and gave reference ranges of 0.1 to 0.48 g/litre and 0.04 to 3.84 g/litre, respectively. Levels of AGP greater than 1.5 g/litre in serum, plasma or effusion samples were found to be of value in distinguishing field cases of FIP from cats with similar clinical signs and differentiated these two groups of cats more effectively than the albumin:globulin ratio. The concentration of haptoglobin was higher in cats with FIP than in the group of healthy cats, but this protein was not of value in the diagnosis of FIP. Serum samples from feline immunodeficiency virus-infected cats were also analysed for these proteins and their concentrations were significantly elevated, illustrating that raised levels of AGP and haptoglobin are not pathognomonic for FIP.

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CRP is useful in determining complete remission status after treatment with cytotoxic drugs. However, the individual variation between dogs means CRP concentration is not sufficiently different in other remission states to permit its use in monitoring progression of the disease. Greater reliability in determining remission status might be achieved by combining CRP concentration with other serum markers.