Liver disease in rabbits

Clinical Diagnostics of Hepatopathies in Small Mammals: Evaluation of Importance of Individual Methods

“…The half-time of ALT in the rabbit is very short, i.e. only 5 hours, as compared to the dog in which it varies from 45 to 60 hours (Meredith and Rayment 2000). The level of AST gets higher in cases of muscle tissue damage (Divers and Cooper 2000).…”

“…Serum GGT is mainly of hepatic origin and increased level indicates hepatocellular damage and stasis in bile ducts (Center 1993;Sparkes and Gruffydd-Jones 1993;Meredith and Rayment 2000). Acute liver damage in the blood serum of patients is manifested by the alteration of enzymes like AST, GGT, ALP, ALT and LDH.…”

“…The veterinary surgeon is able to evaluate the state of other organs such as the gall bladder, small and large intestines, pancreas at the same time (Twedt 1999). Linea alba (Meredith and Rayment 2000) is the most commonly selected laparotomy access line in small mammals. The patient is restrained in dorsal recumbency and the area of entry is prepared for a surgical incision.…”

“…The necessity of early disease diagnostics, including liver function alterations, in small mammals is, nevertheless, more than topical. The reason are in the endeavour to make an exact diagnosis, objective prognosis and, when possible, start a regimen of specific and non-specific therapy (Egen and Ernst 1995;Meredith and Rayment 2000). The possibility to monitor liver state using cytology and histology of liver biopsy specimens seems very practical (Day 2000).…”

Diagnostic quality of percutaneous fine-needle aspirates and laparoscopic biopsy specimens of the liver in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

“…1,2 Various antemortem techniques for the collection of liver tissue specimens in small animal medicine have been tried and tested, ranging from simple and minimally invasive procedures, such as fine-needle aspiration and laparoscopic biopsy, to more invasive methods, such as laparotomy biopsy. 1,9 As in human medicine, minimally invasive diagnostic laparoscopy has become more common in veterinary surgery. It is often performed under ultrasound guidance and usually requires minimal, if any, sedation or short-term anesthesia.…”