One of my tasks as a board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialist is interpreting a wide variety of diagnostic tests. One of the most common laboratory abnormalities for which patients are referred to me is elevation of an enzyme called alkaline phosphatase, often abbreviated as SAP, SALP, and ALP. There are…
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Osteosarcoma in Dogs – A Painful & Aggressive Bone Cancer
Lameness is a common problem in dogs. Muscle injuries like an iliopsoas muscle strain and ligamentous injuries like a cranial cruciate ligament rupture are frequently diagnosed in dogs. Every once and a while, a lameness is more serious than a strain or ligament problem. Sometimes it’s cancer, specifically a cancer in…
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Liver Enzymes Gone Awry – It’s Not Always The Liver’s Fault
Some of the most commonly measured blood values in dogs and cats are liver enzymes. When elevations occur, one may logically assume an elevation of a specific liver enzyme means the problem lies with the liver itself. But that isn’t always the case, and in this week’s post, I share…