Intestinal Biomarkers and Their Importance in Canine Enteropathies

Abstract

Enteropathies are prevalent in dog internal medicine, and their diagnosis involves a lengthy process. One of the tests requested is for biomarkers, which are important as they can provide data on intestinal functionality, intensity of inflammation, and response to treatment, and can help determine the prognosis. This study aimed to conduct a literature review on the main serum and fecal intestinal biomarkers in dogs and proposed to refine the correlations between these indicators and enteropathies. It was observed that the main biomarkers used in the intestinal evaluation of dogs were alpha 1-proteinase inhibitory factor, immunoglobulin A, methylmalonic acid, serum folate, serum cobalamin, C-reactive protein, fecal and serum calprotectin, and dysbiosis index. However, we suggest that more research be carried out to clarify the relationship between enteropathies and intestinal biomarkers. We noticed a lack of studies on specific intestinal markers and indicator variables in healthy dogs and those with various enteropathies; moreover, no data are available on the association of these laboratory parameters.