Canine inflammatory liver disease – Lecture

Canine inflammatory liver disease – Lecture I Chronic active hepatitis (CAH) is the descriptive diagnostic terminology for the an ongoing inflammatory disease of the liver in dogs. This is thought to result predominantly from a complex immune mediated pathogenesis with concurrent factors relating to the initiation and severity of the disease. A similar/overlapping pathophysiologic process is hypothesized for feline inflammatory liver disease (FILD). Similarly, much of the discussions that follow regarding diagnostic tests, presenting symptoms, treatments, ... will be applicable to FILD as well as canine chronic hepatitis. Some of these factors include the sex of the patient, the individual’s genetic haplotype, immunologic responses, and breed related variables such as hepatocellular handling of copper. Other terms used for this disease include chronic hepatitis and immune mediated hepatitis. I personally like the name, chronic immune mediated hepatitis, but I would not say this is a generally accepted term. Another term that may emerge is “canine inflammatory liver disease” (CILD). The differential diagnoses list would include any liver disease that may be chronic in their presentation.