Obstructive jaundice associated with chronic active hepatitis in a dog

Abstract

A cholestatic syndrome was the primary manifestation of chronic active hepatitis in a dog. Enzyme determinations did not differentiate between extrahepatic and intrahepatic cholestasis as the cause of the conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, thus necessitating percutaneous liver biopsy. The dog was treated with prednisolone but developed gastrointestinal hemorrhage and terminal hepatic encephalopathy. Morphologic variations in liver biopsy specimens obtained simultaneously and in the specimen obtained at necropsy demonstrated that the disease activity varied by locales in the liver.