DIAGNOSIS OF CANINE IMMUNE-MEDIATED HEMATOLOGIC DISEASE

Immune-mediated hematologic diseases (anemia and thrombocytopenia) are common in dogs, Immunologic tests, in combination with the history, p hysical examination, and other laboratory tests, help support the diag nosis of immune-mediated disease. Immunologic tests, however, cannot d istinguish between primary (autoimmune) and secondary immune-mediated disease. The veterinarian must differentiate primary from secondary di sease because their treatment and prognosis differ. This article descr ibes the pathophysiology, clinical signs, differential diagnosis, clin ical pathology, and immunologic tests for canine immune-mediated hemat ologic disease. It also discusses commonly used tests (e.g., Coomb's t est and direct immunofluorescence). What these tests measure, the caus es of false-negative and false-positive results, and the interpretatio n of the tests are discussed in detail.