Analysis of Serum Ascites Albumin Gradient Test in Ascitic Dogs

The aim of the study was to evaluate Serum Ascites Albumin Gradient (SAAG) in ascitic dogs. Study was conducted at Referral Veterinary Poly Clinic, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar. Sick dogs were brought with clinical signs suggestive of distended abdomen and inappetance. General clinical examination, biochemical, ultrasound examination, abdominocentesis and peritoneal fluid examination were performed. Spitz dogs had more incidences of ascites followed by Labrador Retrievers. Male dogs had more incidence than female dogs and most ascites were noticed in 4-5 years aged dogs. Mean ± SE of serum ascites albumin gradients (SAAG) are 1.793 ± 0.185. SAAG can be used as a screening test in ascetic due to chronic liver disease.


Materials and Methods
Ethical approval : The study has been conducted in Ascites is defined as the abnormal accumulation clinical cases and no such experimental model has of fluid inside the peritoneal cavity (Das et al., 1998).
been created / used in this study.The peritoneal fluid Earlier ascites was classified as transudative and was collected aseptically following standard procedure exudative based on the total protein concentration of as per CPCSEA norms in all the clinical cases under the ascetic fluid.Ascites is now being classified as the study.The biological / peritoneal fluid if was "high gradient" and "low gradient" based on the serum collected, that was for better scientific diagnosis and to ascites albumin gradient (SAAG) Burgess (2004).The alleviate the abdominal discomfort/ dyspnoea of the SAAG is based on oncotic hydrostatic balance.Portal animal.it is also routine clinical procedure on emergency.hypertension results in an abnormally high hydrostatic Ascites need emergency treatment if condition is so pressure gradient between the portal bed and the severe and peritoneocentesis is one of the remedy.ascitic fluid.There must be a similarly large difference The study was conducted at Referral Veterinary between ascitic fluid and intravascular oncotic Poly clinic (RVP), Indian Veterinary research Institute pressure than other proteins.The difference between (IVRI), Izatnagar during the period of March to serum and ascitic fluid albumin concentration August 2010.Sick dogs that were brought to Small correlates directly with portal pressure.
Animal Clinic Out-Patient Medical Unit, with clinical Difference between serum albumin and ascitic > signs suggestive of inappetance and distended abdomen.fluid albumin is l.1g /dl it is called high gradient < The examinations were performed as follows: ascites, whereas if the difference is 1.1g/dl it is history and clinical examination, abdominal ultra-termed as low gradient ascites (Burgess, 2004).SAAG sound examination (Nyland and Mattoon, 2002) and considered as a marker of portal hypertension and the biochemical, abdominocentesis (Rudloff, 2005) and use of this index to replace the exudates-transudate peritoneal fluid examination (Alleman, 2003).The concept in ascitic fluid (Tan and Lapworth, 2010).
fluid collected from the peritoneal cavity was Considering all these factors the present study evaluated for colour, turbidity, specific gravity and was undertaken with the objective to evaluate Serum total protein.The serum ascites albumin gradient Ascites Albumin Gradient (SAAG) in ascitic dogs.
(SAAG) was calculated by subtracting the albumin low osmotic pressure usually had a low protein concentration of the ascitic fluid from the albumin concentration.These findings were correlated with concentration of a serum specimen obtained on the this study.Hypoprotinemia and hypoalbuminenia was noticed due to low osmotic pressure caused by same day (Burgess, 2004).

Total number of dogs brought to medicine unit
In the present study, mean ± SE of serum ascites RVP IVRI irrespective of nature of diseases was 2754 during the study period.Out of these ten (0.36 per albumin gradients (SAAG) are given in table 1.All the cent) were observed to have ascites dogs.Spitz dogs ascites affected dogs having the Serum Ascites had more incidences of ascites (seven dogs), followed Albumin Gradient (SAAG) more than 1.1g/dl by Labrador Retrievers (two dogs) and non -(>1.1g/dl).This could be suggestive of high gradient descriptive dog (one dog) were recorded.This may be ascites.Portal hypertension results in an abnormally more population of Spitz dogs in and around Bareilly.increased hydrostatic pressure between the portal bed Male dogs (six dogs) had more incidence than female and the ascitic fluid.These findings were correlated dogs (four dogs) and most of the ascites were noticed with Beg et al. (2001) and Burgess (2004) who said in 4-5 years aged dogs (5dogs) followed by 2-4 years that more than 1.1 g/dl of SAAG are directly related (3 dogs) and more than 5 years of aged dogs (2 dogs).with portal pressure.High SAAG were noticed in Male dog incidence could be due to the higher cirrhotic liver, cardiac failure, Portal-vein Thrombosis proportion of male dogs in the population and the and hepatic failure (Das et al., 1998).preference of pet owners to male dogs.
The clinical signs of anorexia, lethargy and distended abdomen were observed in all the dogs.This The serum-Ascites albumin gradient provided clinical signs are non specific because the causes of better discrimination between ascites due to chronic ascites were variable.But these signs were correlated liver diseases from other origin of ascites.Hence, with Mayer (2005) findings in signs of liver disease.SAAG > 1.1 g/dl is suggestive of the presence of portal Physical examination revealed fluid thrill in the hypertension, it could be due to chronic liver disease abdominal palpation.All the affected dogs in and also these findings were correlated with Ultraabdominal ultrasound examination revealed anechoic sonography of hyper echoic/ cirrhotic liver in ascites areas and hyper echoic/cirrhotic liver was noticed in dog.Serum-Ascites Albumin Gradient (SAAG) can be five dogs.Abdo-minocentesis was performed in all the used as a screening test in ascetic due to chronic liver cases and ascitic fluid was collected according to the disease.size of the animal as per standard procedure (Rudloff, 2005).Ascitic fluid examination reviled clear watery transuded in all the dogs.
Authors are grateful to the Director and Head of The mean ± SE of serum and ascites fluid the Division, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, specific gravity, total protein, albumin, and globulin Izatnagar for providing all facilities for the study.and A: G ratio of ascites dogs are given in table