A direct flow cytometric erythrocyte immunofluorescence assay (FC) was developed and compared with the direct antiglobulin test (DAT) for detection of erythrocyte-bound immunoglobulin (IgG and IgM) and complement (C3) in dogs with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA). Tests were performed on erythrocytes from 13 healthy nonanemic dogs and from 13 anemic dogs with IMHA. The FC and DAT were negative for erythrocyte-bound immunoglobulin in all healthy dogs. The FC was negative for erythrocyte-bound C3 in 12 healthy dogs and positive in 1 healthy dog, and the DAT was negative for C3 in all healthy dogs. Of the 13 IMHA dogs tested for erythrocyte-bound IgG, 12 were positive using the FC and 7 were positive using the DAT. Sensitivity for the detection of erythrocyte-bound IgG in the 26 dogs was 92% for FC and 53% for DAT. Specificity for detection of erythrocyte bound IgG for FC and DAT was 100%. The addition of IgM and/ or C3 did not increase the sensitivity for FC or DAT. In this group of dogs, the FC provided a more rapid, cost-effective, sensitive, objective method to quantitate erythrocyte-bound immunoglobulin and/or complement compared with the currently used DAT.

Amarked increase in serum pancreatic lipase (PL) activity with minimal concurrent increase in serum alpha-amylase activity was observed in 6 dogs with pancreatic or hepatic neoplasia. Serum PL activity ranged from 5410 U/L to 42,900 U/L, 11 to 93 times the upper reference limit for our laboratory. Neoplasms included pancreatic adenocarcinoma (n=3), endocrine carcinoma (n=2), and hepatic carcinoma of unknown origin (n=1). Tumor tissue and normal canine pancreatic tissue were stained histochemically with diastase periodic acid-Schiff to demonstrate zymogen granule content, and immunohistochemically with human monoclonal antibody for PL. Normal canine pancreatic tissue stained positive for both zymogen granule content and PL. Five of the 6 tumors stained positive for zymogen granule content, and 2 of the 6 tumors stained positive for PL. Together, the histochemical and immunohistochemical staining patterns suggested tumor PL production in 5 of the 6 dogs. Marked, unexplained hyperlipasemia may be a noninvasive indicator and biochemical marker for neoplasia of the pancreas and liver in dogs.