Diagnosis, tests and difficulties in canine and feline inflammatory bowel disease

Canine and feline inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of idiopathic alimentary tract disorders diagnosed by the differential diagnosis method. Similarly to humans, the etiopathogenesis of IBD in small animals remains unknown. Blood tests, fecal examinations, intestinal permeability tests, medical imaging, and histopathological screening should be performed to eliminate other diseases and confirm IBD. The required tests prolong the time to diagnosis and increase costs. This article reviews numerous studies and findings relating to IBD in small animals during the diagnostic procedure. Unfortunately, despite a wide range of medical tests, no single diagnostic procedure can confirm the diagnosis. Thus, a clinical analysis should encompass the results of all tests, including the clinical exam, additional tests, histopathological screening, and responses to treatment. Novel biomarkers have been studied, but none of them is useful when applied alone. It seems that the key to finding a specific test or marker lies in the understanding of the etiopathogenesis of IBD.