ICTERÍCIA EM CÃES – FISIOPATOLOGIA, DIAGNÓSTICO E TRATAMENTO

Abstract

Jaundice in dogs is a prominent clinical sign resulting from the accumulation of bilirubin in the blood and reflects underlying diseases that may be hemolytic, hepatocellular, or obstructive. This second thesis presents an integrative review of the literature published between 2015 and 2025 in textbooks and the PubMed and Google Scholar databases, with a careful selection of studies relevant to small-animal practice. The work describes, in an applied manner, bilirubin metabolism in three stages (uptake, conjugation, and excretion) and classifies jaundice into prehepatic, hepatic, and posthepatic forms, highlighting the pathophysiological mechanisms of each. In clinical diagnostics, it emphasizes the joint interpretation of bilirubin fractions with enzymatic profiles ALT and AST (hepatocellular injury) and ALP and GGT (cholestasis), as well as functional markers such as bile acids, ammonia, albumin, coagulation tests, and urinalysis findings. Therapeutic management is individualized and etiology-driven: immunosuppressants and supportive care for hemolysis, antimicrobials/antiparasitics for infectious causes, hepatoprotectants and nutritional support for hepatopathies, and surgical intervention when biliary obstruction is present. The discussion reinforces that prehepatic jaundice tends to carry a worse prognosis, whereas outcomes in hepatic and posthepatic forms depend on diagnostic timeliness and the reversibility of the underlying condition. The study concludes that integrated diagnostic protocols and prompt therapeutic decisions reduce morbidity and mortality and improve veterinary care, while also highlighting the need to standardize clinical workflows and to conduct further dog specific research.