Naturally occurring intestinal malabsorption in the dog

A study was made of eight dogs which had malabsorption associated with disease of the small intestine. Functional studies revealed a range of abnormalities including reduced absorption of fat and xylose, lowered disaccharidase levels in the mucosa of the small intestine, hypoalbuminemia, and protein-losing enteropathy. The morphologic abnormalities included enteritis, lymphangiectasia, and lymphosarcoma. Villous atrophy was sometimes the sole abnormality and sometimes occurred in combination with other intestinal lesions.