Intestinal Biopsies. Histologic evaluation of the digestive tract is known to be difficult. Substantial interobserver variation was detected, and clinicians should be cautious about correlating clinical signs and histo-pathologic descriptions of intestinal biopsy specimens. Diagnosis is best accomplished jointly between clinician and pathologist.

Liver Biopsies. As morphologic diagnoses assigned to 2 18-gauge needle biopsy specimens of the liver concurred with the definitive wedge biopsy diagnosis in only 59 of 124 (48%) of the animals, needle biopsy results of the liver from dogs and cats must be interpreted with caution.

Recently, the FDA had approved use of carprofen (Rimadyl®) for pre-surgical and post-surgical pain relief. This drug, like all nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, inhibits platelet function. It would be important, therefore, to avoid using this class of drugs for surgical cases having known hemostatic disorders or for breeds of dogs, such as Doberman Pinschers, that are predisposed to diseases like von Willebrand disease.