Common mistakes in endocrine diagnostics and how to avoid making them

Common mistakes in endocrine diagnostics in dogs and cats often arise from interpreting laboratory results without considering the patient’s clinical presentation, concurrent illnesses, or medication history. Testing endocrine function in stressed or systemically ill animals can lead to misleading results, such as euthyroid sick syndrome or false-positive hyperadrenocorticism screening tests. Inappropriate test selection, incorrect sample timing, and failure to follow laboratory handling requirements may also compromise diagnostic accuracy. These errors can be avoided by using endocrine tests only when there is strong clinical suspicion, selecting the most appropriate test for the condition being investigated, and interpreting results in the context of the entire patient rather than relying on a single laboratory value. This presentation will focus on how to choose tests wisely and avoid errors in interpretation

• How to avoid inappropriate test selection in endocrine disease
• How to interpret commonly used endocrine tests
• How to avoid errors in interpretation of endocrine tests