SGPT / ALT
SGPT / ALT is a blood test for an enzyme that leaks out of damaged liver cells. It helps vets look for liver injury in dogs and cats, and is read with other tests in cows and buffaloes.
- Sample
- Serum (plain)
- Quantity
- 2 mL
- Report
- Same day to 24 hours
- Collection
- Free in Bhopal
What this test checks
- ALT (SGPT) enzyme level in serum
- Leakage of liver enzyme into the blood after liver cell injury
- How far the level is above the normal range for the species
- Change in ALT over time when the test is repeated
Benefits of this test
- Needs only a small plain serum sample.
- Can pick up liver cell damage early, sometimes before signs such as yellow gums or eyes appear.
- Helps vets check the liver of animals that are on long-term medicines.
- Can be repeated to see whether liver injury is settling or getting worse.
- A routine test that is normally reported the same day or within 24 hours.
When your vet may advise it
- Vomiting, poor appetite or low energy in a dog or cat.
- Yellow gums, eyes or skin (jaundice).
- An animal that may have eaten something poisonous or harmful to the liver.
- A health check before anaesthesia or surgery.
- An animal on long-term medicines that can affect the liver.
- A cow or buffalo with suspected liver trouble, along with other liver tests.
About this test
SGPT is the older name for ALT, which stands for alanine aminotransferase. ALT is an enzyme, a small protein that helps chemical changes happen in the body. In dogs and cats it sits mostly inside liver cells. When liver cells are injured, ALT leaks out into the blood and the blood level goes up.
The lab measures ALT in serum, the clear part of clotted blood. A high value tells the vet that liver cells have been damaged, but not why. Infection, poisons, some medicines, fatty liver, tumours and hormone problems can all do this. ALT shows injury, not how well the liver is working, so vets read it with other liver tests.
In cows and buffaloes the liver holds much less ALT, so the result is less reliable for liver trouble. Vets usually read it with other liver tests in these animals.
How to prepare
Fasting is not always needed for ALT, but many vets prefer 8 to 12 hours without food for dogs and cats (water is fine), so follow your vet's advice. Blood is drawn into a plain tube and the serum is tested. The lab collects free anywhere in Bhopal; from outside Bhopal, call or WhatsApp the lab to arrange sending the serum by courier, bus parcel or through your vet.
Reading the result
A high ALT points to liver cell injury but does not show the cause. A registered veterinarian reads it with your animal's signs, history, other liver tests and sometimes a scan.
Questions about ALT
What does a high ALT mean in a dog or cat?
Are SGPT and ALT the same test?
Can ALT be normal even if the liver is diseased?
Is the ALT test useful for cows and buffaloes?
Before you book this test
Why this notice: so you know, before you book, how a test is done, what its limits are and who is responsible.
- Where it is tested. Some tests are done wholly or partly by an independent partner laboratory. The lab tells you before booking if this test is sent out, and the report names the laboratory that did it.
- What a result can and cannot tell you. No test is right every time. A normal result does not rule out every disease, and an abnormal result does not prove one. A registered veterinarian should read the report with the animal’s signs and history before any treatment is started, changed or stopped.
- The sample. A sample that is clotted, too small, wrongly labelled, leaking or too old may be rejected or reported with a note, and the lab may ask for a fresh one.
- Reporting time. Same day to 24 hours. Times are estimates, not guarantees, and the lab confirms the time when you book.
- Emergencies. A booking or a pending report must not delay urgent care. If an animal has collapsed, struggles to breathe, has fits or bleeds heavily, call a veterinarian at once.
Please read our Terms of Service, Medical Disclaimer, Privacy Policy and Refund and Cancellation Policy. Pashupatinath Vet Lab is operated by Duaji Healthcare and Tech Private Limited. This page is general information and does not replace a veterinarian’s advice.
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ALT: Bhopal and the big cities of Madhya Pradesh
Free sample collection anywhere in Bhopal. From the other cities, send the sample by courier, bus parcel or through your local veterinarian, and the report comes to you online.
Free collection in these Bhopal areas
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