[BT-PABA/xylose test in the cat?]

The BT-PABA/Xylose test was used in 10 healthy cats and 49 cats with chronic diarrhea. In seven cats the test was performed three times in order to investigate individual variability. There was a statistically significant difference between the control group and the patients in the mean peak concentration of xylose, but no difference between groups of different diseases. The mean peaks of PABA were not significantly different between the control group and the patient group. Due to high individual variation in healthy cats the BT-PABA/Xylose test cannot be considered to be a useful test in feline diagnosis.