Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Observational study of 14 cases of chronic pancreatitis in dogs.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary record
- Year:
- 2010
- Authors:
- Watson, P J et al.
- Affiliation:
- Queen's Veterinary School Hospital · United Kingdom
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at 14 dogs diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis, a condition where the pancreas becomes inflamed over time. The average age of these dogs was about 9 years, with spaniels being the most commonly affected breed. Many of the dogs showed signs like ongoing stomach issues and abdominal pain, and some had additional problems like not producing enough digestive enzymes or diabetes. The tests used to diagnose chronic pancreatitis were not very reliable, with only a small percentage of dogs showing clear signs in their blood tests. By the end of the study, ten of the dogs had died, but only one death was directly linked to chronic pancreatitis.
Abstract
This study reports the clinical, clinicopathological and ultrasonographic findings from dogs with chronic pancreatitis (CP). Fourteen dogs with clinical signs consistent with CP and histological confirmation of the disease were evaluated. Abdominal ultrasound and clinical pathology results were recorded. Sensitivities of pancreatic enzymes for diagnosis of CP were calculated with two different cut-off values. The mean age of affected dogs was 9.1 years. Spaniels were the most common breed with CP, representing seven of the 14 dogs in this study. CP was histologically severe in nine cases. Most dogs showed chronic low-grade gastrointestinal signs and abdominal pain. Five dogs had exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and five dogs had diabetes mellitus. The sensitivity of elevated trypsin-like immunoreactivity for CP was 17 per cent. The sensitivities of canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity, lipase and amylase for CP were 44 to 67 per cent or 14 to 28 per cent depending on the cut-off value used. Cholesterol was elevated in 58 per cent of samples. Liver enzymes were often elevated. The pancreas appeared abnormal on 56 per cent of ultrasound examinations. Ten dogs had died by the end of the study period; only one case was due to CP.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21262713/