Canine Pancreatitis & High Triglycerides

Hypertriglyceridemia may be a contributing cause to the pathogenesis of pancreatitis in dogs, but a definitive association has not been made. In this study, 35 overweight (n = 25) and obese (n = 10) client-owned dogs were fed a test diet containing 23% protein, 40% fat, and 37% carbohydrate. Blood samples were collected after a 24-hour fast, then hourly for 12 hours following the meal. Measurements included canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI), canine trypsin-like immunoreactivity (cTLI), and serum triglyceride (ST). Peak postprandial ST concentrations occurred at 1 and 11 hours after feeding. Two dogs had ST concentrations higher before the meal than at any postprandial feeding. Dogs with postprandial ST ≥442 mg/dL were found to be 16.7 times more likely to have serum cPLI ≥400 mg/L. Medical records were reviewed and owners contacted 4–5.5 years later to determine whether the dogs had developed clinical signs of severe acute pancreatitis. Follow-up information was available for 28 of the dogs, including all dogs with peak postprandial ST concentrations ≥442 mg/dL. Of these dogs, only 1 was hospitalized with confirmed pancreatitis and had fasting and postprandial ST concentration of 62 and 133 mg/dL, respectively, at the time of test feeding. None of the dogs developed exocrine pancreatic insufficiency or diabetes mellitus.

CommentaryA definitive diagnosis of canine pancreatitis can be difficult. Factors such as historical dietary indiscretion and diagnostic results (eg, blood work, abdominal ultrasound) can be helpful, but no test has perfect sensitivity or specificity. The cPLI assay reportedly has much higher sensitivity and specificity than serum lipase, amylase, or TLI for detection of pancreatic inflammation.1 However, histologic inflammation does not always correlate with clinical pancreatitis. Although in this study overweight dogs with elevated postprandial triglyceride levels were more likely to have increased cPLI values, that did not necessarily result in clinical pancreatitis. Thus, the cause–effect relationship between hypertriglyceridemia and clinical pancreatitis remains unknown.—J. D. Foster, VMD

SourceAssociation of postprandial serum triglyceride concentration and serum canine pancreatic lipase serum immunoreactivity in overweight and obese dogs. Verkest KR, Fleeman LM, Morton JM, et al. J VET INTERN MED 26:4653, 2012.