Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Signs and test results in dogs with fatal acute pancreatitis
By R. Hess et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1998·View original on Semantic Scholar →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Clinical, clinicopathologic, radiographic, and ultrasonographic abnormalities in dogs with fatal acute pancreatitis: 70 cases (1986-1995).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 70 dogs with fatal acute pancreatitis showed various serious symptoms, including vomiting, weakness, diarrhea, and dehydration. Most of these dogs also had abnormal blood test results, indicating issues like low blood sugar and high levels of pancreatic enzymes. Imaging tests like ultrasound were helpful in diagnosing pancreatitis in many cases, but results were not always clear-cut. Unfortunately, despite veterinary care, these dogs did not survive their condition. This highlights the complexity of diagnosing and treating acute pancreatitis in dogs.
People also search for: dog vomiting and weakness · pancreatitis in dogs symptoms · dog ultrasound for pancreatitis · treatment for dog pancreatitis · signs of dog dehydration
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine clinical, clinicopathologic, radiographic, ultrasonographic, and coagulation abnormalities in dogs in which acute pancreatitis was fatal. DESIGN Retrospective study. ANIMALS 70 dogs. PROCEDURE History, clinical signs, and physical examination findings at the time of initial evaluation at the veterinary teaching hospital; results of pretreatment laboratory tests, abdominal radiography, and ultrasonography; and histologic abnormalities were obtained from medical records. RESULTS Clinical signs included anorexia, vomiting, Weakness, diarrhea, polyuria and polydipsia, neurologic abnormalities, melena, weight loss, hematemesis, and passage of frank blood in feces. At the time of initial examination at the veterinary teaching hospital, 68 (97%) dogs were dehydrated, 18 (26%) were icteric, 22 (32%) were febrile, 40 (58%) had signs of abdominal pain, and 30 (43%) were classified as overweight or obese. Most dogs had leukocytosis, neutrophilia with a left shift, and thrombocytopenia. Various serum biochemical abnormalities were identified, including hypoglycemia, azotemia, hypercalcemia and other electrolyte abnormalities, hypoalbuminemia, high hepatic and pancreatic enzyme activities, hypercholesterolemia, and lipemia. For 17 of 28 (61%) dogs, results of coagulation function tests were abnormal. Results of abdominal ultrasonography and radiography were consistent with a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis in 23 of 34 (68%) and 10 of 41 (24%) dogs, respectively. For 2 dogs, results of abdominal ultrasonography were not suggestive of acute pancreatitis, but results of abdominal radiography were. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Clinical signs and results of clinicopathologic tests are inconsistent. Abdominal ultrasonography may be valuable in the diagnostic evaluation of dogs suspected to have acute pancreatitis.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/9731261