Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency from pancreatitis in four dogs
By Watson, P J·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2003·Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency as an end stage of pancreatitis in four dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old Labrador and a 9-year-old Beagle were diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), a condition where the pancreas doesn't produce enough digestive enzymes, after suffering from chronic pancreatitis. The Labrador also had diabetes and was euthanized five months after diagnosis, while the Beagle lived for 48 months before passing away. Two other dogs with EPI were still alive 57 and 78 months after their diagnosis. This suggests that chronic pancreatitis might be a more common cause of EPI in dogs than previously thought, but it can be hard to diagnose.
People also search for: dog exocrine pancreatic insufficiency treatment · chronic pancreatitis in dogs · dog diabetes and pancreatitis
Abstract
Chronic pancreatitis is a common cause of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) in humans and cats but is rarely recognised in dogs in which pancreatic acinar atrophy (PAA) is reportedly more common. This paper describes four dogs which developed EPI secondary to pancreatitis. Two of the dogs also had diabetes mellitus which developed before EPI. One diabetic dog had concurrent hyperadrenocorticism and was euthanased five months after presentation; the other diabetic dog died 48 months after diagnosis. The remaining dogs were alive 78 and 57 months after diagnosis. The number of affected dogs was comparable to the number of cases of presumed PAA seen over the same time period in the same institution. Chronic pancreatitis may be a more common cause of EPI in dogs than previously assumed and may be under-recognised because of difficulties in diagnosis. The relative importance of chronic pancreatitis as a cause of canine diabetes mellitus remains to be ascertained.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12866928/