Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Serum pancreatitis protein levels in dogs with acute gut signs
By Sidler, Melanie et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2026·Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum pancreatitis-associated protein 1 concentrations in dogs with acute signs of gastrointestinal disease and normal or abnormal DGGR lipase activity.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs showing signs of gastrointestinal issues were tested for pancreatitis using a new protein marker called PAP-1. The study involved 26 dogs suspected of having pancreatitis and 48 dogs with other gastrointestinal diseases. The results showed that while PAP-1 levels were elevated in both groups, it did not help distinguish between pancreatitis and other gastrointestinal problems. This means that PAP-1 is more of a marker for inflammation rather than a specific indicator of pancreatitis. The dogs received standard care based on their symptoms, and the study suggests that further tests may be needed for accurate diagnosis.
People also search for: dog vomiting pancreatitis treatment · dog gastrointestinal disease symptoms · elevated lipase in dogs causes
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pancreatitis-associated protein (PAP-1) is synthesized during acute pancreatitis (AP) and chronic enteropathy in people. Serum PAP-1 concentration (PAP-1) has not been measured prospectively in dogs. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate whether PAP-1 differentiates suspected AP (sAP) diagnosed by abnormal DGGR-lipase activity from non-pancreatic acute gastrointestinal disease (aGId) diagnosed by normal DGGR-lipase activity. ANIMALS: Twenty-six dogs with sAP, 48 dogs with aGId based on signs of acute gastrointestinal disease, lipase activity > 450 U/L (reference interval [RI],17-156 U/L) and maximally 20 U/L > RI, respectively. Forty healthy control dogs. METHODS: Prospective daily assessment included a simplified modified canine activity index (MCAI). PAP-1, lipase activity, C-reactive protein concentration (CRP) were measured daily. PAP-1 assay validation comprised precision, interferences, linearity, and RI establishment. RESULTS: Lower/upper PAP-1 quantification limits were 0.2 and 6.0 μg/mL, linearity was excellent (R2 0.999) at high, acceptable (R2 0.966) at low PAP-1 concentrations. Intra-, inter-run precision was ≤5%, ≤22%, PAP-1 remained stable for 15 days (room temperature), no interferences were found. Duration of hospitalization and clinical disease severity did not differ between groups. At admission, PAP-1 above RI in 50% and 48 % of sAP and aGId dogs, respectively (sAP median, range 1.88 μg/mL, 0.2-6.0 vs. aGId 1.57 μg/mL, 0.2-6.0; RI, <1.9 μg/mL). PAP-1 did not differ significantly between groups irrespective of observation time points. PAP-1 correlated significantly with CRP in sAP (rs = 0.623) and aGId (rs = 0.483). PAP-1 correlated significantly with lipase activity (rs = 0.474) in sAP, with MCAI (rs = 0.342) in aGId. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Serum PAP-1 reflects inflammation rather than underlying disease processes, and does not differentiate sAP from aGId.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41742589/