Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
SNAP tests for diagnosing pancreatitis in dogs and cats
By Xenoulis, Panagiotis G & Steiner, Jörg M·Published in Topics in companion animal medicine·2016·Clinic of Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: SNAP Tests for Pancreatitis in Dogs and Cats: SNAP Canine Pancreatic Lipase and SNAP Feline Pancreatic Lipase.
Plain-English summary
A dog or cat showing signs of pancreatitis, like vomiting or abdominal pain, can be difficult to diagnose. New in-clinic tests called SNAP Canine Pancreatic Lipase (for dogs) and SNAP Feline Pancreatic Lipase (for cats) have been developed to help vets identify this condition more accurately. These tests are designed to specifically measure pancreatic lipase levels, which can indicate pancreatitis. While they are more reliable than older tests, it's important for pet owners to understand that false results can still happen. If your pet is showing symptoms, these tests can help your vet make a better diagnosis.
People also search for: dog vomiting pancreatitis test · cat abdominal pain diagnosis · pancreatitis treatment for dogs and cats
Abstract
A clinical diagnosis of pancreatitis in dogs and cats can be challenging. Several diagnostic modalities have been evaluated over the years for the diagnosis of canine and feline pancreatitis, but most of these modalities have been shown to be of limited clinical use because of poor performance, limited availability, or because they are invasive, or all of these. Assays for the measurement of pancreatic lipase (PL) immunoreactivity [Specific canine PL (Spec cPL) in dogs and Specific feline PL (Spec fPL) in cats] were first developed approximately 15 years ago, and studies have shown that they are currently the serum tests of choice for the evaluation of canine and feline patients, respectively, suspected of having pancreatitis. This is a direct consequence of their high specificity of detecting only PL and their sensitivity for pancreatitis when compared with other serum tests. SNAP cPL and SNAP fPL are in-clinic tests that have been developed based on the Spec cPL and Spec fPL assays. As with any other test, false-positive and false-negative results do occur with PL immunoreactivity assays, and it is important to know the limitations of these assays.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28317614/