Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!
Become a member today!
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Already a member? Sign in
Become a credit card member today!
Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
when you use Petco Pay!
APPLY NOW
Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

My dog has high lipase and calcium with no symptoms. Should I worry?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 7 years and 5 months old | 78 lbs

Miley had her first labs for a senior panel the last week of August. From that labwork we found that she had 2 gallbladder related enzymes elevated (did not tell me names or numbers) and a lipase of 3,178. She did not have any symptoms at all, the vet recommened we start her on pepcid and a probiotic and repeat labwork in 2 months. Yesterday we repeated the labwork the lipase came down to 2,500 and her calcium went from 9 to 12.2. I am worried sick she still has no symptoms should i be worried??

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 1st, 2017

I would not be too worried with what you have described. Lipase has next to no diagnostic significance and some laboratories do not even test for it anymore. The reason being is that lipase can have huge differences in normal dogs.

The calcium may or may not be relevant, but on its own is not alarming and does not indicate any one specific problem.

Overall, I recommend not focusing too much on the biochemistry results and focusing more on the veterinarian's interpretation. Interpreting biochemistry results is extremely complicated and takes into account multiple findings. The findings on history and physical exam are very important when interpreting lab results, so if Miley Sue is acting normal and the vet has not diagnosed a specific condition, then this indicates that nothing serious is going on she should be fine.

Your veterinarian should be able to give you more information regarding the recent results and possible problems. If your vet has not answered your questions fully, then I recommend calling and asking to speak with them. As a vet, I would want to ensure my client fully understands their pet's condition, so I would have no problem taking the time to explain everything.

I hope that helps and all is well with Milley Sue.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

My dog's blood test shows high AlkP and lipase. Should I worry?

The blood work changes you are seeing are not very significant in the absence of any pertinent clinical signs. Increased lipase can be associated with pancreatitis, but usually a follow up blood test would only be done if there was evidence of this condition in Phil's overall health and well being (lethargy, vomiting, pain in the abdomen). MCV / MCHC changes are insigificant in the absence of a concurrent anemia. The alkaline phos change is very small. I would continue to monitor Phil's blood work on a twice yearly basis for the time being unless there are significant changes to his health where it would be warranted more frequently. Hope this helps.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog has high lipase, but no pancreatitis. What does it mean?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Rocky. Lipase values can be elevated in cases of pancreatitis and occasionally liver and kidney disease. However, it is a not a very sensitive marker of this disease. For this reason, if the remainder of his blood work is normal and he is not acting sick, then I do not worry too much about an elevation in lipase. I hope this information helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog has high lipase but normal amylase. Is it pancreatitis?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Just because a Lipase is elevated does not automatically indicate that a dog has pancreatitis. Serum lipase and even amylase can increase with multiple other causes, not just pancreatitis. This is why it is difficult to diagnose pancreatitis based on these levels alone. If Diesel is symptomatic for pancreatitis with these values, I would have additional testing performed to help confirm pancreatitis. I would even consider an abdominal ultrasound if possible. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

Why is my Yorkie's lipase high with no pancreatitis symptoms?

Pancreatic lipase can be falsely positive in case of gastrointestinal problems of different nature than pancreatitis. If the levels are elevated with a snap test you should ideally ask for a quantitative test (which gives you a specific number and it is more reliable to evaluate). My questions would be: why she was tested the first time? what were the signs? and was an ultrasound performed at all? What kind of liver damage she had? No, the stress of the trip to the vet cannot raise CPLI levels. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog has high ALP, no symptoms. When will she be in danger?

Hello, thank you for your question about Daisy. There are numerous causes for elevated ALP in dogs, many of which you have ruled out by the testing described. Some dogs can experience a condition called vacuolar hepatopathy, a benign condition that we can sometimes not identify the reason for. Many of these dogs demonstrated no symptoms even with a significantly elevated ALP. There is no specific ALP level that will lead to symptoms in dogs, it is very patient dependent (some dogs are much more sensitive to mild changes). I would recommend having her liver values monitored every 4-6 months, or sooner if she develops any signs such as vomiting or inappetance. Additionally, I would consider adding Denamarin/Denosyl to her treatment regimen. Although this may not normalize her ALP it can help prevent further elevation of the value in the future. Hope this helps, good luck!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog's calcium is high. Could it be cancer or something else?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Mylie. Elevated calcium does happen with certain types of cancers. However, it can also be related to kidney failure, certain toxicities, or even a lab error. Typically additional testing is required to determine the cause of high calcium. I hope this information helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Dog has high bile acids, but no symptoms. Should I get a liver biopsy?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There is no clinical significance to a low amylase, and I do not believe I would have been concerned with this finding. That bile acid result is high, but I don't see a fasting level. I'm not sure if the blood was obtained only once, or if you did a 12 hour fast and then offered a fatty meal and had another blood sample drawn. Regardless of how it was obtained, it is a high value, and I suppose it is hard to completely ignore. There are a couple different ways to approach this. Recommending ultrasound and biopsy is not wrong, but you could be a little more conservative and simply recheck the bile acids in 2-4 weeks. I would definitely recommend a 12 hour fast for the pre-prandial blood draw, and then feeding a fatty meal, and then obtaining another sample two hours later. A single bile acid level is not enough information. If upon recheck the findings are abnormal, then you can feel more justified in pursuing ultrasound and biopsy. I hope this helps.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Share