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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pancreatitis is a "spectrum disease" meaning that inflammation of the pancrease, which leads to high levels, can cause anywhere from no clinical signs to severe life threatening signs. We treat symptomatically, so if he is having no signs I would just leave him alone and give his normal diet. You can recheck the values in 2-3 weeks to see if they have come down. Good luck with Jeter.

Hi, I am sorry to hear Fox is having these problems. If she has had pancreatitis once before, it is a possibility she has it again, as some dogs can get chronic pancreatitis. If her Amylase and Lipase are very high, she can have pancreatitis. If you want to know for sure an abdominal ultrasound is the next step. This can be done at some regular vets, or a speciality facility with the Internal medicine department. If your dog is not acting right, I suggest doing this test. Her hematocrit should be rechecked in 48 hours roughly to see if it is dropping. If it is holding steady, I would be less concerned. If it is dropping, there may be a blood disorder or a cancerous tumor that is bleeding internally. 32 is just on the low end. I strongly suggest rechecking her blood work if she is not getting better and getting an ultrasound. Your vet can tell you how to go about getting this. Good luck, and I hope Fox gets better!

No, pancreatic enzymes in the diet would not elevate AST. AST is usually use as liver disease marker, however elevation in AST can be also seen in heart diseases, pancreatitis, diseases of the muscles, kidney problems, trauma etc. AST of 94 is only a mild elevation, so repeateing the blood test in 2-3 weeks would be a sensible initial approach.