My dog's pancreatic enzymes are high, but he has no symptoms?

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!

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.

Feeding him before blood tests is not ideal and can really influence tests results (especially if it is a snap test for pancreatitis). I would recommend to repeat the test with a quantitative one if possible before getting into hospitalisation and treatment which may not be needed.

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.

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.

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!

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.