Is my Labrador's pancreatitis actually cancer if tests are unclear?

I'm sorry Diesel isn't doing well! If he had pancreatitis, you would see symptoms such as repeated vomiting, vomiting undigested food, a hunched pain, a painful abdomen, a distended abdomen, diarrhea, loss of appetite, dehydration, and lethargy. Diesel would be extremely ill if he had pancreatitis, and from what you are describing, I would be inclined to think he doesn't have it. It is possible that he does have cancer even if your vet didn't feel any masses in his abdomen. There can still be tumors even if they can't be palpated, and cancer would cause him to eat and lose weight. Cancer can also cause diarrhea. Certain cancers also do not show any changes in blood work. I recommend having further testing done on him, such as x-rays or an ultrasound of his abdomen. These would help visualize if he has any tumors in his abdomen, and further testing such as a biopsy of them can be done if any are found. Unfortunately cancer is very common in senior dogs. I recommend having him seen by your vet again to discuss further testing. I hope this helps!

Pancreatitis is difficult to diagnose and is done by analyzing compatible clinical signs and lab test results. Cats with pancreatitis commonly experience lethargy, loss of appetite and occasionally vomit, but these clinical signs can also be caused by a variety of other conditions. Typical blood testing includes a CBC (red & white blood cell count and platelets), chemistry (to evaluate overall organ function, blood glucose and electrolytes), T4 (thyroid hormone), as well as a urinalysis (to evaluate kidney function and look for infection). If pancreatitis is still suspected, a blood test called an fPL can be done to either rule pancreatitis out or make you more suspicious of that as the diagnosis (this is not a conclusive test). Abdominal ultrasounds can be helpful to determine if the pancreas is inflamed or if other abnormalities are present, but these are not performed in all cases. Cats with pancreatitis commonly also have concurrent diseases - such as inflammatory bowel disease, cholangitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) or cholangiohepatitis (inflammation of the gallbladder and liver). Uncommonly, cats with pancreatitis can become diabetic if there is enough damage to the endocrine portion of the pancreas. There is no definitive treatment for pancreatitis. The goal is to manage Bella's clinical signs supportively (i.e. IV fluids, anti nausea medications, pain medications, etc.) as needed. If you are concerned about the treatment plan that your vet has started for Bella, call her to discuss the options. Odds are that she has a reason for starting or not starting certain medications or diagnostics. If you feel uncomfortable with this plan after speaking with her, it is always reasonable to get another opinion. I hope that Bella is feeling better soon!

I would recommend adding on a Spec CpL test to look for pancreatitis, or you can have her referred to a specialty hospital who can perform ultrasound. Bloodwork doesn't always show changes in light of important diseases like cancer or gastrointestinal disease.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Leo. In the bloodwork that he had done, do you know of his cobalamin, folate and pancreatic values were tested? These are important tests with chronic gastrointestinal disease. Cobalamin and folate are vitamins used in digestion. If either are low, they will require supplementation. This can help a lot. Next, has he undergone a strict diet trial with a prescription diet? This will help if he has a food allergy, food intolerance or inflammatory bowel disease. These are a few things I think of when hearing of Leo's problems. I hope this information is a good starting point for you.

Putting Frank down is a permanent decision. Before you do that you may want to consider a second opinion with a veterinary specialist. They may recommend blood work and do X-rays and an ultrasound so they can look at the pancreas and other organs. Also they could do an exploratory surgery to open his abdomen to see if it is cancer or maybe he ate something that has damaged his intestines. If they see what is wrong perhaps they can fix it. Frank is a young dog so having cancer is less likely than an intestinal problem or infection. If they find it can't be treated you can consider euthanasia at that point. Personally with my dog I like to understand the reason for the illness. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Frank.

I am sorry to hear that Jasper isn't feeling well. Cancer of the pancreas is a possibility, as well as a insulinoma, or a pancreatic abscess. During the surgery, the veterinarian will likely remove the mass, if possible, or biopsy it so further testing can be done to determine what it is. It is quite possible that surgery can be curative for an insulinoma or abscess. During the surgery, the veterinarian will also look around Jasper's belly to see if there appears to be anything else abnormal, including lymph nodes.

No, it cannot always be found prior to surgery. X-rays usually only pick up large masses. Abdominal ultrasound is more sensitive in picking up smaller masses but it is not 100%. No diagnostic tool is. Splenic hemangiosarcoma is unfortunately very common in GSD. I'm very sorry this happened to Gigi. As for your Lab, if she has tumors on her mammary glands then they are cancer - whether benign or malignant you can't know for sure without a biopsy. From the photo it looks pretty significant. If she is not spayed then there is a pretty good chance they are malignant. This is why we alway recommend spaying dogs if they are not going to be used for breeding. If you spay a dog prior to their first heat cycle (about 6 - 8 months of age) then the chance of them getting mammary cancer later in life is almost zero. Every heat cycle they go through increases their chances of mammary cancer exponentially.