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Background: Dogs with chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE) are typically classified into food‐responsive enteropathy (FRE), antibiotic‐responsive enteropathy (ARE), immunomodulator‐responsive enteropathy (IRE), and nonresponsive enteropathy (NRE) based on response to therapy(ies). Reassessment of initial categorization (especially IRE and NRE) is lacking. Objectives: Investigate validity of categorization scheme when reassessed at least 1 year after diagnosis. Animals: Sixty client‐owned dogs with CIE. Methods: Retrospective study. Clinical information was gathered from records and owners from time of diagnosis (TD), time of initial response (TIR), and at least 1 year after diagnosis (T≥1y). Category change was defined as a switch between groups. Results: Median disease activity index (CIBDAI) at TD was 9 and reduced significantly to 1 at T≥1y (P <.0001). At TIR, dogs were categorized as: FRE 27/60 (45%, 95% binomial confidence intervals [CI], 0.32‐0.58), IRE 30/60 (50%, CI 0.37‐0.63), ARE 0/60 (0%), NRE 3/60 (5%, CI −0.01 to 0.11). Seventeen of 27 (63%) FRE dogs had previously had at least 1 unsuccessful diet trial. At T≥1y, categorization changed to FRE 44/60 (73%, CI 0.62‐0.85), IRE 14/60 (23%, CI 0.13‐0.34), ARE 0/60 (0%), NRE 2/60 (3%, CI −0.01 to 0.08). Group changes were found for 24/60 (40%) dogs, largest change was from IRE to FRE (19/24, 79%). Immunosuppressive dosages were administered as sole treatment in 1/30 (3%) IRE dogs at TIR. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Chronic inflammatory enteropathy categorization based on initial response to therapy needs reassessment after 1 year. Frequent change from IRE to FRE suggests that dogs initially categorized as IRE might have been initially categorized as FRE if multiple dietary trials had been performed. In our study, antibiotics were not needed to achieve satisfying clinical responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Pancreatitis is a common histological finding in cats, but it is unknown how often cats receive a clinical diagnosis of pancreatitis. Diagnosing pancreatitis in cats is challenging because of nonspecific clinical signs and a lack of diagnostic lipase cutoffs. It is particularly unclear how often clinicopathological evidence of pancreatitis in the presence of extra-pancreatic disease does not lead to a diagnosis of pancreatitis. Thus, we retrospectively evaluated the extent of comorbidities in 563 hospitalized cats with hyperlipasemia. Medical records were searched, and all available diagnoses were recorded and grouped by organ system. Medical findings were compared between cats with pancreatitis alone (PA), pancreatitis with concurrent disease (PD), and no suspected pancreatitis (NP). PA was rare (33 cats (6%)), 159 cats (28%) were in the PD group, and 371 cats (66%) had NP. Clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonographic findings were not different between PA and PD cats. Lipase activities did not differ between the three groups. Common disease categories in PD and NP cats were gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, renal/urinary, and endocrine, and renal/urinary, gastrointestinal, cardiac, and musculoskeletal, respectively. In summary, cats are rarely hospitalized only because of suspected pancreatitis and the majority of cats have comorbidities, but clinical differences were not found between the PA and PD groups. Future studies are necessary to assess if increased lipase in sick cats with primary non-pancreatic disease stems from secondary pancreatic injury or is due to preexisting chronic pancreatitis. Histological evidence of pancreatitis is commonly found in necropsy studies in cats. A clinical diagnosis of pancreatitis is challenging due to nonspecific clinical signs, a lack of diagnostic lipase cutoffs, and frequent presence of multiple diseases. It is still unknown how often pancreatitis alone is found in sick cats and how often clinicopathological evidence of pancreatitis in sick cats does not lead to a clinical diagnosis of pancreatitis. Our aims were to evaluate the extent of comorbidities in cats with suspected pancreatitis, evaluate how often sick cats with hyperlipasemia are diagnosed only with non-pancreatic diseases, and compare their clinical findings. Medical records of 563 client-owned hospitalized cats with available lipase activity measurement (LIPC Roche) > 30 U/L (RI, 6–26) were searched and medical diagnoses recorded and grouped by organ system. Clinicopathological findings were compared between cats with pancreatitis alone (PA), pancreatitis with concurrent disease (PD), and no suspected pancreatitis (NP). We found that PA was present in 33 (6%) cats, 159 cats (28%) were in the PD group, and 371 cats (66%) had no suspected pancreatitis (NP). Clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonographic findings did not differ between PA and PD cats. Lipase activities did not differ between the three groups. The most common disease categories in PD and NP cats were gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, renal/urinary, and endocrine, and renal/urinary, gastrointestinal, cardiac, and musculoskeletal, respectively. We conclude that cats are rarely hospitalized because of suspected pancreatitis alone, and PA cats did not differ clinically from PD cats. Hyperlipasemia in sick cats without a diagnosis of pancreatitis may be due to a reactive pancreatopathy or preexisting chronic pancreatitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lipase activity and pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (PLI) have not been compared in dogs hospitalized for acute pancreatitis (AP). Objectives: To describe the progression of lipase activity and PLI, and correlations with clinicopathologic features in dogs with AP. Animals: Thirty‐nine dogs with AP based on clinical signs and lipase activity >350 U/L (reference interval [RI], 24‐108 U/L). Methods: Retrospective study. Lipase activity (LIPC Roche), PLI (SpecPL), and clinical signs were recorded daily. Admission (d1) data (clinical, laboratory, and ultrasound [US] findings), and clinical signs during hospitalization (d2‐d3) were assessed for correlation with lipases. Results: Median (range) duration of clinical signs before presentation was 2 days (1‐7 days). Median (range) lipase activity and PLI at d1 were 1070 U/L (range, 357‐1500 U/L) and 1111 μg/L (range, 292‐1500 μg/L). Strong correlation between assays at d1 (rs 0.96; P <.0001; n = 39), remained equally strong on d2 (rs 0.964; P <.0001; n = 39), and d3 (rs 0.966; P <.0001; n = 22). On d2, lipase activity and PLI were within RI in 13/39 (33%) and 18/39 (46%) of cases. Lipase activities were minimally increased (median, 124 U/L) in 5 dogs with d2 PLI <200 μg/L. On d3, 4 more dogs had normal lipase activity and PLI, and the nature and magnitude of change were always the same for both assays. Clinical signs were not associated with lipases. Only a hyperechoic mesentery, but not an US diagnosis of AP, correlated significantly with lipase activity and PLI. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Lipase decreases rapidly to near or within RI within 2 days of treatment in the majority of dogs with AP. Both lipase assays yielded virtually identical results. Mesenteric echogenicity may be an early marker of AP in dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Histological evidence of pancreatitis is commonly found in necropsy studies in cats. A clinical diagnosis of pancreatitis is challenging due to nonspecific clinical signs, a lack of diagnostic lipase cutoffs, and frequent presence of multiple diseases. It is still unknown how often pancreatitis alone is found in sick cats and how often clinicopathological evidence of pancreatitis in sick cats does not lead to a clinical diagnosis of pancreatitis. Our aims were to evaluate the extent of comorbidities in cats with suspected pancreatitis, evaluate how often sick cats with hyperlipasemia are diagnosed only with non-pancreatic diseases, and compare their clinical findings. Medical records of 563 client-owned hospitalized cats with available lipase activity measurement (LIPC Roche) > 30 U/L (RI, 6-26) were searched and medical diagnoses recorded and grouped by organ system. Clinicopathological findings were compared between cats with pancreatitis alone (PA), pancreatitis with concurrent disease (PD), and no suspected pancreatitis (NP). We found that PA was present in 33 (6%) cats, 159 cats (28%) were in the PD group, and 371 cats (66%) had no suspected pancreatitis (NP). Clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonographic findings did not differ between PA and PD cats. Lipase activities did not differ between the three groups. The most common disease categories in PD and NP cats were gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, renal/urinary, and endocrine, and renal/urinary, gastrointestinal, cardiac, and musculoskeletal, respectively. We conclude that cats are rarely hospitalized because of suspected pancreatitis alone, and PA cats did not differ clinically from PD cats. Hyperlipasemia in sick cats without a diagnosis of pancreatitis may be due to a reactive pancreatopathy or preexisting chronic pancreatitis.