Elevated amylase and lipase

[Ana & Frosty (GA)]

good morning, all
I just got a copy of Frosty’s labs from the ER visit last Sunday in preparation for our IM visit tomorrow (if you want to know more about the incident and why we are going, please see my post in the Acromegaly/IAA/Cushing’s forum). One of the complaints he came in with last weekend was vomiting. I noticed that on his labs his amylase and lipase were elevated, but the ER vet didn’t mention it to me, but was more concernEd about his poor glucose control (a fructosamine of 1200) and possible Cushing’s.

I did some quick research about feline pancreatitis, and saw that lipase is not really a good indicator of pancreatitis the way it is in humans. It can be elevated for many reasons and doesn’t really mean anything necessarily. In fact, i believe at one point my other cats amylase or lipase was elevated many years ago and she has been just fine. frosty has since been tolerating the food with just one small emesis a few days ago. I also feed him smaller portions over a course of an hour, as he will gobble down whatever I put in front of him. But I wonder, could he have pancreatitis? What other tests do they use to diagnose it in cats if it’s suspected? What is the treatment? In humans we give them bowel rest, meaning no food, and a ton of IV fluids... but u can’t do that in a cat, esp a diabetic one. Humans with pancreatitis are also usually very very sick. Frosty was depressed for a few days but it may have been related to the cone of shame. It’s been off for 2 days now and he’s been much better

Any info about feline pancreatitis and / or amylase and lipase would be appreciated. His amylase was 2533 and lipase 516.
I also have been noticing that his stool color is lighter in color than my other cats. But he also eats more wet food than they do. Light color stool (grey, or clay colored) in adults can mean fat malabsorption and one reason can be pancreatitis. He’s not having diarrhea though, so that’s probably not what’s happening. Again, I’m thrown off by this due to my knowledge of the human physiology/pathology and not feline.

Thanks,
Ana

 

[Marie&HerCats RUSTY]

Hi Ana, Im very interested, my vet mentioned pancreatitis not diagnosed by my previous vet, that, might have led to his diabetes.
I hope all turns out well. BTW my son lives in Brooklyn, works in Manhattan and sees many stray & abandon cats on his way back and forth. He wishes he could bring them home.......to me! (In RI)
God bless you for your compassion

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

Any info about feline pancreatitis and / or amylase and lipase would be appreciated.

I noticed your question and since I have given some info on Cushing's I thought I would throw my 2 cents in here. My Tuxie had chronic pancreatitis. His amylase and lipase readings were always high throughout the 2 1/2 years I treated him. (Don't have his labs handy and I am not sure the reference ranges for Canada are the same as yours) However it is true that blood lipase is not always a good indicator of pancreatitis as lipase is produced in other areas besides the pancreas. The best test is the Specific fPL Test which is done by IDEXX. This requires a blood sample to be taken and sent out to IDEXX. I don't know if US and Cdn ranges are the same but Tuxie's results were always ( tested 4 times over the years) 50+...50 being the highest range that could be read. He only had a few actual attacks that required intervention...fluids, pain relief and anti-nausea meds, along with syringe feeding. You do not want to withhold food with kitties since it can quickly advance to hepatic problems (fatty liver disease) so this is different than the approach used for humans and dogs.Your vet could also do a snap fPL test which can be done at the office, but it only gives a yes or no result and does not give a numerical result.

https://www.idexx.eu/united-kingdom/products-and-solutions/snap-and-pet-side-tests/snap-fpl-test/

Ultrasounds can be useful in diagnosing pancreatitis as well. Good study here:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jvim.12117

In Tuxie's case the enlarged pancreas, along with the enlarged liver and both adrenals was related to his Cushing's. However diabetic kitties are more prone to pancreatitis,,,usually chronic but attacks can also occur.