RISK FACTORS FOR PANCREATITIS
First broadcast on www.provet.co.uk
This information is provided by Provet for educational
purposes only.
You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only
he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment
that is most appropriate for your pet.
Recognition of known risk factors
for disease is an important part of the diagnostic process, and also should
be a factor in determining the most appropriate therapy for a patient.
For pancreatitis the following risk factors have been identified and the
presence of more than one should alert the clinician to avoid
exposing the animal to another. For example, the use of corticosteroids in
an old, castrated, obese miniature schnauzer with intervertebral disk
disease should probably be avoided, and an alternative therapeutic agent
should be sought.
Risk factors include* :
Advancing age
Breed
Dogs - Briard, Miniature Schnauzer, Sheltie
Cats - Himalayan
Diet - high fat ration (over 20% fat on a dry matter basis)
Drugs - azathioprine, corticosteroids, L-asparaginase, organophosphorus insecticides
Gastric dilatation-volvulus due to ischaemia
Hypercalcaemia - hyperparathyroidism, intravenous calcium injection
Hyperlipidaemia (Miniature Schnauzers and others)
Intervertebral disk protrusion
Liver disease - feline suppurative cholangiohepatitis
Neutered animals - castrated males and spayed females
Obesity
(* Modified after Hand, Thatcher, Remillard and Roudebush - Small Animal
Clinical Nutrition 4th Edition 2000)
