Methods: Prospective study. Routine canine submissions to Texas A&M Gastrointestinal Laboratory were monitored for samples with PLI >600 ug/L. Clinics were emailed 14-15 days after PLI measurement and asked: (1) Was the dog hospitalized? and (2) Is the patient alive? If a response was received, CRP was measured using banked serum.
Results: Paired measurements were available for 503 dogs. Median PLI was 984 ug/L (range: 603-2001); median CRP was 9.9 mg/L (range: 9.9–395.3; ref: < 10 mg/L). There was modest positive correlation between PLI and CRP (r=0.2; CI: 0.12 –0.29). In-patient care was provided to 136 dogs (27%); 49 dogs (9.7%) died. Median CRP was higher for hospitalized dogs (36.1 v 9.9 mg/L; P < .0001) and those that died (37.2 v 9.9 mg/L; P < .0001) (Figure 1). Compared to dogs with CRP <10 mg/L, those with CRP >10mg/L were 5.3 times more likely to die (CI: 2.7–10.2) and 5.7 (CI: 3.6-8.7) times more likely to be hospitalized. The odds ratio of death for dogs with CRP >30 mg/L was 6.9 (CI: 3.5-13.9) (Figure 2).
Conclusions: In dogs with PLI >600 ug/L, CRP >10 mg/L was associated with increased risk of hospitalization or death. This biomarker may provide useful prognostic information in dogs with clinical evidence of pancreatitis.
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