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Mild Chronic Pancreatitis |  |
| Many dogs—and particularly cats—have mild forms of chronic pancreatitis. Once pancreatitis has been diagnosed, risk factors for pancreatitis can be excluded from the history. Also, hypercalcemia and hypertriglyceridemia can be excluded by clinical pathology. Cats with mild chronic pancreatitis should be evaluated for concurrent chronic small-intestinal disease. This is most easily accomplished by measuring serum cobalamin and folate concentrations. |
| Patients should be switched to a low-fat diet and low-fat treats. Pancreatic enzyme supplementation can be tried in cases in which abdominal pain is present or for animals with consistently poor appetites, which may be the only indicator of abdominal pain. Finally, patients with mild, chronic pancreatitis should be monitored for potential complications, such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. |
