KIDNEY INJURY IN DOGS WITH ACUTE PANCREATITIS

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common disease in dogs characterized by a wide spectrum of clinical signs, as anorexia, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. AP can lead to kidney injury via hypovolemia, cytokine-induced ischemia, inflammation and oxidative stress. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of kidney injury in dogs with AP. The study enrolled 65 dogs with positivity to SNAP cPL® test and clinical and laboratory signs suggestive of AP. Dogs with non-pancreatic acute abdominal disease were excluded. WBC, neutrophil count, serum C-reactive protein (CRP), serum creatinine (SrCr) and urea and urinalysis were evaluated at time of diagnosis. The magnitude of AP was assessed using the clinical severity index (CSI) as described by Mansfield (2008). The patients were divided into two groups: survivors and non-survivors. Non-survivors included dogs, which died within seven days from admission. Data were statistically analysed using GraphPad Prism® for Mac. The study population was composed by intact (n=30) and spayed females (n=13), and intact (n=34) and neutered males (n=2). Patients showed median age of 8.8 (0.4–14.6) years, BCS of 5/9 (2/9-7/9) and body weight of 16 (2.5-64) kg. Overall seven-day survival was 67.7% 44/65 dogs . CSI≥5 was associated with poor outcome (p=0.047) and elevated CRP (p=0.014). Dogs with CRP three-fold higher than upper reference range, showed a significantly poorer outcome (p=0.0003). SrCr>1.5 mg/dL and urea>55 mg/dL above the reference range were significantly associated with increased risk of death (p<0.0001 and p