Small animal review: December 2023

Cridge et al (2023) performed a study to examine whether there was a relationship between ionised calcium and pancreatic lipase in dogs, and to ascertain whether there was a correlation between improving hypercalcaemia and pancreatic lipase concentrations in dogs that had received treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism. In the first part of the trial, 44 serum samples were analysed for pancreatic lipase levels, and in the second part, 24 serum samples from dogs with primary hyperparathyroidism were tested before and after correction of calcium levels. The initial results showed a negative correlation between ionised calcium and pancreatic lipase levels. In the second part of the trial, pancreatic lipase levels were higher before treatment of hypercalcaemia than after, although this was not statistically significant. The authors conclude that there is an inverse relationship between pancreatic lipase and ionised calcium in dogs in which there was an indication for pancreatic lipase to be measured, and that hypercalcaemia may cause an elevation in levels of pancreatic lipase.