The features of the course and some diagnostic aspects of pancreatitis in cats
Authors: Kovalchuk O. M. , Horalska I. Y. 
Published: November 2018

The results of clinical examination of patients of animals, collected history and conducted laboratory blood tests with determination of the number of red blood cells, leukocytes, platelets, hemoglobin, glucose, total protein, total bilirubin, activity of ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase and α-amylase enzymes are presented in the article. The features of the course and some diagnostic aspects of pancreatitis in cats are described. According to the results of the studies and their detailed analysis, it has been established that the clinical manifestation of pancreatitis in cats has certain differences from the manifestation of this disease in other carnivores, namely dogs, and is characterized by nonspecific clinical features - inhibition, anorexia, cachexia, occasionally – vomiting. Dehydration, pallor of visible mucous membranes of the conjunctiva and skin, or, in severe cases, their jaundice, abdominal pain, fever, or hypothermia are typical for sick animals. Thus, according to the results of own research and the collected information on the clinical condition of cats, the manifestation of the disease in the form of oppression and cachexia was observed in 100% of patients, vomiting – in 10%, anorexia – in 80% of patients. In 33% of diseased animals, a fever of constant type was diagnosed to 41.6 °C, in the rest of the animals the temperature of the body was normal or at its lower limit. Laboratory tests of anemia showed anemia with a decrease in the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin to 4.6 ± 0.57 T/L and 91.7 ± 5.62 g/l, respectively. Anemia was not regenerative, confirmation of why there was no blood in sick animals of reticulocytes. As a manifestation of the compensatory possibilities of the body of sick cats for the development of pancreatitis can be considered not significantly expressed thrombocytopenia. Thus, the number of blood platelets in experimental animals was in the range of 136.8 ± 32.2 G/L, at a rate of 250–600 G/L. This can be explained by the fact that platelets are also involved in protecting the body from microorganisms and toxins, and this pathological process is accompanied by their reduction. Hyperproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia, hyperbilirubinemia, hyperglycemia, hyperbilirubinemia, and hyperfermentemia of transaminases and α-amylase were determined by biochemical blood tests in cats for pancreatitis. Therefore, in 67% of patients in cats hyperglycemia with elevated values of glucose content up to 8.9 ± 0.85 g/l was detected, indicating a violation of the endocrine function of the pancreas. In 100% of the sick animals, an increase in the total protein content was observed on average up to 86.2 ± 3.7 g/l, which can be considered as a consequence of the dehydration of the patient's body and an increase in the proportion of blood globulin. Most number of oll cats has a violation of the function of the liver. Thus, the damage to the integrity of membranes and hepatocyte cytolysis was indicative of an increase in the activity of blood serum enzymes – ALT (up to 186.3 ± 23.1 OD/L) and AST (up to 159.2 ± 31.6 OD/l). In violation of the delay in the removal of bile, the permeability of membranes of the epithelium of the biliary tract indicated an increase in the activity of alkaline phosphatase to 230.2 ± 10.5 ODP/l in 67% of cases. For other cases, it was characterized by a decrease in its activity to 9.3 ± 0.3 Od/liter, which can be explained by the development of an imbalance in the nutritional intestinal microflora, that is, the presence in the sick of cats of dysbiosis, also caused by a violation of the metabolism of vitamin C in their body. Swelling resulting from inflammation of the pancreas and tissues surrounding it has probably led to mechanical obstruction of the total bile duct, which was confirmed by an increase in the total bilirubin level to 14.2 ± 2.4 μmol/l.