GENERAL-PRACTICE ATTITUDES TO THE TREATMENT OF SPONTANEOUS CANINE ACUTE-PANCREATITIS

A survey of treatments used and clinical outcome of canine patients pr esenting to general practitioners with histories and clinical signs co nsistent with spontaneous canine acute pancreatitis was carried out. C linicopathologic data from the cases were recorded and analysed to def ine commonly occurring metabolic abnormalities. The gross mortality ra te (natural causes plus euthanasia) across all cases was 26.5%, with s urvivors experiencing a mean hospitalisation time of 3.4 days. Intrave nous crystalloid fluids, nil per os, antibiotic medications and pain c ontrol were the mainstays of therapy in most cases. Moderate to severe hyperglycaemia was found to be a poor prognostic sign.