Feline Pancreatitis: A Case-based Application of Best Standards of Practice

The lecture will review, using a case-based method, the recently published consensus statement on feline pancreatitis. A panel of 8 experts in the field (5 internists, 1 radiologist, 1 clinical pathologist, and 1 anatomic pathologist), with support from a librarian, was formed to assess and summarize the evidence in the peer-reviewed literature and complement it with consensus clinical recommendations. The panel determined there was little literature on the etiology and pathogenesis of spontaneous pancreatitis in cats, but there was much in humans, along with some experimental evidence in cats and non-feline species. Most evidence was in the area of diagnosis of pancreatitis in cats, which was summarized carefully. In contrast, there was little evidence on the management of pancreatitis in cats.
The objectives of this lecture are to summarize the various potential causes of feline pancreatitis and understand the proposed pathogenetic mechanisms of pancreatitis, describe the various diagnostic modalities that can be employed to rule out or diagnose pancreatitis in a cat, review therapies for mild, moderate, and severe pancreatitis, including potential scenarios for the use of corticosteroids.