Pancreatic Hypoplasia

Introduction

Pancreatic hypoplasia occurs mainly in young calves and dogs and causes steatorrhoea. The acinar tissue is under developed, yet the endocrine part fo the pancreas appears unaffected and functions normally.

Signalment

Calves, dogs and cats. The prevalent breed in dogs to be affected is the German Shepherd Dog. The condition usually arises at around one year of age. There is no sex predilection.

Clinical Signs

Signs include a pot-bellied appearance, steatorrhoea (fatty stools) and weight loss plus polyphagia. The condition often occurs after or with another illness in the animal.

Diagnosis

Clinical signs, history and signalment are suggestive of the disease.

At laparoscopic examination, endoscopy or ultrasound, the intestines will be distended and bulky due to fatty ingesta and there will be a lack of fat in the mesentery and rest of the abdomen. There will be sparse pink pancreatic tissue visible.

Treatment and Control

There is no treatment for this condition but control measures will include placing the animal on a low fat diet and/or providing pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy.

Image of pancreatic hypoplasia in a dog from Cornell Veterinary Medicine

References

Blood, D.C. and Studdert, V. P. (1999) Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary (2nd Edition), Elsevier Science.
Ettinger, S.J. and Feldman, E. C. (2000) Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine Diseases of the Dog and Cat Volume 2 (Fifth Edition), W.B. Saunders Company.
Ettinger, S.J, Feldman, E.C. (2005) Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine (6th edition, volume 2), W.B. Saunders Company.
Fossum, T. W. et. al. (2007) Small Animal Surgery (Third Edition), Mosby Elsevier.
Radostits, O.M, Arundel, J.H, and Gay, C.C. (2000) Veterinary Medicine: a textbook of the diseases of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and horses, Elsevier Health Sciences.
Tams, T.R. (2003) Handbook of Small Animal Gastroenterology (2nd edition), W.B. Saunders Company.