What the Pancreas Normally Does

The pancreas is a small, light pink glandular organ nestled under the stomach and alongside the upper small intestine. There are two types of pancreatic tissues to know about. The first tissue is the "endocrine" pancreas, which is the part of the pancreas that secretes hormones involved in blood sugar regulation, such as insulin (which you have probably heard about if you know anyone with diabetes). The "exocrine" pancreas produces enzymes we use to digest our food. These two parts of the pancreas are not in separate areas but instead these two different types of pancreatic tissues are all mixed together throughout the entire pancreas.

Digestive enzymes break down fats, starches, and proteins into smaller units so that we can absorb them into our bodies. These enzymes are stored as inactive forms inside special granules in the exocrine pancreatic tissue. The enzymes sit there harmlessly until a chemical signal tells the pancreas to secrete them down the pancreatic duct and into the intestine, where the food is waiting.

Once nutrients are broken down into smaller molecules (i.e. they are digested), they can be absorbed down the entire length of the GI tract. Without an adequate amount of enzymes, we cannot break down/digest our food. If we cannot digest the food, we cannot absorb the food. We get skinny, have especially nasty, rather greasy diarrhea, or both. Often, a pet with maldigestion will develop a dry, dandruffy coat from inability to absorb dietary fats and can have a serious red blood cell reduction from a vitamin B12 deficiency. 

 Difficulty in clotting blood (vitamin K-related coagulopathy) can result as well.

Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (also called Maldigestion)

On the left is the normal stomach. pancreas, and intestine in a dog or cat belly. On the right is the same organs in a dog or cat who has exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Notice the atrophied pancreas.

The most common cause of digestive enzyme deficiency in dogs is “pancreatic acinar atrophy,” where the pancreas simply becomes shriveled and useless. This condition seems to have a genetic basis but is not congenital and may develop at any age (though usually shows up before age 4 years).

The German Shepherd Dog and Rough-Coated Collie are particularly at risk and the mode of inheritance appears to be autosomal recessive (meaning genetic carriers will appear normal). About 70% of dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency are German Shepherd dogs and 20% are Rough Collies.

Recently a juvenile onset form of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency has been described in the Greyhound, however, because this breed is primarily used in racing, sickly puppies are commonly euthanized thus keeping the condition from being recognized in the pet population.

In cats, chronic pancreatitis is the usual cause of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. There does not appear to be a genetic concern; though, rarely, cats that eat grasshoppers may get infected with a pancreatic fluke carried by grasshoppers (Eurytrema procyonis). This fluke, similar to a very small worm, can cause enough inflammation to cause pancreatitis or enough general pancreatic damage to cause exocrine insufficiency. Fluke infection is rare, as mentioned, but feline pancreatitis is actually very common, especially in older cats. There is frequently a link to chronic intestinal disease. 

Diagnosis Requires Specific Tests

Photo courtesy of CDC

Trypsin-Like Immunoreactivity
The biggest breakthrough in diagnosing exocrine pancreatic insufficiency was developing the serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity test, a blood test. Before this, an assortment of inaccurate fecal tests were used. Trypsin is one of the digestive enzymes secreted by the exocrine pancreas. The TLI test looks for a normal level of trypsin-like enzymes in the bloodstream. This is harmless, normal, and measurable in a blood test.

A dog or cat with EPI will have almost no serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity in the bloodstream. The patient must be fasted for the test to be accurate, but only a single blood sample is needed to make the diagnosis. The feline version of this test often requires that the sample be sent to a university laboratory and generally a week or so is needed to get results but the canine test can be run in just a few days.

Other Tests
Another popular diagnostic is the fecal protease test, where a stool sample is tested for protein-digesting enzymes. Fasting is not necessary and any fecal sample will do; however, three consecutive samples are needed to get a consistent result as there is tremendous variability in fecal enzyme activity over the day. Sometimes soybeans are given to dogs to help stimulate the release of pancreatic protein digestion enzymes and get a more accurate test.

The fecal elastase test (elastase is another digestive enzyme) is the newest and it is only available for dogs. A single fecal sample is needed but the problem is that sometimes normal dogs will test negative for elastase. This means that EPI can be ruled out when the elastase test is positive but not confirmed when the elastase test is negative.

Treatment

Dietary supplementation with digestive enzymes is an effective therapy for EPI even though most of the supplement given is digested in the stomach along with other dietary proteins. The little bit that survives the acid bath of the stomach and the patient’s own protein-digesting chemicals turns out to be enough to stop the diarrhea and enable the patient actually to gain some weight. Powdered enzymes (Viokase-V, Pancrezyme, PanaKare, and other brands) seem to work the best; tablets are available but do not seem to break down consistently. If the pet finds the taste of the enzymes objectionable, a compounding pharmacy can fill gel capsules with the powder. Again, enteric-coated tablets simply do not seem to work well.

In the past, it was suggested that incubating the enzymes in the patient’s food would help initiate the digestion process in the food bowl but this is not true; the enzymes can be fed immediately mixed with the patient’s regular pet food. Some patients respond best when an H2 blocker-type antacid (such as famotidine) is given concurrently with the enzymes.

It is important to thoroughly mix the enzyme powder into the food, because if it is sprinkled on top, it can be abrasive and lead to ulceration in the pet’s mouth. If ulceration has already occurred in this situation, incubating the food with the enzymes can help resolve the problem. A six-hour incubation at room temperature should suffice. If the food is to be refrigerated, a 24-incubation has been recommended. 

Raw beef or lamb pancreas can also be used as a possibly inexpensive form of enzyme replacement but the problems with raw foods include parasite and bacterial contamination. Cooking the pancreas relieves these concerns but inactivates the desired digestive enzymes. Raw pancreas can be stored frozen without losing digestive enzyme activity.

Generally, a high-digestibility diet is the best choice for an EPI patient. These foods are low in fiber and may be especially helpful for patients with trouble gaining weight. Many animals simply use enzymes mixed with their regular food if prescription diets prove too expensive.

EPI patients commonly have an overgrowth of bacteria in their intestines, which means that the unabsorbed nutrients in the tract have fed the bacteria living there, instead of the patient, and an over-population of bacteria has occurred. This results in a vitamin B-12 (also called cobalamin) deficiency as the bacteria consume the vitamin instead of the patient getting his share. Periodic injections of vitamin B-12 and blood test monitoring have been recommended for patients with EPI. The B-12/cobalamin deficiency is a particularly big problem for cats with EPI, who typically require injections every couple of weeks for life. Recently, an oral B-12 product has become available for dogs and cats.

Folate deficiency is also common in cats, and supplements are required for the first month of therapy. Checking cobalamin and folate blood levels regularly is especially important for cats with EPI. Supplementation with fat-soluble vitamins (especially vitamin K and vitamin E) is not usually needed.

Treatment is for life and without enzyme supplementation, all the unpleasant symptoms will recur. The good news is that a response to therapy is generally seen within a week of beginning it. The response can be excellent but approximately one dog in five will simply not respond well. Many do not ever regain a normal amount of weight. 

What if Results Are Not as Rapid as Expected? 

Most pets respond in a matter of days to enzyme supplementation but if a week or so goes by and the results are underwhelming, here are some tips to consider:

• Use more enzyme powder with each meal. 
• Check the powder's expiration date. Consider a different brand of powder.
• Be sure to supplement vitamin B12 by injection. Many pets will not get better until this deficiency is corrected.
• Consider incubating the enzymes in the food. This is not supposed to matter, but some pet owners feel that it does.
• Consider a prescription diet if one is not already in use.

If all of these factors are already controlled and diarrhea still has not cleared up, it may be time to consider that a second disease is afoot. Discuss this possibility with your veterinarian.

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