Spec cPL (canine pancreatic lipase)
Dogs onlyKey concepts ·Also called: cPL, canine pancreatic lipase, Spec cPL, SNAP cPL, pancreatitis test dog
What it is
The assay recognises only the pancreatic form of the enzyme, so kidney disease and steroid treatment do not confound it the way they confound general lipase and amylase. An in-clinic version gives a quick normal-or-abnormal answer; the laboratory version gives a number.
Why your vet measures it
Pancreatitis is common in dogs, painful, and sometimes severe. A markedly raised result in a dog that is vomiting with a tender abdomen supports the diagnosis strongly, and a normal result is good evidence against it — which is genuinely useful when the alternative diagnoses need very different treatment.
What a high result can mean
- Pancreatitis, particularly when the value is well above the cut-off
- Mildly raised values in dogs without pancreatitis — a grey zone that needs the clinical picture and often an ultrasound to resolve
- Some other abdominal disease, including kidney disease, though far less than with general lipase
What a low result can mean
- A normal result makes pancreatitis unlikely, though it cannot exclude a very mild or very early case
Dogs and cats differ
This is the canine assay. Cats have their own equivalent, Spec fPL, and the two are not interchangeable — a laboratory must run the species-specific test for the result to mean anything.
Questions worth asking your vet
- Was this the in-clinic screening test or the quantitative laboratory version?
- Does my dog need an abdominal ultrasound as well?
- Should the diet change to a low-fat one, and for how long?
Related terms
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