Ratio of urinary alpha-amylase activity to creatinine concentration: a new diagnostic marker for pancreatitis in dogs?

The hypothesis that acute pancreatitis in dogs could be diagnosed based on the ratio of urinary α-amylase activity to creatinine concentration (U-A/C) was tested. The study was performed on 292 dogs. Based on clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings, the dogs were divided into the following groups: 34 healthy patients serving as the control, 48 sick dogs with U-A/C>2.9, and 210 sick dogs with U/A-C 2.9 differed from the control group in the same way: their serum and urine α-amylase activity and total urinary protein levels were significantly higher (P>0.001), and their urine specific gravity and urinary creatinine concentration were significantly lower (P 2.9 that were tested by ultrasonography (48%, 10/21) and histopathology (100%, 7/7). The findings might suggest that U-A/C ratio higher than 2.9 could serve as a cut-off value for diagnosing pancreatitis in dogs (excluding advanced chronic pancreatitis), regardless of concurrent diseases.