Vet World   Vol.18   October-2025  Article - 4 

Survival outcomes and prognostic indicators in canine pancreatitis: A retrospective cohort study of acute kidney injury and concurrent diseases

Background and Aim: Canine pancreatitis is often complicated by acute kidney injury (AKI) and systemic comorbidities, both of which may worsen clinical outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate survival rates in dogs with pancreatitis, stratified by the presence of AKI and other concurrent diseases, and to identify prognostic indicators for mortality.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at Prasu Arthorn Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand, from February 2021 to February 2023. Medical records of 146 dogs diagnosed with pancreatitis (serum canine pancreatic lipase ≥400 μg/L and clinical signs) were reviewed. Dogs were categorized into four groups: Pancreatitis alone (n = 24), pancreatitis with AKI (n = 28), pancreatitis with concurrent diseases (n = 57), and pancreatitis with both AKI and concurrent diseases (n = 34). Survival was analyzed using Kaplan–Meier curves and log-rank tests, while prognostic factors were assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results: The overall mortality rate was 39.72% (58/146), with the highest mortality in dogs with AKI (Groups 2 and 4). Median survival was 4 days (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.0–11.7) in Group 2 and 7 days (95% CI: 2.7–11.2) in Group 4, while median survival was not reached in Groups 1 and 3 due to high survival. Hematocrit (HCT) and blood urea nitro­gen-to-creatinine ratio (BCR) were identified as independent predictors of mortality. Lower HCT (Hazard ratio [HR] = 0.967, 95% CI: 0.941–0.994, p = 0.019) and higher BCR (HR = 1.024, 95% CI: 1.007–1.041, p = 0.006) were significantly associated with increased risk of death.

Conclusion: AKI is a major negative prognostic factor in canine pancreatitis, markedly reducing survival irrespective of concurrent systemic diseases. Readily available markers, such as HCT and BCR, provide practical tools for early triage and prognostic stratification. Incorporating these parameters into clinical decision-making may enhance outcomes by guiding intensive monitoring and targeted interventions.

Keywords: acute kidney injury, blood urea nitrogen-to-creatinine ratio, canine pancreatitis, concurrent diseases, hematocrit, prognostic markers, survival analysis.

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How to cite this article: Chawanlawuthi W, Sakcamduang W, Phochantachinda S, and Chatchaisak D (2025) Survival outcomes and prognostic indicators in canine pancreatitis: A retrospective cohort study of acute kidney injury and concurrent diseases, Veterinary World, 18(10): 2969-2980.

Received: 25-05-2025   Accepted: 02-09-2025   Published online: 08-10-2025

Corresponding author: Duangthip Chatchaisak    E-mail: duangthip.cha@mahidol.ac.th

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.2969-2980

Copyright: Chawanlawuthi, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.