Serum Bile Acid Concentrations in Dogs with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is a chronic gastrointestinal disease in dogs that is caused by the insufficient synthesis and secretion of pancreatic digestive enzymes by the exocrine pancreas. Previous studies have described intestinal dysbiosis in dogs with EPI and dysbiosis is often associated with bile acid dysmetabolism. This study aimed to measure the concentration of a variety of bile acids in the serum of dogs with EPI. Serum was collected from 50 dogs with a serum canine trypsin-like immunoreactivity (cTLI) concentration of less than 1 µg/L, strongly suggesting EPI, and 50 non-EPI control dogs with a serum cTLI concentration within the reference interval. Half of the dogs with EPI and half the non-EPI control dogs were German shepherd dogs and half were dogs of other breeds. There were significant differences in serum bile acid concentrations between non-EPI control dogs and dogs with EPI. Dogs with EPI had significantly higher serum concentrations of both primary and total bile acids. This study shows that EPI in dogs is associated with bile acid dysmetabolism.