# Interpreting High PrecisionPSL



## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

I received my dog's annual bloodwork this morning. Nearly all of the results are well within the respective reference ranges and the interpretation reads "CBC and chemistries look good here."

However, she has slightly elevated Precision PSL (Pancreas-specific Lipase): the reference range is 24-140 U/L and her result was 173. There is a comment next to the result "= Lipase," and I don't know if that is an interpretation or just stating the obvious.

My dog is on a raw diet and is very active. They had some trouble during the blood draw and stuck her in three places (twice in the neck before settling for the paw).

My guess is that there is nothing to be concerned about, but I thought I'd do my due diligence and ask.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

The increase indicates some inflammation in the pancreas. I would call your vet. You might need to modify your dog's diet. 

My tpoo developed pancreatitis from eating food that was too high in fat and protein - I had to switch her to a high fiber, low fat, lower protein food - and she lived to be 18 years old. Now my dog had pancreatitis and was ill - your dog doesn't have pancreatitis - but I mention this because you want to avoid diet induced pancreatitis which is what my dog had. And if you dog does develop it I want to offer you hope that it's a disease that can be managed.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Just in case anyone ever searches for this topic, I thought I'd wrap it up. I talked with a vet friend, and her first question was to ask about Amylase, which was normal and close to the middle (i.e. not a high normal). She noted that Mia is acting totally healthy and normal and said that I shouldn't worry about the PSL result. 

I wanted to understand the link between amylase and lipase, so I did a little sleuthing online. I'm not a fan of Dr. Internet, but it is useful as a supplement. Without going into the biology, in pancreatitis both the PSL and amylase are elevated, which is helpful to know if anyone else gets a similarly slightly elevated PSL test but normal amylase.

I also learned that the PrecisionPSL test is relatively new. It may join the ranks of other tests that are often higher in raw-fed dogs than kibble-fed dogs. Because it's new, we haven't had it before, and I can't compare it to previous results, though the older tests were always normal and close to the middle.

Finally I found a list of reasons why dogs can have a high PSL, some of which have occurred recently. If you've ever looked up a similar list, then you know how unintentionally comical and broad they can be. Still, it was a comforting reminder that sometimes a test result is just high, and the result doesn't necessarily mean death is imminent.

To be on the safe side, I'm going to feed Mia twice per day for the next six months and retest in March. It's a little difficult to feed raw twice per day, so we'll see how I do. If I'm not able to manage, then I'll retest in 6 months regardless and go from there.


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