NEW TEST FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF EXOCRINE PANCREATIC INSUFFICIENCY IN THE DOG

A new approach to the diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in the dog has been evaluated. The synthetic peptide, N‐benzoyl‐L‐tyrosyl‐p‐aminobenzoic acid, administered orally, is specifically cleaved by pancreatic chymotrypsin to release p‐aminobenzoic acid (PABA) which is subsequently absorbed and excreted in the urine. The assay of plasma PABA or the estimation of urinary excretion over a 6‐hour period was found to give a clear differentiation between two small groups of healthy dogs and animals with pancreatic insufficiency. The absorption of orally administered sodium PABA was similar in the two groups confirming that the rate limiting process following oral peptide is hydrolysis not absorption. © 1979 British Small Animal Veterinary Association