What’s changing in pancreatitis care, critical monitoring, and veterinary CPR

20/02/2026

At Klivet in Turkiye, emergency and critical care specialist Dr. Andrew Linklater spoke with The Animal Economics and outlined three areas reshaping how veterinarians manage pancreatitis: better diagnostics, earlier nutrition, and emerging therapies.

On diagnosis, he noted a clear shift away from older blood markers like amylase and lipase, with clinicians now relying more on ultrasound and cPLI testing. While not perfect, he said these tools are a meaningful improvement compared to what was available in the past.

Nutrition is the second major change. Dr. Linklater emphasized growing evidence that early nutritional support is critical for recovery from pancreatitis and other critical illnesses—a contrast to older thinking that patients should be kept off food. In some cases, he added, this may require placing a feeding tube to ensure adequate intake.

Third, he pointed to new and revisited therapies. In the US, he mentioned Panoquelle (fuzapladib sodium) as a newer option with some evidence, though he stressed more learning is needed and that cost remains a barrier. He also highlighted renewed interest in steroids, particularly in cats, where pancreatitis may have an immune-mediated component. Looking ahead, he referenced a recent paper (last year) suggesting stem cell therapy could improve outcomes, although availability is still limited.

Beyond pancreatitis, Dr. Linklater discussed the “Rule of 20”—a structured checklist of 20 key points to assess in any critically ill or injured patient. The goal is to prevent missed problems and ensure every abnormality has a diagnostic, monitoring, and treatment plan, rather than treating a symptom and moving on.

He also stressed the importance of updating CPR practice. Modern veterinary CPR now benefits from standardized guidelines and training-based certification, improving team communication and enabling better data collection to refine outcomes over time.

You can watch the full exclusive interview on our official YouTube channel.