Serum feline trypsin-like immunoreactivity following administration of ceruletide to healthy cats

OBJECTIVE: To determine changes in serum feline trypsin-like immunoreactivity (fTLI) in response to administration of ceruletide to healthy cats. ANIMALS: 11 healthy cats. PROCEDURES: Serum fTLI was determined, using a radioimmunoassay, before and 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 minutes after IM administration of ceruletide (0.3 mg/kg [0.14 mg/lb]). RESULTS: Mean +/- SD baseline serum fTLI was 23.1 +/- 4.1 mg/L. There was a statistically significant, but clinically unimportant, increase in serum fTLI 10 and 30 minutes after ceruletide administration. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In healthy cats, administration of ceruletide induced a statistically significant, but clinically unimportant, increase in serum fTLI. Whether responses in cats with exocrine pancreatic disorders would be different is unknown, but results suggest that a ceruletide stimulation test would likely not be useful for differentiating between healthy cats and cats with subclinical chronic exocrine pancreatic disorders.