Pancreatitis is a common but underdiagnosed disease of the canine exocrine pancreas. While the etiology of the disease is still poorly understood, many risk factors including dietary indiscretion, obesity and certain drugs have been linked to the disease anecdotally. Whatever the initiating cause, the end result is hyperstimulation of the pancreatic acinar cells and premature activation of pancreatic digestive enzymes. This results in both local and systemic inflammatory mediator activation and widespread secondary effects. The most frequently observed clinical signs in dogs with acute pancreatitis are vomiting and inappetance, with only about 2/3 of dogs having detectable abdominal pain. Diagnostic testing has evolved tremendously in the past decade, and abdominal ultrasonography and canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity are now the most frequently utilized diagnostic tools. Treatment is usually supportive, but may require antibiotics if bacterial translocation is suspected. Prognosis is difficult to assess due to the highly variable nature of the disease, but more severe cases generally have a guarded to poor prognosis and dogs that do recover may develop long-term complications.