Pancreatitis...

I am so crazed over the whole situation!

All my boys have been on low fat diets for a few years now.
All are with their target weights and never given table scraps!

They know not to beg for human food!

Yes, they do get treats daily but only a couple and they are best treats!

So again, I am at a complete loss...

Oh well, I am overjoyed to have them home heathy and happy. :lol:

Glad Hamish is home and doing better...
No fun being at the vet for anyone.
 
Truly, with pancreatitis, we don't always know the cause. Some dogs are just predisposed to it, and even given the best of diets still are diagnosed with it. Other dogs are fed awful diets their whole lives, and never have a health problem as long as they live. Yes, you can stack the deck in your favor by keeping him on a lowfat diet, but the reality is that you'll probably never know what triggered it.
 
The belief that all cases of pancreatitis are caused by fatty food is old school and most vets today will tell you that they honestly don't know what causes some dogs to get pancreatitis while others don't...although they don't recommend a really high fat diet for many reasons.

I have known people who feed their dogs total junk food that is loaded with fat and their dogs never get sick while others who are ultra careful that their dogs eat a very good diet and yet their dogs get pancreatitis multiple times. My Pixie is one of those "multiple times" dogs...she is on a very low fat diet and yet almost yearly she gets a bout of pancreatitis. I have learned the early symptoms for her and so we get it under control immediately, but I always have to be on watch with her for those initial signs.

Trini
 
Last edited:
trini said:
I have learned the early symptoms for her and so we get it under control immediately, but I always have to be on watch with her for those initial signs.

Trini
Click to expand...

Trini, Can you tell me what signs you re looking out for in Pixie?

In Laddie I was concerned over vomiting 3x.
Anything else I should be on the look out for?
 
ghggp said:
Trini, Can you tell me what signs you re looking out for in Pixie?

In Laddie I was concerned over vomiting 3x.
Anything else I should be on the look out for?
Click to expand...

Each dog may show different initial symptoms...but with Pixie the first symptom is not speed devouring her meal like she typically does. She will approach her dish, obviously hungry, sniff and then back away and look upset...sometimes she will return and eat a little. The minute I see this hesitation when I put her dish down for her to eat I know for Pixie it means trouble and we are off to the vet for a blood draw which every single time indicates pancreatitis...she has had pancreatitis 7 times! :( By now catching it so early we thankfully limit damage. The first 2x I had waited until she vomited before I got worried that something was really wrong...not any more.

Our vets have never figured out why she is so prone to this. Pixie was a rescue and her previous owner had bought her at a pet store...so a mill puppy...and she has struggled with multiple serious health issues all her life. Genetics may play a part...I just don't know.

Trini
 
Thanks Trini!

Yes, Laddie normally will devour his food... when he ate a bit and lost it minutes after eating, as well as not being able to keep water down... that was alarming!

Gosh, I can not imagine poor little Pixie going though this 6x! :no:

When you rescue it is hard not to know their previous health history. I lost my dear Billy, my first rescue, to gall bladder disease. I had him at the emergency vet and got the right drugs for him and it helped for a while. Then he had a massive attack and was totally debilitated by it. He was in ICU for 4 days. He would not eat for 5 days and was 13 years old and I could not bring myself to go through surgery and lose him on they operating table! I knew he would not recover. He was just too weak.

Mr Chance also has this condition but we caught it much earlier. He is on meds and has not had any attacked for over 5 years! Knowing what to look for in early symptoms is key.
 
Thanks Hanne!

Yes, I did Google it...
http://www.chewy.com/dog/royal-cani...et&utm_term=&gclid=CN__3Mnzq8gCFQGqaQodEpkHOg

Actually my shelties rescue syggested this food also. Although this is the vet diet I will try the store as the were giving him Science Diet I/D.

His stools are still not solid so I might try this one. I think with all the antibiotics he is on his tummy is still upset. I tried pumpkin and he hates it!!! Will not touch his food if I put even a tiny spoonful in!

Thanks for the link! You are right... Not a pleasant ordeal for either of us!
 
Just a tip for being on the antibiotics. If your vet has not suggested a probiotic, such as yogurt or FortiFlora, please get some and start him on it. Antibiotics can't tell the difference between good bacteria and bad bacteria in the gut and kill the both - this is why there is loose stools and diarrhea associated with antibiotic use.
 
I have a probiotic that he was on before this happened...

Can I use this?
 

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