[Catherine C]

Does anyone know if my dog who is currently on insulin (blood sugars 24) can come off insulin with the proper diet please?
Secondly, what is the best diet for a diabetic dog with 3 bouts of pancreatitis?

[Jenn H]

What are his enzyme levels?
Does he have IBD or pancreatitis?
Don’t assume that the little brownish spots you clean up are food. They could be tiny amounts of blood. Not to scare you. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is a possible symptom.
Keep track of everything. Write it all down. Dates, times, what & how much is fed, when he throws up, if it’s after activity, immediately after meals, changes in behavior, bowel movements, water intake. You must gather as much info as possible. Then bring it to the vet. It’s hard to remember every detail so write it all down.
I’m dealing with some issues with 1 of my dogs who has never has any issues until she was put on antibiotics for Lyme twice. She’s a 7 year GSD who grew up on a farm. She’s been the picture of health and so active her whole life. Now she suddenly has digestive issues.
I’ve recently taken her to a different vet after having to go to the emergency vet. They did an ultrasound and blood work. They were looking at her intestines, pancreas, gallbladder, liver, everything. I also gave them an X-ray from a few months ago.
When you go to a vet come armed with all the info you have gathered and every question you can think of.
If you don’t get progress from one vet move on to another. I adore my vet, but after 10 months it was time to have a new set of eyes to go over everything and maybe come up w/ other theories.
Stomach issues can be a lot of things so it’s sometimes hard to figure out what is causing the problem. It could be IBD or it could be a symptom of something else.

[Diane S]

Brian, if he was hospitalized for pancreatitis, the vet really needs to continue to work with you to get him back to a safe, normal diet that he will actually eat. What was the suspected cause of the pancreatitis and should your dog now be on a low-fat diet?

Keep a very close eye on him and report any changes to the vet ASAP. My now 12-year-old dog recently recovered from a very nasty bout of pancreatitis following abdominal surgery. I was told that hydration was actually quite key to his recovery (in our case, the vet recommended daily sub-Q fluids). Full recovery took a very long time (and was complicated by his needing to be treated for another medical condition), and he did not eat normally for months. My normally lean dog who was a great eater suddenly was not interested in food. He was at risk for needing a feeding tube. He is now back to his normal chow-hound ways and has regained all of the weight that he lost…but that was after months of picky eating (NOT normal for him), near relapse, feeding him almost anything I could get him to eat just to keep weight on him (vet did not believe he actually would need a low-fat diet long term, as his pancreatitis seemed to have been brought on by surgery), learning to administer sub-Q fluids at home and doing it daily as instructed by the vet, and SLOWLY guiding him back to normal food.

It is very important to follow your vet’s recommendations about diet. Our dog did not need a particularly low-fat diet, but yours might. At one point, our dog ate scrambled eggs and at our low point – refused anything but chicken nuggets (so we found a very healthy chicken nugget and fed that for a while). We tried human pureed chicken baby food, wet dog food, rubbing the food bowl with a piece of salami before adding the food we wanted him to eat, adding sliced low-fat turkey to his meals…it was a long, slow road. But he did recover and now loves to eat once again…and we are so happy that we still have him here with us!!! I hope that your dog recovers very quickly!

[Susan]

Hi Brain, was he eating the Royal Canine wet tin food in hospital?? they normally don’t let them go home until they are eating….. maybe he doesn’t like Royal Canine Low Fat wet tin food…. I just looked on the Royal Canine web site at the Intestinal Low Fat wet tin & for a 10lb dog he should be eating 1 can a day…. & make the tin into 6 smaller meals thru the day & night… I feed 2 dinners 5pm & 8pm & 7am 12pm
You can get a couple of eggs & boil then, then remove shell & the yoke & mash the white bit & see if he’ll eat the cooked egg whites mixed with some boiled sweet potatoes, maybe if he smells & see cooked food he’ll eat by himself…

also join the Yahoo group called “Dogpancreatitis” they really help or the Face Book “Canine Pancreatitis Support Group” https://www.facebook.com/groups/1435920120029740/
the best way is to cook & freeze meals like turkey breast mince & sweet potatoes, the pain meds may cause constipation so add 1 spoon pumkin…

[alberta H]

Hi Sharon… we have a 14 year old moxie who was having the same problems …. and a lot more. We had our regular vet do an allergy blood test and that did show what she is allergic to food wise. Found out we have been feeding her food she was horribly allergic to and have since changed. But, we still have to give our gal 1/2 a benedryl during certain times of the year when she starts sneezing and reverse sneezing. This helps. The problem with possible food allergies is huge though. Many homemade dog foods have rice or corn and in our pups case she was extremely extremely allergic to both those things. Because of this the vet tried 3 different dog foods (one was this dyrolized dog food and it almost killed her ..literally). So for right now, she is actually on a dog food with rice AND corn and doing fine. We were told that sometimes even with allergies a dog can handle certain foods. So it is very confusing. In our case though we wound up going to a holistic veterinarian. Because our doxie has a history of pancreatitis many of the things she is NOT allergic to (test showed she is not allergic to pork) she can’t have because of the fat content. But she is getting a holistic concoction that has been keeping her pancreas soothed and working well now and she is oddly on a food she should be allergic to but is not. If she can’t handle this dog food she is on now our holistic vet has some other recommendations we will try but for now she is doing fantastic. We believe this is because of this holistic vet (she is a “real” vet who has been to school for other things and believes in more than the standard veterinarian ways. She actually saved her life after the hydrolized dog food almost killed her (from the other vet).. So perhaps getting with your vet about 1/2 a benedryl? then a allergy test? Great luck though… our doxies are special !!!

[Brian L]

My 11 year old Yorkie came home from the vet last night after 4 days and 3 nights hospitalized with severe pancreatitis. The ultrasound showed a really severe case, and many tests were done as well as a plasma infusion.
They sent him home with some pain meds, antacid and antibiotics. They said to syringe feed him Royal Canin Low Fat wet food until he gets his appetite back and gave us some giant syringes

Question: though he has drank water out of a bowl 6 times in the 20 hours he’s been home, he doesn’t want to eat. How much/often has anyone else found is good to syringe him food (he’s 9-10 lbs)?

I’m exhausted from this ordeal, so I apologize in advance if I left out any needed information. Any advice from people who have been in this situation is appreciated by me and Stoli.

Thanks

[Susan]

Hi, it’s best to stay away from kibble when they have had Pancreatitis the pancreas has to work harder digesting kibble, there’s 2 types of Pancreatitis acute pancreatitis comes on very sudden or chronic pancreatitis recurring or persistent form of pancreatic inflammation, both can be considered mild to serve….
The fat in the Taste Of The Wild kibbles is pretty high at 18% min so max fat would be around 20%max, the Smoked Salmon is the lowest at 15-17% fat. The fat is probably tooo high for Pancreatitis, its best to stay around 8-12% fat when feeding a kibble, so she doesn’t have another flare, have a look at The Honest Kitchen ZEAL most dogs love The Honest Kitchen food you just add water you can buy 2 x sample for $1…
http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal

another good kibble for dogs with Pancreatitis is “Canine Caviar” Special Needs….email & see if they will send out an sample to see if she will eat it… or Canine Caviar may have money back if she doesn’t eat the kibble..

Special Needs

[Jerri W]

I have a 10 y/o mini schnauzer who has had 2 episodes of pancreatitis. The vet put him on Royal Canin low fat gastrointestinal dry kibble a year ago. Is there another brand that may be better for him?

[Samantha P]

Thanks anonymously – the research I have done suggests acute as this was her 1st experience with this but I am sure it won’t be her last. I will do everything in my power to help avoid another attack if we can just get her better this time. Her white blood cell count was a little high yesterday so they have now started her on antibiotics, she was put back on her fluid IV yesterday morning and they gave her some nutrical for energy and some meds to help reduce acid in her stomach. Waiting to hear from them this morning as we are getting close to another 24 hours on the IV – fingers crossed she hasn’t vomited anymore and that she is perking up a bit. It’s so hard to see her so weak and blah like she was yesterday.

Thanks for the help Susan – I just requested to join the group on Facebook, I need as much support as possible right now and that FB group seems like it would be so helpful! Thank you for that! We were feeding her boiled chicken breasts prior to Friday when we found out it was pancreatitis and she has been hospitalized since. She has always ate Taste of the Wild – the Lamb one and she loves it, she is a much bigger fan of dry dog food than wet so I thought it was possibly the issue and why she wouldn’t eat the Hills Monday night but since the vet said she chowed down the wet Hills ID the first time and her entire demeanor changed it was more than just her not liking the food 🙁

I am bringing her a diff blanket from home, one that smells like us and her brother who misses her like crazy. I truly hope she isn’t there until Saturday but if she is, we have planned to bring her brother in to help cheer her up. He has really began acting out at home so I know he is really missing her too. The vet closes around the same time I get off work, so it hasn’t given me much time to bring Rocco in but I do go see her on my lunch hour and then again right when I get off work until they close. We are also bringing her some of her normal food to see if she will start to take that down. The vet said they wouldn’t think we should switch from TOTW once she is better as the vet personally uses that for her dogs – but I am definitely open to all suggestions. I will see which Hills ID they are giving her now – I do know it doesn’t smell too great and looks pretty nasty. I was there Monday night and tried to see if she would eat while I was there with her but no interest at all. Thank you so much for your response – I am excited to get added to the group on FB, I need to hear some success stories to try and boost up my spirits so I can boost up hers!

[Susan]

Hi Samantha, go shops, buy some chicken breast or lean turkey breast mince lightly cook till its just cooked cause the chicken breast can go tuff if over cooked then cut up, I also add a bit of boiled sweet potatoes not much take to the vets & ask can this be feed instead of the vet diet, cause she isn’t eating…. the Hills I/D Gastro is still high in fat at 14% if its the Hills I/D Gastro the pink label there’s the Hills I/d Low Fat GI Restore & the fat is lower 8.5% find out which one she is eating… if your on Face Book join this group “Canine Pancreatitis Support Group” these ladies will help you & your baby, what to ask vet, what are good low fat foods, no more kibble, as kibble is harder to digest she will need wet tin foods or cooked meals all low in fat also the fat on wet tin foods are higher then what the fat is on a bag of kibble, if the wet tin food says 5% fat on a tin, when converted to kibble fat that’s around 22% fat dry matter (Kibble)….
Hills Vet Diets convert all their Vet Diets they have already been done, but all the other vet diets aren’t convert or the pet shop foods…. so be careful & remember if you see 5% fat on a tin, its high you need 3%max fat & under in wet tin foods.. there’s the Royal Canine Low Fat Intestinal she may eat that one… the fat is only 7% fat …..also visit her & take her brother, it will boost her spirits ….Good Luck

[Samantha P]

My 1 ½ year old toy poodle/mi-pin (5 lbs) began vomiting 11 days ago on a Friday. The following day, Saturday, we took her to the vet. He thought she may have an upset stomach and dehydrated so he gave her sub-q fluids and sent her home on meds to ease her tummy troubles (Rantidine?) By Monday, she still wasn’t herself, and the vomiting continued. She wasn’t eating or drinking much at all, so I brought her back to the vet. The kept her all day Monday, continued with the fluids and then sent her back home with us Monday night. The vomiting stopped, but she still wasn’t improving in regards to eating/drinking. I brought her back to the vet Friday (a week after our first visit) and they did blood work. It turns out she has pancreatitis, unsure if she had it the entire time or if it was caused by the upset stomach issue. They began an IV for fluids on Friday – it is now Tuesday and she is still there. She got her appetite back on Sunday and ate the wet dog food (Hills ID) and she ate again yesterday morning. Since she was eating again, they removed the IV and by afternoon she was refusing food. She vomited 3 times overnight and now the vet as well as us are getting extremely concerned (as if I wasn’t already) I just need to hear that she will be okay… I can’t stop worrying, crying and I am absolutely sick over all of this. We have no idea what could have caused it, we feed her TOTW normally and she loved it, this all happened out of nowhere and going on 11 days of this, 5 being in the vets care, I am trying to continue to keep my hope but it’s slowly dwindling. I have no idea what I would do without her, she’s my baby and her brother (Morkie) misses her so much…. Our house just isn’t the same and we are ready to get her back home. Anyone have experiences? Stories that may help us get through this? Advice? I am all ears…

[Ptcbass]

Wow, I went to lunch and come back to lots of great info. Yes Shawna I also believe food is medicine. I went 2 years without healthcare and have successfully treated health issues with health food and supplements (Ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and ginseng).

Anonymously – The prednisone come weeks before and then tiny stones were present (small enough to pass). Then she was on the prescription food for one week and developed acute pancreatitis. That is what killed her. The prednisone I am sure didn’t help her immune system and have read it can cause stones and isn’t good for the pancreas. Just a horrible situation all the way around and especially knowing that if I didn’t take her to the vet at all and just kept treating her myself with “healthy” stuff then she would more than likely still be with me today.

My other dog is a little over weight and gains easily. She is 9 years old, has a history of crystals and UTI’s and has a short nose and has trouble breathing sometimes so I can’t exercise her like I would like to. She is still otherwise healthy and still likes to play (what time she isn’t eating or sleeping LOL!).

I am looking into
Horizon Amicus Small & Mini Breed Senior & Weight Management Grain-Free Dry Dog Food and Annamaet Grain-Free Lean Low Fat Formula Dry Dog Food.

I like the Natures Logic but it isn’t grain free and has higher fat content (except for the fish). The calories are still ok thought which I really don’t get but have moved on.

Thanks again! This has been super hard and have never had to experience anything like this with any of my dogs in the past. Also, in the same week my mother in law had a stroke. Now I just want to help get her healthy and do what I can for my other furbaby.
Thanks for the support here!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Ptcbass.

[Ptcbass]

I have a 9 year old shih tzu that is a little overweight and would like to find a good high quality food. She doesn’t need to lose too much but just trim down. I have been looking for food with a lower fat content but then noticed that sometimes the fat content is higher but the calories per cup number is lower. What number is more important?
She is currently on Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Venison but has a hard time getting it out of the bowl so I am putting Fromm White Fish and Potato kibble in with it.

The other problem I am struggling with is I just lost a dog this week. She had allergies and was put on prednisone and then developed small bladder stones. Then the doctor put her on Royal Canin SO (with me protesting but caved in). One week later she was in intensive care and in tons of pain with pancreatitis. She lasted a week (and over $4000 dollars later) she died. She was only 6 and I know that food caused it since she was healthy before and I didn’t feed treats or anything else during that week. Now I am looking for a food that won’t cause stones or pancreatic, is grain free and lower calorie, no Chinese ingredients and preferably organic. Well that is about impossible to find! I have read that sweet potatoes are bad to promote stones. Most grain free food contains sweet potatoes and then also low glycemic index food without grains seems to be hard to find. I know I am trying to find the “perfect” food but the pain my family and dog just went through was just horrible. I really want to do all I can not to ever repeat that again. Any suggestions would be appreciated! I am trying to take a step back and just go with a good food but then I get caught up in the details again. Right now I am looking at Natures Logic (but it is higher fat, acceptable calories), Acana Light and Fit (not grain free), Pinnalce, Stella and Chewy Duck (seems expensive), Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance (higher fat), and Fromm (grain free are higher fat). Help Please!

[Joni h]

Hi Brian, I’m just wondering what you ended up going with? Did the RC Sensitive digestion or Derma contact work out? And/or did you order the Zeolite supplement?
I have a 3 year old boxer with Pancreatitis history (the whole 1st year and half of her life!!)
The vet put her on the RC LF Gastro- which did work- but it’s SOOOO expensive!!! And I didn’t like the ingredients, plus she was super skinny on it. I’m in Canada too. I put her on raw which worked like a charm, but she lost interest in it recently, plus I’m concerned about salmonella etc.. So I have had her on RC Boxer kibble for about the last year, but my vet thinks it’s only a matter of time before she has another attack. I can’t bear to see her go through that again! We almost lost her a couple of times!! But I just don’t like the ingredient profile of the LF Gastro- despite my vets assurance it has very high quality of minerals and vitamins etc, which is apparently the whole point of the food- NOT the actual “food” (protein, fibre etc). So I’m wondering if the Zeolite is the main ingredient that will be key for her.

[cheryl w]

 Post Pancreatitis Diet-What Worked for My Yorkie
Below is a cut and paste of what I’ve written for my dog:-

I’ve written a long post on another forum about post pancreatic diet. I’m just going to share it here as well since it doesn’t make sense not to since I’ve been a member for a long time. Maybe it’ll help someone out there that was struggling like I did. The only difference between the post and now is I do give him daily fresh blended vegetable and fruit juice that are safe for dogs as well but I do strain to remove pulp to control fibre content.

Here it goes (I’m just going to cut and paste since it’s long):-

I happened to came across this forum and I joined to say please take advice from your vet when it comes to keeping your dog on prescription foods. I know when you check online, there are so many negative comments about prescription diets but when you truly have had a very sick dog and nothing works, these prescription diets are a savior. There is nothing wrong with by-products. By-products just means clean edible parts that are not meat. Knowing my dog, he probably loves the taste of the internal organs from the food he is getting even though I find it a little grossed out but I would imagine those internal organs contains a different nutrition profile than just meat alone.

My Yorkie had pancreatitis back in April of 2014 and was in the ER for 5 days and a few more days at the vet-I am lucky to have him back. He lost 20% of his weight during that attack which is a lot for a small dog. It has been a struggle since to get his weight up especially on low fat food but last week (Jan 2015), I weighed him and he is now back to his old weight. I find that there are a few things that really helps that I will talk about below.

i) Right now, I feed him 4 times a day and I alternate the feedings with 2x dry and 2x wet. I have done the math on how much to feed per meal and I have a kitchen scale to measure his meals each time. I have mine on RC veterinary low fat gastrointestinal both wet and dry because he wouldn’t eat the Hill’s Prescription-my dog is picky but whatever. The alternate wet and dry feedings work better than when you have to mix the wet and dry in one meal in terms of digestion. I have done a lot of research and I have looked at alternatives such as Wellness Complete Healthy Weight and even though the fat is low, it is still 20% more on a dry matter basis when I compared it to RC so be careful. That is why so many people are shocked when their dog gets another bout of pancreatitis on the Wellness Complete Healthy Weight because they looked at the fat percentage and it seems fine but you need to calculate the fat on a dry matter basis. Also, a pancreatitic dog needs low fiber and moderate protein as well on top of low fat-a lot of people forgot to take that in to consideration.

ii) I do supplement enzyme to his food because I couldn’t get his weight up for the longest time and I believe the enzyme really helps. He also acts like he is hungry all the time which makes me think he could have some symptoms of EPI as a result of the pancreatitis or it is just because of the low fat food. I test him by giving him some plain cooked white rice and my dog won’t eat it when he is not starving and he really isn’t. Talk to your vet and do your research about enzymes but I find that enzyme from an animal source works better. My dog’s weight went up when I switched from plant based enzyme to an animal based enzyme.

iii) Food moisture-I do mesh up the kibbles and put some warm water in there before adding enzymes. I mesh up the kibbles to help his digestion because I was struggling with his weight for a while and the moisture just helps. I just don’t feel good when my dog ate a ton of dry kibble and then drink a lot of water. For that, I place a mortar and pestle on my kitchen island. It is quick to clean and easy to use. The low fat kibble is also somewhat salty (yes, I’ve tried a piece or two) so adding some warm water helps to dilute the sodium as well.

iv) I do work the feedings out to include tiny bit of fresh food. I do give him some boiled skinless boneless chicken breast mashed up for easy digestion (of course there are some enzyme in there as well). He also gets about 8 blueberries a day in between feedings because he likes it. He also gets some coconut water in the am for electrolytes. Make sure the ones you buy are pure with no sugar added.

I’ve also heard people who said you could put your dog back to normal food when it has passed but I have asked my vet and I do not think it is a good way to go because pancreatitis can reoccur and he has seen dogs getting it again and again.

Again these are all just suggestions and steps I have taken for my Yorkie that has been successful post pancreatitis. I just hope that someone else who reads this could use the experience I have had and hopefully, he/she will have less sleepless nights than I did.
__________
As of today, the only changes I’ve made to what I’ve written above is I don’t feed him daily coconut juice anymore but he still gets veg fruit juice daily. I’m mainly feeding RC canned now with a 5% of RC dry because of the sodium content. He still gets blueberry daily but I peeled off the skin first.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by cheryl w.

[Susan]

Hi Bronwyn, there’s one thing you have not mentioned, he’s not on an ant acid medication like Zantac (Ranitidine) or Pepcid (Famotidine)… I had an Endoscope & biopsies done on my boy & he had Helicobacter-Pylori, he was given the triple therapy meds-Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & Zantac for 21 days, after the 21 days his acid reflux returned cause I didn’t know that I needed to change his diet so I’d say the Helicobacter returned & Patch was put on Zantac & I did the triple therapy again & put Patch on a Gluten, Sugar, Dairy free kibble…. he got his appetite back again I had to give 1/3 of a 150mg Zantac tablet 1 hour before breakfast then 8-12 hours later again 1/3 of a 150mg tablet…….
Has he had a blood test to see if he has Pancreatitis??
Most of the foods he’s refusing to eat cheese & oil are high in fat, when you have acid reflux you need a low fat diet…. with kibbles the fat % has to be around 10% in fat %….with wet tin foods 3%fat & under, 5% fat in a wet tin food is about 22% fat when converted to dry matter (Kibble) same with raw & dehydrated….that’s probably why he doesn’t eat wet tin food, the fat was probably tooo high & he got his acid…. if I feed my boy wet tin food with 4-5% min fat, he starts grinding his teeth about 40-60mins after eating the wet tin food….

Your last paragraph, you wrote this morning he decided he didn’t want to eat the kibble…
if you give him a ant acid medication 40mins before breakfast he probably will eat or even liquid Mylanta, I give my boy 3-4mls of the Liquid Mylanta some mornings cause as soon as
he wakes up, I can tell if he has his acid reflux, he starts to grinds his teeth….I hate that sound now cause I know we are going to have a crap day, well he is going to feel like crap & I have to watch him feel like crap all morning, so I have 2 syringes of 3-4mls Mylanta in the fridge already made up, the Mylanta seems to work for Patch, also Slippery Elm is suppose to help with acid reflux, I tried the Slippery Elm it worked the first 2 times, then the next 2 times I gave the Slippery Elm slurry & Patch vomited, so I went back to his Mylanta…

I’d be putting him on either Pepcid or Zantac every morning & every night & you watch, he probably will start eating more & feeling better, he’s a very smart dog, he knows what foods make his tummy worse…..
also I’ve read adding water to kibble can make acid reflux worse…. I’ll try & find the link I saved it, that’s probably why he won’t eat kibble with water in it…..I’ve been giving Patch those Jatz dry biscuits as a treat, I give him 2 at 9pm & a couple thru the day, the Jatz seem to settle his stomach or line his stomach they help..
http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/acid-reflux-gerd-in-dogs-cats-natural.html

[Susan]

Hi Cori R sounds like Colitis, when I first rescued my boy he was pooing sloppy poos with jelly on them or diarrhea with blood, vet said Colitis & he was put on Metronidazole (Flagyl) for 2-3 weeks & Royal Canine Hypoallergenic kibble BUT the fat was toooo high in the R/C HP & Patch then got Pancreatitis…..
I would try another protein like InkedMarie said, Kangaroo is very low in fat, start again, just 1 protein & 1 new veggie then start adding 1 new ingredient…… I wouldn’t stay on the same protein everyday, after you try 1 protein & its OK, then stop feeding that protein & try another new protein, then feed a different protein every 2nd or 3rd day, this way he doesn’t start reacting to the same protein that he keeps getting everyday……
About 2-3 years ago my boy couldn’t eat chicken, turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, now he can eat potato, sweet potato & chicken…..another thing Patches vet gave me a few repeats of the Metronidazole & as soon as I started to see Patches poos becoming sloppy or when I start introducing a new kibble, I had to give Patch 1 Metronidazole tablet a day for 2 weeks… Patch was put on a vet diet for 6-9months & just ate the vet diet, maybe that help fix his bowel & stomach or the Metronidazole fixed his bowel something helped cause he can eat anything now as long as it low in fat & I’ve tried it in his elimination diet….maybe your boy just cant break down proteins & needs a vet diet that is hypoallergenic & the protein has been broken down for him, I’m not one for vet diets but sometimes you need to use them just for 6months, Patch was put on the Eukanuba Intestinal Low Residue kibble to let his stomach & bowel have a rest…..

[cori R]

Good day everyone,

I have a Yorkie/Poodle mix dog , who will be 6 year old in January 2016.
About 16 months ago, he suffered an Acute Pancreatitis attack and was in the hospital for 3 days.
Ever since them, it has been a struggle to find the perfect food for him, as he needs to be in a very low fat diet and he will not eat any of the recommended by the vet.
Because of that my only choice was to cook for him and did a saliva test by Dr. Jean Dodds and the results were not good news at all. He is sensitive to most carbs (Rice, Oatmeal, Potatoes, sweet potatoes), all fish, chicken, beef, Duck, Venison.
The only protein Koby can eat is Lamb. So, with recommendations of a holistic Vet. I have been feeding Koby, Boiled/smash cassava root with carrots and boiled lamb (with all fat removed), I also add vitamins and L-Glutamine to the food and give him probiotic…Koby has been in that diet for over a year now, the thing I have been noticing on his poo is that he always have mucus, some days more than others and at times very soft stool with traces of blood. On Aug 19, 2015. I have to rush him and my other dog (Teddy) to the emergency as both of them have diarrhea and drops of blood. Just to make something clear Teddy is my other dog (Minni-Poodle mix, who is 2 ½ years old) and both are in the same diet) Teddy diarrhea was very bloody and lots of mucus. The vet did stool analicys and couldn’t find any parasites and they were put in antibiotics for 7 days…Koby still has diarrhea and for the last couple days , I see traces of blood and lots of mucus. Teddy is also having issues with gas and stomach noises. I’m beyond frustrated, as I don’t know what to do anymore for the little ones.
Do you think that is the cassava roots making them sick now?
Should I go back to kibble? Is so, any recommendations for dogs that are highly sensitive?
I have an appt with the Holistic vet tomorrow afternoon, Is there anything I should ask for him to check?
I appreciated your help…Thank you 

[cori R]

Good day everyone,

I have a Yorkie/Poodle mix dog , who will be 6 year old in January 2016.
About 16 months ago, he suffered an Acute Pancreatitis attack and was in the hospital for 3 days.
Ever since them, it has been a struggle to find the perfect food for him, as he needs to be in a very low fat diet and he will not eat any of the recommended by the vet.
Because of that my only choice was to cook for him and did a saliva test by Dr. Jean Dodds and the results were not good news at all. He is sensitive to most carbs (Rice, Oatmeal, Potatoes, sweet potatoes), all fish, chicken, beef, Duck, Venison.
The only protein Koby can eat is Lamb. So, with recommendations of a holistic Vet. I have been feeding Koby, Boiled/smash cassava root with carrots and boiled lamb (with all fat removed), I also add vitamins and L-Glutamine to the food and give him probiotic…Koby has been in that diet for over a year now, the thing I have been noticing on his poo is that he always have mucus, some days more than others and at times very soft stool with traces of blood. On Aug 19, 2015. I have to rush him and my other dog (Teddy) to the emergency as both of them have diarrhea and drops of blood. Just to make something clear Teddy is my other dog (Minni-Poodle mix, who is 2 ½ years old) and both are in the same diet) Teddy diarrhea was very bloody and lots of mucus. The vet did stool analicys and couldn’t find any parasites and they were put in antibiotics for 7 days…Koby still has diarrhea and for the last couple days , I see traces of blood and lots of mucus. Teddy is also having issues with gas and stomach noises. I’m beyond frustrated, as I don’t know what to do anymore for the little ones.
Do you think that is the cassava roots making them sick now?
Should I go back to kibble? Is so, any recommendations for dogs that are highly sensitive?
I have an appt with the Holistic vet tomorrow afternoon, Is there anything I should ask for him to check?
I appreciated your help…Thank you 

[Susan]

Hi Paula, what are you feeding that has made his symptoms returned again?? & did you stop any medications like Metronidazole & his symptoms have returned ??

My boy would get his colitis symptoms, sloppy jelly poos, sometimes with blood, rumbling/grumbling bowel noises about every 14 days & was eating the same foods he was good for 12-14 days then bad again, so vet put him on a vet diet “Eukanuba Intestinal” its a low residue kibble that gives the stomach & bowel a rest too heal & the fat is only 10% fat the protein is 23% fiber is 1.7%, he was put on the Eukanuba Intestinal for 6-9months… then I looked for a better kibble that had the same fat% Protein % & fiber % like his vet diet & had limited ingredients….there’s also the vet diet “Royal Canine” Gastro Intestinal Low Fat, wet tin & kibble…. maybe feed a wet tin food instead of a kibble….kibble is harder to digest…. I soak the Royal Canine Gastro Intestinal kibble in water till its soft, takes about 1 hour, then I drain all the water, then I add warm water & warm up the soft kibble, then I drain the water again & then I cuff my hand in the bowl with the kibble cuff in my hand & squeeze all the water out of the kibbles, then put the kibble thru a blender for about 5 sec… I’m starting to introduce the “Earthborn Holistic” Natural Ocean Fusion kibble, it has the least ingredients, no peas, no tomato pomace, no rice & no probiotics… Patch doesn’t do well on probiotics… you could feed your healthier girl dog the same or one of the grain free kibbles but look at the fat% & protein % as the grain free kibbles are higher in fat & protein & some dogs don’t do real well on a higher protein & high fat kibble.. the grain free “Meadow Feast” is OK for your healthy girl but I’d be careful with your boy as the fat is 15%min so max fat % will be about 17-18% fat, that’s too high for your sick boy… http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/dog_formulas/ocean_fusion/

Your probably better off without your husband cause it would of stressed out your boy, my dog gets stressed, so I have to have NO STRESS at home & when I’m stressing, I cant show my dog, I pretend everything is all good but its hard… I had to put my cat to sleep this morning & Patch was crying & crying, kept following me & watching what I was doing with the cat, I had to bring Patch with us to the vets cause he knew the cat was sick & wanted to make sure the cat was OK, he’s a real stress head & makes himself sick… they did everything together… I’ll have to get him another cat, a rescue middle aged cat from the pound…

I’d try a different vet diet for about 3-6 months to let his stomach & bowel rest & heal… No Hills.. then start to introduce a premuim kibble that’s if you want to feed a kibble but your better off cooking & freezing small meals or wet tin foods when they have stomach/bowel problems…. ask vet about the “Royal Canine Gastro Intestinal” Low Fat food… wet tin or the kibble.. feed the wet tin at night & the kibble for breakfast…. Patch cant handle high fat kibbles, the fat has to be 10% & under for a kibble & wet tin foods the fat % has to be 3% & under or cooked foods, some boiled chicken breast with some sweet potatoes…. then when your dog is doing good start adding some new ingredients & balance the diet…on Face book there’s a group called “Canine Nutrition and Natural Health” Cat Lane, does special diets for sick animals, if you can afford that or join the group & learn….

Pumkin made Patches poo more sloppy but the pumkin may help your dog, if the pumkin makes his poos sloppy, then your dog needs a lower fiber diet not a higher fiber diet….I feed sweet potato it has more fiber then the white potatoes but not as much fiber as pumkin…..watch the fat% in his diet….. also there’s “Canine Caviar” Special Needs its suppose to be good for dogs with stomach/bowel & Pancreatitis & is low in fat only 9% fat & low in protein..

Special Needs

[Christy H]

Please help me. I have a 3 year old corgi/westie mix. She was diagnosed with an ulcer about a year ago from eating foreign objects. At that time she was vomiting deeply from her small intestine. We got her through that episode. The last couple of weeks, she has not been eating well. Monday night she vomited all night. I took her to the vet on Tuessday. He prescribed some drugs and gave her a vomiting shot. She was still vomiting on Wednesday. I spoke with him over the phone and he felt that if I could get some food in her she could probably get better. She was not better on Thursday, so I took her back in. By then she was dehydrated. He was suspecting her ulcer had flared back up or pancreatitis. Her blood sugar was only slightly elevated. Everything else in her bloodwork was normal. She stayed with him for 2 days on IVs. She finally ate Friday night and I brought her home yesterday (Saturday.) He really feels that her ulcer is the problem. He sent her home with Hills ID and a drug to give her 40 minutes before she eats. It is supposed to coat her stomach. She held down her first meal yesterday, but lost all of her 2nd meal during the night.
I don’t like Science Diet, but at this point I feel I have to give these cans to her. She normally eats 4 Health. She has had some treats recently that I am concerned about: Full Moon Chicken Jerky and Honest Kitchen Catfish Skins. The vet told me to throw both of them away. Done.
Does anyone have any similar experience or any advice on how to get us through this?

[Shawna]

Although new information is coming out all the time, I have not been able to find medical resources that suggest a lowering of protein for pancreatitis. I’m not seeing it in the research I pulled up either.

“This enzyme stimulation leads to the need to differentiate among diets based on fat content. When minimal pancreatic exocrine stimulation is desired, patients should receive fat-controlled diets (e.g., clear liquid, low-fat full liquid, low-fat regular, very low-fat regular, and no-fat regular). The amount of protein given (10–40% of the total calories) has not been associated with a significant difference in pancreatic enzyme secretion.”

In fact this study suggests, in people at least, that protein should be increased due to poor digestion. “These changes in amino acid release and metabolism have led to the belief that branched-chain amino acid and glutamine-enriched amino acid solutions might be
of particular benefit in patients with pancreatitis. Although this idea makes sense from a physiological standpoint, controlled, clinical trials are still needed to confirm this theory. In general, at least 1.5 g/kg/day of protein are required to improve nitrogen balance. However, it is difficult to improve nitrogen balance to the point of normalization in these patients, with even more protein likely indicated if pancreatitis is combined with sepsis or
other complications” https://www.accp.com/docs/bookstore/psap/p5b7sample04.pdf

[Anonymous]

http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

Have you checked out what Wysong has to offer? http://www.wysong.net/testimonials/?article=45&cat=cat1
My senior small breed does well on Wysong senior (carried by Chewey.com)
They also have a prescription food: http://www.wysong.net/veterinarian/rx-diets/organ.html
What about Nutrisca salmon and chickpea?

The search engine here: /forums/search/pancreatitis/
I do not necessarily agree with all of the opinions provided.
Hope this helps.

PS: Is your vet an Internal Medicine Specialist? It makes a difference…

[alberta H]

Hello we have a 13 year old 1/2 mini 1/2 regular dachshund. She has had several bouts of pancreatitis even though she has been on strict diets. We have tried several dog foods including those recommended by the vet. Has to be low fat and moderate protein. Finding a canned dog food that fits that is about wore me out. The vets last recommendation almost killed her with her worst bout yet. It was kibble with hydrolized protein. She nearly died. Then did an allergy test and found she is allergic severly to some of thing things int he past dog foods. Including, RICE, corn, venison, kangaroo. Chicken is just below 100 at 90 so that is close but could be used. The other things she is ok with low on the allergy list is pork and lamp but the fat content prevents that. So we are no searching for a homemade recipe but having difficulties since many of the home made recipes we see are with rice. So, is there anything anyone has come up with that could be used (hopefully a specific recipe) Low fat, moderate protein, no rice or corn. Thank you to anyone that can help. We are so desperate.

[Sarah A]

It’s not always the amount of fat in the food but what kind of fat that is important. My vet told me that salmon (and other similar fish) are good to have in the diet because the oil is absorbed immediately in the upper most region of the digestive system whereas fat from beef and pork are not and they make the pancreas work harder. There are lots of other benefits of fish oil as well.

So I’ve been feeding my standard poodle a combination of Merrick Pacific Catch kibble with Wellness 95% Salmon (a “mix-in”, not a complete dog food). She likes it and has not had a pancreatitis relapse since having a severe episode in early May.

[Gina P]

Hi, sorry to hear of your dog’s issue. I’ve had 4 dogs who developed pancreatitis. 3 were aged rescue dogs so I’m unsure of their histories but while I had them all were fed a premium commercial diet. The pancreatitis occurred whenever they were fed additional “fatty” foods, even in small amounts – for example bones, roast lamb and in one case a tiny piece of meat from barbecue beef rib. The smaller the dog, the less it took to cause a problem. Your vet’s probably already advised you to cut down on fats. It’s the only thing that prevented the problem. However my large Weimaraner would develop pancreatitis type symptoms every year after his vaccination (they’re done yearly in Australia). Vet said immunisation wouldn’t cause it…..the vet was wrong. When I stopped vaccinating, there were no more problems. ( The dog was quite old and had most likely developed immunity anyway). Anyhow, hope this helps and your lovely old Pom gets better soon. Cheers.

[Anonymous]

I hope Nemo is feeling better. It could be anything, I recently took my 3 year old terrier to the vet because he vomited 3X in 24 hours. Lab work was normal, negative for pancreatitis. The vet said he had a GI virus, he responded to prn Cerenia (the Pepcid did nothing). He got some sq fluids too. Whatever it was, it passed.

In my experience, dogs are more vulnerable after the age of 10. It sounds like you are giving him very good care. Try not to worry, sometimes less is better. Anything you give him has to go through the liver to get broken down and might make him more nauseous, that includes supplements.

[Sharen R]

On Friday when Nemo didnt want to eat, it was weird because in the morning he ate just fine, he pooped fine, but three hours later when it was time to eat again, he didnt want to, but he kept going to the door so he went outside and pooped again..so it made me think that we are overfeeding him because Ive never heard of a dog pooping twice in a span of three hours something isnt right..today he is fine, he gets a tablespoon and a half of his wet food and knock on wood so far so good..
Yes he has gotten his work up, he takes Thyroid meds so he goes in every three months to get everything checked out..but he hadnt gotten a pancreatitis test in a while, so Im thinking maybe for the past two months he had pancreatitis that is why sometimes he would wake up not wanting to eat, but then it went away as soon as he got a Flagyl, or a cerenia, that maybe the pancreatitis just lingered, wasnt bad just a little flare up, but once he had that probiotic everything just exploded..I just hope that eventually little by little his pancreas will bounce back and he can eat normally like he used to..He takes Cerenia, Pepsid for his GERD, and his Thyroid pill for his thyroid problem..I read that dogs with thyroid issues are more prone to pancreatitis is that true?

[Anonymous]

Did your vet diagnose him with pancreatitis? If not, you are just guessing.
If it was my dog I would make an appointment with an Internal Medicine Specialist, I am assuming you have already had diagnostic testing and exam by your vet.
Get to the root of the problem. Diet is not medication. You need to make sure he is stable first before making diet changes, especially something as extreme as going to raw. Some info here http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

[Anonymous]

Sometimes the medications (especially antibiotics) they need to help them can also make them nauseous….so, I might mention it to the vet (have him call you back when he has a minute). He may want to make a change in the prescribed medication.
I would continue to work with your vet, but if you are not seeing improvement after a while, consider consulting an Internal Medicine Specialist.
It’s like our care nowadays, you go to your PCP, but if it’s serious you get a referral to a specialist.

BTW: Has the dog had a senior workup? Lab work including r/o pancreatitis? It’s important, something else could be going on….
I agree about adding water/soaking kibble. Adequate hydration is helpful in relieving nausea.

[Sharen R]

Hi everyone new here to the forums. We have an 11 year old Pomeranian(basically he’s 90 percent Pomeranian, the rest is mixed with other breeds) named Nemo..he has had Pancreatitis about 3 times in his lifetime but this time it seems to be a little different. See, about a month ago, Nemo would have issues where he would wake up in the morning not wanting to eat(Which for Nemo means something isnt right this dog is obsessed with food) so the vet(Not giving him a pancreatitis blood test) suggested he take Flagyl, so we would give him Flagyl in the morning and he ate normally, no problems, but we know how Flagyl isnt good to take for a long period of time can cause neurological problems so the Vet prescribed him a pro biotic for his stomach thinking that was the cause of his problems, that night he had runny poo and the next day puked three times so rushed him to vet and he was diagnosed with pancreatitis(From the pro biotic that he took) since then he has improved greatly he gets a tablespoon every 2 hrs of his wet food(He eats ID wet food for dogs with a sensitive stomach) for two days we gave him 2 tablespoons every two hours and yesterday morning he was fine, got up and ate, but then his second meal he didnt watn to eat, had already pooped in the morning and three hours later pooped again. Maybe we were overfeeding him, then after he went for a walk and came back he was better, we gave him a cerenia just in case and is now back to his old self but on 1 tablespoon every 2 hours..what I worry about is maybe his pancreas will never bounce back so he can go back to what he used to be able to eat(Three times a day wet food) what do you all think, any advice? We worry about the lil guy he is such a good boy when he feels good he feels GOOD but when he doesnt you can tell, except for yesterday even though he didnt want any food(For about an hour) he still looked fine
Any help would be greatly appreciated thank you!

[Gracie’s Mom]

I was holding off replying to your last post, PitLove, until I had time to try some combinations. My goal was to mix kibble with canned or dehydrated (not all three at the same time) to make the expensive stuff go a little further. I’ve tried it for a week now with no success. She just won’t eat kibble, no matter what I mix with it. I’ve tried four different kinds of kibble and have mixed it with various canned and dehydrated foods from the list I posted previously. All she wants to eat right now is the canned Against the Grain. She likes the chicken and beef varieties equally. I can mix in Ziwipeak air dried or the Fresh is Best freeze dried chicken, turkey, or beef, but that’s it. She won’t even eat things she was eating before, like the K9 or Vital Essentials. What’s with this dog?

On the bright side, my husband, seeing my extreme disappointment and frustration, has agreed to let me try a home cooked diet. He was opposed to that because he knows if something happened to me, he could not maintain it. He just doesn’t have the time. However, given the amount of money we have wasted on commercial food that she won’t eat, he seems willing to take the risk. Now I’ve got to get busy and figure out a good home-prepared diet for her. Gracie’s needs are quite different than our last dog, for whom I cooked a bland, low fat diet to deal with chronic pancreatitis.

I will keep the Against the Grain and ZiwiPeak / Fresh is Best in rotation, but will probably mostly reserve it for when she’s boarding or we’re traveling.

Suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

[Susan]

Hi Debbie, its strange that they both have this, sounds like your boy had the bloody poos after a diet change? I’d say he’s probably sensitive to an ingredient in the Hills I/d……
Hills make 2 different I/d formulas for the stomach & bowel, vets normally put them on the I/d Gastrointestinal health at first, but the insoluble fiber is high in the I/d Gastro, also the Hills Z/d has very high insoluble fiber & corn starch as well if you can take back the I/d food & get the I/d Gi Restore Low Fat for your girl the fiber is lower at 1.7% or try the Royal Canine Intestinal Low Fat the fiber is lower at 1.7% & its a soluble fiber & the Royal Canine Low Fat doesn’t have corn or corn gluten, all the Hills diets have corn, corn gluten meal, corn starch etc they may both need to be on different diets…
My boy was pooing blood, light red, he has Colitis, he was sensitive to an ingredient that I was feeding him in his cooked meal at the time, he suffers from food intolerances, he was put on the Royal Canine Hypoallergenic at the time but look for the R/C Hypoallergenic that has a lower fat, I think Purina vet diet makes a Hypoallergenic as well for your boy…In America the R/C is a bit different, the Australian R/C Hypoallergenic is 19% fat which caused another problem, Pancreatitis.. change vet diets to Royal Canine not Hills or another vet diet & ask vet about Tylan Powder its milder then the Metronidazole (Antibiotic for bowel) the Tylan powder taste awful & is very bitter, so a lot of people put the 1/8th -1/2 teaspoon in those empty capsule you buy at chemist & make the Tylan powder capsule up, its easy you get an empty shoe box, make holes for the capsules, open the capsules & put the bigger end in box, then I used a cake piping end as a funnel & made up the Tylan capsules, its online & you can buy the kit on Amazon.. you give the Tylan powder with meal, every 12 hours, Patches poos firmed up with in 2 days also look at S.I.B.O Small Intestine Bacteria Overgrowth, they recommend that the dog is on either Metronidazole or Tylan powder for 28-45 days to get rid of the bacteria in the bowel..

[Gracie’s Mom]

Yeah, tripe takes some getting used to. Our last dog had chronic pancreatitis the last three+ years of her life (she made it to almost 17). The only thing she would/could eat without causing an attack was tripe (Tripett) mixed with slow cooked rice, fennel, and garlic. That diet helped her live much longer than any vet predicted and helped us limit, but certainly not eliminate, the severe, painful attacks. At first, I literally gagged when I would fix her food, but, now, after years of it, the odor does not bother me. Gracie loves tripe and would eat it every meal if I would let her. I have mixed feelings about whether it provides enough nutrition, since I did see one dog not just survive, but actually get healthier, on it for a long time.

[CAROL ANN S]

My rescue girl, white boxer Peetee ( 1 black eye) has been diagnosed with possible pancreatitis, in addition to other issues. This is heartbreaking for us. Peetee’s vet is a board certified specialist (internist) and has given me a script for either Purina Vet Diets OM, or, Hill’s PrescriptionLow Fat I/D. dry or canned fine.
I was shocked when I saw how much corn, wheat, rice, corn starch chicken byproduct meal, barley, was in the Hill’s. Purina OM seems no better: corn, soybean meal,poultry by product, ANIMAL DIGEST (whatt??), wheat gluten and so on. These were the LEADING ingredients in both kibbles. These are low fat, all right. But the product details sound like cattle feed.
Can anyone advise a decent low fat food for Peetee? The vet said low fat cheese, yogurt, and biscuits are O.K.

I am so confused…..

Carol Ann for Peetee

[Susan]

Hi my boy suffers from acid reflux, two years I’ve been battling with new diets, ant acid meds etc & this is what I have found..
You are better of leaving him on the Pepcid instead of stopping & re starting it again, the burning acid can burn their throat, esophagus & even cause ulcers if he hasn’t already got an ulcer..the Pepcid will relieve his discomfort…
Slipperly Elm Powder is suppose to be good google how to make a slurry paste..Slippery Elm coats the throat, stomach & stops nausea, you can add about 1/4 teaspoon slippery elm powder to their meals…I’ve never tried adding with meals, I was going to try if this new diet doesn’t work.. I’ve ordered the Royal Canine Intestinal low fat kibble as much as I hate vet diets, I’ve run out of kibbles & wet tin foods.. I live Australia & low fat diets are very hard to find the weight loss diets are low in fat & are higher in fiber & you need to avoid high fiber diets I’ve read..
I add about 1/2 teaspoon of the Slippery Elm Powder in a glass & add boiling water & stir till I have a thick paste but not too thick, I put about 3mls in a syringe when it cooled…this seem to help Patch but I hate giving him any meds, herbs, supplements..
I had him on Zantac as the Zantac doesn’t interfere with the bowel like other ant acids do.. now I give liquid Mylanta 3mls in a syringe, I make about 2 syringes up & leave in the fridge, the cool Mylanta soothes the throat & stomach…
I give 3mls Mylanta at 6am 1/2-1 hour before breakfast then if I see Patch unwell or feeling sick thru the day I give another 3ml Mylanta…it taste yuk but he lets me give it to him, so it must make him feel better normally he runs when he has to take tablets & see the syringe with water but with the Mylanta he doesn’t run away..I have found the Mylanta relieves Patches acid instantly..

You need to book your boy in for an Endoscope & Biopsies to see what is happening…blood test will not show if there’s anything wrong with his stomach only his pancreas, has he had the blood test for his Pancreas? All Patches blood test came back good & he had all the symptoms of Pancreatitis again..so Patch had Endoscope & Biopsies last December his stomach looked good the vet said, no ulcers or any scaring from old ulcers, lucky he had the biopsies as well, they found the Helicobacter-Pylori infection, he was given the triple therapy antibiotics & Zantac for 3 weeks but as soon as the course was finished he had his real bad acid reflux again, so vet said keep him on the Zantac twice a day every 12 hours which I did for about 1 month then I stopped his Zantac to see if his acid reflux came back, I changed his diet again to a lower protein.. & was just giving the 1/3 Zantac 150mg tablet every morning 6 am 30mins-1 hour before food & I stopped the night Zantac & he seemed OK & if he did wake thru the night licking lips, I give Mylanta..

I cant find a real low fat wet tin food only the Royal Canine Intestinal Low Fat or the Hills I/d Low Fat GI Restore they have boiled rice & Patch can’t eat boiled rice it gives him diarrhea, he can have grounded rice in kibbles, so I soak Patches kibble & drain all the water real well when the kibble is swollen then put thru a blender & its like wet tin food but has the low fat & low protein 8%-fat & 22%-protein.. I also cook Extra lean beef ground mince made into little rissoles balls, I also buy kangaroo mince for a change & blend a carrot broccoli & celery & add with the mince & bake in the oven & hardly any fat comes out of the extra lean beef or Kangaroo mince..

I would cook then freeze little meals, a low fat meat with blended green veggies, broccoli, celery, beans, kale etc or another wet tin food where the fat is 2% & under….The Wellness Stews are 4%-fat so when converted to dry matter (Kibble) its 16.2% fat, that’s pretty high in fat… & put him back on the Pepcid if it works for him, some of the Wellness Stews have potatoes or sweet potatoes, I was looking for another recipe last night for acid reflux & it said stay away from starchy veggies, Potatoes, Legumes & sweet Potatoes & give Pumkin, Squash, Rutabaga Turnip instead.. here’s the link… http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/acid-reflex-gerd-in-dogs-cats-natural.html
I’ve read Kale is good, it has Chlorophyll what is found in grass, it settles their stomach & digestive upsets.. so I’m going to try adding some blended kale to his rissoles as well..

[Jen r]

Hi Everyone, I have a 4 and 1/2 year old Boxer (Rex) who started doing this 3 months ago and even after meds would not stop. It would be about a 3 hour panic of licking and swallowing and I took him to the vet and they thought it was just an upset stomach. He was given an injection of Cerenia (the best nausea medicine made for dogs) but he episode was pretty much done by the time we got to the vet. We decided to do an endoscopy right away and found he had pretty severe inflammation of his duodenum which is the first part of the intestines right below the stomach. The GI guy was surprised with the presentation of him gulping with this inflammation being lower down in the GI Tract. He thought there would be severe esophageal disease but it was clear. We also did allergy testing to see if food was causing this. He had some bad milk and some meat allergies so he was put on prescription food called “Z/D” which is hydrolyzed food meaning that it doesn’t need to be broken down much so it is great for allergies. This is very pricey stuff. (thank god we have insurance on this boy!) He was also put on a GI steroid called budesonide to decrease the duodenum inflammation. He went through multiple blood tests checking for pancreatitis which was ruled out. He did ok for about 2 months. He had one time when he started to lick and I immediately gave him a Pepcid and it stopped. Then after the 2 month time he started up with the episodes to the 10th degree. He would panic and they would last longer and longer. I am a pharmacist so I spoke with my vet about what meds to give when these happened and we tried a concoction of things and nothing seemed to help much. They make a cerenia in tablet form so I thought once I had that then life would be great but even that didn’t work. Each time it happens I would give the cerenia, a simethicone (gas x), and Pepcid. In 2 hours it didn’t do anything, (if this was normal nausea these things would definitely work, this is why we know it is not stomach related). We ended up going to an internal medicine specialist and she did ultrasounds and said everything looked normal but also gave me a barium liquid to completely coat his stomach. She told me that she had another boxer in the same boat as us and she thinks it is something called Limbic Seizures. I guess they are a seizure that isn’t your typical thing. There is no loss of consciousness or shaking so no one would ever think of it. It occurs in the Limbic area of the brain which controls emotions and other things. If it happens it causes a spasming of the salavatory glands and this is causing them to lick their lips to swallow it back down. When doing this they suck air in too and if they throw up, it is usually very foamy in appearance. At the time when he got this we found out he had a bad UTI at the time so we waited until the urinary infection was gone thinking that maybe this was kicked up from the infection he was fighting. The specialist wanted to start the seizure meds right away but I wanted to make sure we ruled out other things first since some of the meds for seizures can cause more damage and need to always do follow up lab work for liver damage and other things. She said it was ok to wait but she didn’t think it would get better. The infection has been cleared for 2 weeks now. We also added lansoprazole (prevacid) to his daily meds and three times a day metoclopramide (an pro-motility med to keep his belly going well). We had 9 good days so we were hoping it was working and then had a bad episode but the barium seemed to help after about an hour of giving it. Then he had 4 good days and then yesterday had it start at 12pm to 2:30 again giving the cerenia, simethicone and Pepcid first, waiting an hour and then giving the barium. Barium coats everything so you can’t give meds after as they won’t be absorbed. It stopped at 2:30 but at 4:30 had a 20 minute bout that stopped on its own and then again from 6:45 to 1am. I am exhausted from this and feel so bad for him has he is in such a panic and I feel I can’t help him anymore. So we know it isn’t food things since he is on that diet to rule out any of the food issues. if it were just upset stomach the cerenia would work like a charm but doesn’t at all! So today I am trying to get a hold of the specialist and tell her she was right that we need to start the seizure meds. I should have listened earlier but with the other infection going on I didn’t want to put him on something that could hurt him without knowing. Now that is the next step. I think people don’t ever think Seizures as it doesn’t look like it but with reading all these forums with people having no other answers it seems like this is more common than I thought and people aren’t getting the right diagnosis’s from their vets as the vets don’t even see the 2 correlating. I will keep you posted as time goes on and if the meds cure him…..if so it would be a miracle!!!! Thanks for listening!

[Jo R]

To Fly T
My 17 year old Bull Terrier has had severe grass allergies her entire life. Did everything, foot soaks, medications, etc. She also is prone to pancreatitis and has had digestive issues. I began giving her Kerfir this spring and so far, no allergy symptoms. Her feet are perfectly normal. Research leaky gut syndrome, at least in my Lucy’s case, I believe this was the basis of her problems and the probiotics in Kerfir have so far eliminated them. I also cook for her and have done so since the 2007 dog food disaster. Hope this helps you.

[Patty T]

If you need low fat food – vets have a low residue canned food that does not taste bad. It is low fat and is supposed to help with Pancreatitis as well. I have used Iams before but there are also other brands available.

[Patty T]

I recently had same issue with my dog. After 2 sets of xraysa month apart and two sets of blood work and ultrasound and 1000.00 dollars – My dog just would not eat. Finally after a month, my Vet was stumped and sent us to an Internal Medicine Vet and she did ultrasound and diagnosed her with Lymphoma. We did an aspiration of the spleen and it was confirmed and in lymph nodes. We were considering chemo as dogs do pretty well on chemo and live a quality life, however 4 days after diagnosis before our appointment with an oncologist, she passed away. Our local vet – first thought Pancreatitis as well and she was fed low residue Iams dog food. She seemed better for a week and then it was all down hill from there. Please investigate further if you have the funds.

[Liane M]

My dog had recently had a pancreatitis issue and is still recovering. His a 6 yr old yorkiepoo. We are always at the vet due to diarrhea and/or vomiting. He was never tested for pancreatitis tho. This past May I put in on the chewable flea/tick NexGuard. I kept asking if there were side effects and even searched online before giving it to him. Could this have caused the flare up!?

[Liane M]

Hi! I am new to the pancreatitis world. My yorkiepoo had his first and hopefully only BAD case just the other week. He stayed at the vet for five days. I had the ultrasound to confirm pancreatitis. Prior to the flare up he was eating Hills Science Diet along with boiled chicken and other table scraps. It had to of been an on going thing for him because we were at the vet at least every three months due to vomiting and his vet never had him tested. Any who, after his five day stay he was sent home on a trial basis with SIX different meds. Just the other day he was somewhat back to himself playing and being the dog everyone loved but still NOT eating on his own (he had to be syringe feed). Just today he ate a bit of CANNED TUNA.The fat content is 0% so I figured if he’s eating on his own SCORE! After his dose of meds I mixed a bit more of the tuna with boiled chicken and he ate it all. I know vet wants him to eat Hills RX kibble once he recovers. Now I have read up on this food and most people have said their dog have had MORE flare ups. My local pet store had pointed out a few wet foods that have a fat content as low as 2%. He wouldn’t touch it. Neither would I. I would love to make the home made food for him but everyone says he wouldn’t get the nutrients that are formulated in dog food. A new thing is raw diet. Ground whole chicken and beef. Has anyone consider or tried the raw diet?

[Patty D]

Well I just joined up for this Dog Food Advisory site.
I have read all the threads about the flea and tick issues of Oral verses Topical verses collars choices.
I too have had questions about side affects (long or short) of these products.
Whether your dog is small to very large, young to geriatric, I feel that Blood Screen Panels, commonly know as Sr. Wellness or Jr. Wellness Blood Screenings should be thought about doing at the least “Once a Year”.
These Blood Screenings, I feel from past experiences with my 2 Silky Terriers. Both have pasted on now and were 16 1/4 yrs and 17 1/4 yrs ( both of which were rescued dogs).
My first sliky died of renal failure ( really had to put her down, horrible thing to had to do..) and the second silky died from pancreatitis, a horrible disease ( died at home in my husbands arms ). Both were terrible to watch them go thru in 2011 and the other 2014.
Great in hindsight now but unfortunately I did not do these Blood Screening Panels every year when I first got my silkies ( at different times). Even worse I could have had this done well before either one ever got to 10 years old and could have foreseen any diet changes that could have been made or any other product changes or problems etc.
Us humans are told by our Dr’s that we should be having our blood screenings done each year or so to help in preventing certain problems or in adjusting all or any meds. So why not do this for our best friends also…
I have now been very blessed with a rescued little Chihuahua as of last year (now is about 2 yrs old). Sarah was about 3.5 #s when they found her abandoned in a parking lot in S. Fl. by a rescue group. She was at 4.5# when I adopted her. She is now 5#s 3 ozs.
Very happy, snuggly and very social little girl.
I have done 2 Jr. Wellness Blood Screens on Sarah ( one at the first week I got her and the 2nd this month ). I want to keep up on anything that she may come down with and to be able to catch it asap then to find out way too late in the game.
These Blood Screens could be a tool in also in deciding what is working for your dog in the flea/tick meds and what is harmful. Each dog is different just as we are and not all things work the same and in all regions of our country ( or world ).
What kind of meds whether Oral or Topical…. single dosing of monthly, quarterly or all inclusive ( 2 or meds combined ) is your choice but please consider as well at least once a year a Blood Screen Panel be done.
These meds can be harmful whether the pet is small, young or getting into geriatric years.
I choose to give Sarah her Flea/Tick ( Comfortis ) separate from her Heart Guard with several days apart. I feel that with her weight ( 5#s 3 ozs ) being the biggest concern to me being too much stuff all at once in such a small body. I would feel the same if my dog weighed more But was in the geriatric years ( over stressing the system ).
Ask questions and concerns at your vets ( write down all before you go in and jot down the answers as you go or use a ( tape, etc ) recorder of sorts ). If you feel you aren’t getting answers then think about going to another Vet ( your friends could be a good source for this info.).
We do this for our family members and our selves when we go to the Drs… right, or really should.
We plan to be vigilant with my 2 yr old Sarah ( Sarah has filled a great void in my husbands and my life ) and hope to keep her in great health as possible well into both our older years. She is now my life insurance of such and Sarah will be our last.
** Blood Screens Panels at least once a year pet parents… could save you heartaches down the line… <3

[Bri H]

I just joined and was looking for an answer related to diet and skin allergies when I came upon this post so I wanted to add a comment 🙂 My dachshund had repeated bouts of Pancreatitis and I finally narrowed it down to flea medication. I have no idea why but when I would give him and flea medication within 48 hours, he would get sick. The last time was back to back after Frontline didn’t work and the vet recommended Comfortis. My dog now has EPI and I have to supplement his food with strong enzymes because his pancreas is dunzo. I have since stopped ALL flea medications and he hasn’t had it since. I would have never expected this to be a cause and never put it together until it happened twice so close together. I now feed him Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison w/his enzymes and he’s doing great. I hope this helps and maybe you can get to the root of your dogs issue. EPI is no fun.

[Sarah A]

Hi Susan,

Thanks for responding. I’m giving the Tylosin in capsules. I know it tastes awful – I don’t let her taste it!

Talked to the vet yesterday. She said that even tho salmon might be higher in fat, it’s bioavailable fat that gets absorbed almost immediately in the stomach and therefore doesn’t make the pancreas work hard. The worst meat for a dog w/ pancreatitis is pork, followed by beef. Lots of saturated fat in those. She also recommended krill oil as a supplement – for the omega-3’s and to help her skin.

If anyone else has any other ideas I’m all ears. Lucie has gained a bit of weight back but she needs to gain more.

Thanks!!
Sarah

[Susan]

Hi Sarah are you mixing the Tylan powder with her food or are you putting the Tylan powder in a empty capsule so she cant taste the awful Tylan as it taste awful & can make dogs stop eating their food….. Put a real little bit of the Tylan powder on ur finger & taste some, its sooooo bitter, its awful then you can not get the taste out of your mouth…. Tylan powder made my boy feel sick, I had to stop using it, he kept licking his mouth after eating, the vet said its probably the bad taste coming back up into mouth, I was putting the 1/8 teaspoon Tylan powder in a capsule as I have read on the Dogpancreatitis yahoo group do not mix the Tylan powder with their meals, to put in a capsule so it digests in their stomach, as they can stop eating…
Have you tried tin tuna in spring water or tin salmon in spring water, I drain the water then mix with some quinoa.. Tuna is very low in fat, salmon has just a bit more fat but I only open a small tin & mix 1/2 quinoa & 1/2 tuna or the salmon & only feed for lunch, are you feeding about 5 small meals a day, that’s what I had to do with Patch…I found boiled chicken breast put the weight back on Patch.. I would add 1/2 a boiled egg per day with some boiled pumkin, some sweet potato etc

[Sarah A]

Hi everyone,

I searched the forums for information about what to feed for pancreatitis but it seems that a lot of dogs with this issue need to lose weight. Mine needs to gain.

Lucie is a 13 1/2 y.o. standard poodle. Love of my life. When people see her they never believe how old she is. She is high spirited and a total people dog. But she has always been a picky eater (unless she has access to human food and/or the trash can, lol). A few years ago she had some elevated kidney results in her blood work and a liver result that was a bit elevated too. Also, high blood pressure. We put her on IAMS renal dry mixed with Purina NF wet (just did the calculation and the NF is >20% fat on dry matter basis). She was never thrilled with this food.

She has always has a weak immune system. A year ago she had persistent diarrhea so she went on metronidazole. We were unable to stop the metro w/out the problem returning. We recently tested for EPI (negative) but she is pos for SIBO/SID. We switched her to Tylosin and she’s doing well on that. But about 3 weeks ago she stopped eating and lost all of her energy and happiness. Pancreatitis (although an ultrasound showed it to not be “acute”) She was SO sick I wasn’t sure she would make it. She lost weight she couldn’t afford to lose. But, thank goodness she pulled through. I spent a couple of weeks cooking every lowfat/quality protein thing I could think of. Now she’s eating enthusiastically but she needs to gain weight. I’m giving her Rachel Ray wet food – this is the one food she likes and will eat for more than one meal in a row. But she is not eating enough.

Obviously her food needs to be low fat but preferably high-calorie. I’m leery of the Iams/Purina combination because she doesn’t like it much and that’s what she was eating when she got so ill. Anyone else have a similar problem with a success story to share?

Thanks in advance!!!
–Sarah & Lucie

[Anonymous]

I just realized there is a search engine at the top of the page: pancreatitis

Hope this helps.

[Tracy M]

I recently took my dog in for a skin issue and after a skin scrape, urine test and Senior Blood work, I am told she has Pacreatitis.
I am very confused as to how she got pancreatitis, as she is on a raw diet. I also give her yogurt in her food .
I recently ordered the new Orijin Tundra Dry. I wanted to do a Raw and Good quality kibble. I thought this would help with cost of Raw.
I have not started her on the Tundra yet because of the diagnosis.
This is her information below:

Diets I’ve used:
Primal Turkey Sardine
Primal Duck
Stella and Chewys Duck Duck Goose
Natures Instinct Rabbit
Natures Instinct Venison
Sojos Turkey Complete

She is a 68 lb White Boxer. She went in for a skin check. She has been itching and loosing hair on her sides, behind ears, down legs, her belly. Has bumps and redness. She has irritated skin and is scratching. She has an odor when wet. I thought it was a yeast issue.
She went on prednisone and antibiotics from first Vet. I made a consult with a different Vet 2 weeks later. He did a skin scrape that was negative for mites etc. Senior blood work and urine were fine except the pancreas. Did second test to confirm. I was told it was pancreatitis. They put her on 2 more types of antibiotics and a topical steroid/conditioner for her skin.
Suggests bland diet for 2 weeks and retest.
Very confused with diagnosis. She started with the skin issue, then started drinking a lot, urinating more. She has no change in appetite, but had a bout of diarrhea.
She had a few accidents in the house and got into the trash a couple of times. These are things she never has done. When she got into the trash, I do not believe she got anything high in fat. But I’m not sure.
I recently lost my male Boxer in Feb and she has taken it hard, as well as myself.
She is 7
Anymore advice/recommendations would be great!

[Bobby dog]

Good luck Drew!! I am sure you will find options within your budget on the FB group to look into and find even more resources on the sites I posted. The Dogaware site has info about weight loss diets and other health topics too. 😉

Edit: Here’s info about pancreatitis. I had researched the subject in the past for a friend and it seems I didn’t bookmark the sites I found. This pages has references and resources listed at the bottom of their pages for further research:
http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjpancreatitis.html#causes
http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjlowfatdiets.html#commercial