Wellness

[Gracies Mom]

My beloved dog, Gracie, has been in the animal hospital for the last two days with pancreatitis. Neither the vet nor I have any idea how she got it---she eats NO people food--only a prescription diet for a sensitive stomach. She is still on an IV for hydration and antibiotics. The vet tried to tempt her with a teaspoon of canned food--and even kibble--she would sniff it and walk away. I suggested I bring a bit of boiled chicken to her today to see if she will eat that--she cannot be discharged until she eats something and can keep it down.

I am in the process of looking for a different dog food for her--something low fat with one protein (lamb would be best)---does anyone have any suggestions?

Has anyone had experience with their dog having pancreatitis?

I'm very nervous about taking her home when she is released--I've always watched her carefully and will continue to do so---I just don't know what more I can do--I did the best I could and she still got very sick. On top of that, her vet bill is a fortune--$1500+.

ANY advice and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

God Bless,

GraciesMom

[picco]

About 5yrs ago one of my dogs had a very intense case of pancreatitis - rushed him to the vet for emergency surgery and they had to remove 2/3rds of his pancreas. He was in ICU for a week, not making progress and the vet/staff all thought he would pass. I stopped there every day to visit with him and finally said, let me take him home. He wasn't eating for the vet either. He was so happy to be home, he ate a little canned W/D food and then moved on to the dry kibble. To this day he is my best eater - loves his dry W/D food and nothing else. A few milkbone treats here and there. Some apples or carrots if he wants them. Also keep him on pancreazyme, 2 pills twice a day which I get online for a less expensive price. Each visit to the vet for checkups, they all mention how they thought he wouldn't live, he's their little miracle. Maybe just bringing him home where he is comfortable would work? Also the W/D food worked for my guy.

He also had nothing in his life that would have caused it - it just "was". Good luck!

[Renata22]

Years ago I had a beautiful white spitz that had pancreatitis. It came on suddenly with lots of vomiting & she was in so much pain she couldn't lay down. She was at the vet for a few days & was very sick. I have always cooked for my dogs so I asked what I should now give her. He said the perfect thing was white meat chicken & rice. She lived very happily with that diet for many years after that. She even accidentally got into a few things she shouldn't, and she didn't get sick. I boiled her chicken & rinsed it to make sure it was absolutely fat free. She thrived & was very happy. As far as not eating at the vet, I agree your baby will do so much better at home. I hope all goes well with you & your Gracie. Please let us know!

[Still Raining]

I had a wonderful little blue chihuahua called Grayse who suddenly developed the same issue. My vet gave me a prescription diet for her. Please check with the vet for follow-up care and feeding. For her it also came on for no known reason except perhaps age.

[equss]

My little guy has dealt with pancreatitis two times. I ended up travelling with him to a different city to consult with a internal medicine specialist and he put him on Royal Canin intestinal low fat. Daily I feed the kibble, but I always keep the canned food on hand and use it anytime he seems to feel the least bit off because it seems more palatable to him. It is a prescription food, but all the big pet stores and many vets carry Royal Canin...plus the customer service for that company is GREAT! I researched to be sure none of the ingredients are imported from China and that it is made in North America!

I have always been vigilant because he seems to have a sensitive stomach and will eat anything he finds outdoors (so he is on leash most the time). The second bout I recognized early and got him on boiled chicken with rice and to the vet right away to start meds etc( it was less severe overall no hospitalization). My vet now suggests an ultrasound every 6 months of his abdomen because the liver and gall bladder are so close that inflammation in one can lead to inflammation is the surrounding organs.

Hope you are able to get Gracie home soon and get her on a diet that agrees with her. I will tell you it took weeks for my dog to eat with vigor, but now he is very happy with his food and eats well(so it may not taste as good as regular food but it is so worth getting them use to it!). With the first bout I cooked many weeks for him (boiled chicken and rice to get him back on to health so you could consider doing this for awhile with your vets approval) before starting the prescription diets. Sending positive, healing energy to both of you!!

[Theoriginallacey]

My boxer had a very bad and extended case of pancreatitis.it was initially brought on and flared up once because he has hypothyroid. Getting his thyroid med dosage and his food needs adjusted at one time was no easy task. Probably a year long process and for about 5 months of that time I cooked for him.the chicken is an excellent idea to see if you can get her eatingl I suggest boneless skinless breast boiled and if she can tolerate it later come white rice. This is how we started out. As for dog food I did a lot of research and eventually weaned him onto Blue Healthy Weight chicken which was the better quality lowest fat affordable food I could find. When he did well on that for months I gradually switched him to Kirkland's Healthy Weight. He has been fine for several months and is back to his old self once we finally got his thyroid meds right. Too much and or too little affect his stomach and fur and I have kind of learned to read the signs at this point. You likely will not find a lower fat food in lamb and because the food needs to be as low fat as possible, it will not be as high quality and have a higher protein content because of this. It's a trade off. Prescription food is more expensive and probably the lowest quality, but you will have to use whatever works for your girl best. I hope she recovers and gets back on her feet soon. It takes a while so don't be too worried if she doesn't bounce back in a few days. If I can help at all please email me at boxernubz@gmail.com. I would be happy to at least give you what my experience has been.

[gazelle77]

Pancreatitis is caused from COOKED FATS in processed dry commercial food. Dogs( and cats!) are not meant to eat cooked fats. That is why a raw diet is so beneficial.

There are many good raw choices out there today. A lot of good information... read through all the haters and their reasons for it being dangerous... it is all baloney. My dogs have all been on raw food and only had great health their entire lives. Any extra expense for raw is made up with no vet bills for illness.... it is like insurance, money in the bank, for them as they age.

[equss]

I really worried about the perscription diets quality too because I know there are problems. I agree you just need to find what works. I did experiment with some other foods but ended up going with the specialists suggestions and it has really helped my guy. So Luvthatboxer is right...find what works for your girl and realize it takes time. It is a very painful condition and the inflamation spreads throughout the abdomen. I bought frozen organic chicken tenderloins at costco and boiled them because they cooked quickly and I made them up eachday until he was ready to be weened to dry food. Good luck!

[Another new name Sue]

We too had a similar experience when a family member gave the dog a T-bone steak with a ridge of fat around the edge. $1,100 later, the dog survived.

Good luck with the chicken. I'd suggest chicken close to room temperature because it might have more scent then. Maybe try using your finger to scoop a little plain chicken baby food into his mouth? Also, I wonder if bringing him home might improve his sense of well being and pique his appetite. Are there appetite stimulants for dogs?

Let us know how it goes.

[hckynut]

I am very sorry to hear about Gracie having this serious problem. I know little to nothing about canines as I have dealt pretty much with only felines for many years now. My wife does foster Boxers from her rescue organization and knows a whole lot more than I do, more specifically about the Boxer breed.

I wanted to wish Gracie a get well soon along with you also, and to say that I do care about all animals that are having any type of problems.