Pancreatitis

[Leema]

I am asking this on behalf of a friend.

She has a large cross breed who developed pancreatitis a couple of years ago. He has been fine after this initially bout, but then they went away and when they came back he was showing symptons of pancreatitis again.

The vet has now got the dog on expensive Hills ID, and for such a large dog, it is getting very expensive for them.

What alternative foods would you recommend for a dog with pancreatitis?

[Sankari]

I can completely understand how expensive it is for them with a large dog on the ID. My previous Golden Retriever had an episode of it in 2006 and then she had another in 2008 and was put onto it. It was extremely expensive for us and it nearly sent me broke. If I had thought or known of a cheaper way to control the episodes I probably would have done it.

I hope someone can help you.

Edited January 13, 2009 by LucyCharzie

[Turkey Trip]

I have a friend who nearly lost their dog to pancreatitis and received the standard veterinary advice to feed only the very expensive tinned food, which of course was almost impossible for a pensioner.

The dog has been thriving on Supercoat Lite & Mature ever since, much better for the budget and with no further pancreatic episodes. They also lightly cook (microwave or steam) fresh veges such as carrot, potato, broccoli, cauliflower etc and dice, adding a little to the dogs food each day. Plain as they are, the dog seems to enjoy its meals.

To be honest I don't normally use this brand myself but it seems to work well in this situation.

TT

[goldens]

I do not lke Science Diet, but I know it has a purpose and is often what works when other foods will not. When my golden retriever, KayCee had surgery for luxating patella at 16 months, then 14 months later, same surgery, only with minor ACL repair, she turned into a litle tubby chubby. Al those months og bad knees, surgeries, recovery.

I had no luck getting the weight off her and it was important that I do so. Finally my vet said to try her on the Sceince Diet r/d. Well, that did the trick. She went from her tubby chubby 85 oiunds to her perfect 67 pounds. I got her back on regular food, and gor the rest of her life, she did not put the weight back on.

then my elderly male golden got a kidney infection just before turning 11. It was the only aiment he ever had in his life---except for a rattle snake bite to his face, and allergic reaction to a ground wasp sting. Besides the infection, he wad "trash in his urine." Hewas put on the Science Diet k/d for 3 months, antibiotics for 3 weeks. He did not like the the k/d and lost 3pounds while on it. But it did the trick and he never had another kidney problem.I wish I could mafe auggestion for you, but I have none so I can only wish luck to the dog.

[Pug Hugger]

Try PMing WeimLover Leema, her older weim, Bailey, suffers awful pancreatitis and she is pretty good on what works for him

[Leema]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have passed them on to my friend.

[puggy_puggy]

Wouldn't a BARF/RAW diet that contained very little fat be the way to go?

Digestive enzymes included in every meal might be required as well.

I am currently looking after a pug that has to have digestive enzymes sprinkled on every meal she has. Her food has to be low fat. She has 3 small meals a day. 2 of kangaroo BARF patties and 1 of chicken necks.

[Nekhbet]

There are varying degrees of pancreatitis what works for one dog can nearly kill another.

Speak to your veterinarian about what IS allowed and work from there be it raw or kibble. The only thing with raw is you CANNOT guarentee the fat percentage that you are giving the dog. It varies from carcass to carcass and while you maybe cannot see a lot of fat on the food itself you do not know how much is exactly in the meat or marrow.

[Max]

http://caninepancreatitisbreakthroughs.com/

You could try this website out..

Bull terriers do have problems with Pancreatitis, I have never personally had to deal with it and do not know that much about it, but A friend in the USA brought this book and swears by it.. I can only suggest your friend take a look and see if it is a worth while thing for there furry friend..

As I said I do not know anything about it or the recommendation from this website, but worth a look I guess..

Good Luck

[Jed]

It does depend on the dog and how bad the pancreatitis is. My own experience with my dog is to feed him a light, low fat dry food (not Hills) no fat, just a little low fat meat, and veges. Hardly any bones, and then only hard rib ones with no marrow. Digestive enzymes can help too. A friend whose dog suffers badly cooks veges, rice and feeds low fat kibble, with pills from the vet and digestive enzymes.

[Leema]

Thank-you for all the suggestions. They have all been passed on and hopefully things will work well. My friend is going to try home cooking foods for him based on suggestions here.