Pancreatitas

[Lizzy06]

I'm taking my Princess Lizzy to a new vet this afternoon. I have been struggling with her pancreatitas for well over a year now!!! I so hope this new vet can help us try to control and perhaps help with further testing to get her on the right track.

Please keep us in your thoughts. She is still only a bubba and deserves the best chance at a good long healthy life

[Trishm]

Good luck, I will be thinking of you, I know just what you are dealing with.

Trish

[Kelly_Louise]

All the very best wishes that you have finally found a vet that can help sort out your little girls issues.

There is nothing worse than knowing something is wrong, but not being able to help because you are not getting enough guidance and information.

Fingers and paws crossed they can identify Lizzy's problems, and set you on the right track to being able to manage her symptoms.

Keep us updated, and best of luck with the new vet being just what the doctor ordered!!

[gemstone]

good luck - and please let me know how you go.

My dog had a very bad attack about 3 months ago but she is old and I know exactly what caused it.

We have a very strict diet regime and I am hoping she wont get another one

[Lizzy06]

good luck - and please let me know how you go.

My dog had a very bad attack about 3 months ago but she is old and I know exactly what caused it.

We have a very strict diet regime and I am hoping she wont get another one

My girl is only a baby, i have no idea what leeps causing her flare ups!

Can i ask what diet you have your dog on? and what caused it?

[gemstone]

good luck - and please let me know how you go.

My dog had a very bad attack about 3 months ago but she is old and I know exactly what caused it.

We have a very strict diet regime and I am hoping she wont get another one

My girl is only a baby, i have no idea what leeps causing her flare ups!

Can i ask what diet you have your dog on? and what caused it?

Hi Lizzy

we moved house in Feb and it seems the previous owners emptied a very full bbq drip tray

into the flower beds - pure fat - and so she ate a lot of it and nearly died.

Now she cant tolerate fat.

I home cook her meals. Chicken breast or mince (boiled then squeezed with paper towel) veggies and

a small amount of rice. Also tuna in springwater and a special low fat kibble I use for treats.

The only problem with that is I have to feed her 4-5 times a day to keep weight on her.

What did your new vet say - were they helpful?

[fergusandtess]

hi lizzy Good luck with your new vet. My dog tess had her first and bad attack 18mths ago, i know how worrying it is. She was only 2 at the time and thankfully has'nt had another bout yet but i am constantly worried if she eats anything appart from her diet that it will come back. to you and your girl wishing her a speedy recovery

[Staffyluv]

Diet can play a big part in pancreatitis... Very low fat is vitally important to reduce the chance of a flare up.

My old boy has cancer and as an aside from all the meds etc, lots of other issues are coming to the fore now - pancreatic problems are one of them. He had an 'episode' a while back and we have since removed as much fat from his diet as possible.

Low fat meats like roo, tuna, chicken and turkey are now the mainstay of his diet. He has some veg added and he has fish oil capsules to add back some fat and other reasons. He gets cottage cheese and yoghurt as well.

[gemstone]

Diet can play a big part in pancreatitis... Very low fat is vitally important to reduce the chance of a flare up.

My old boy has cancer and as an aside from all the meds etc, lots of other issues are coming to the fore now - pancreatic problems are one of them. He had an 'episode' a while back and we have since removed as much fat from his diet as possible.

Low fat meats like roo, tuna, chicken and turkey are now the mainstay of his diet. He has some veg added and he has fish oil capsules to add back some fat and other reasons. He gets cottage cheese and yoghurt as well.

I was going to ask my vet about fish oil capsules as I had been giving them to Callie before her episode.

So they are ok to give? I was worried that oil was fat

Hope Ollie is doing ok

[Lizzy06]

Hi all thanks for your replies!!!

I do do all those things mentioned. I do not understand why she keeps having attacks. The only food i feed her is Royal Canin Low Fat digestive tin food. She had another flare up last tuesday night!

I took her to the vet yesterday and they did an ultrasound and Xrays and more blood work. The vet was going to sit down and study the scans and give me a call tomorrow with whay she thinks we do next.

I have spoken to a few people in the U.S i'm told they have internists over there who put their dogs on fluids for 5 days straight to give the pancreas long enough time to recover. I have a feelng maybe she has never properly recovered but i don't know what to do as they don't do that here!

[gemstone]

I have spoken to a few people in the U.S i'm told they have internists over there who put their dogs on fluids for 5 days straight to give the pancreas long enough time to recover. I have a feelng maybe she has never properly recovered but i don't know what to do as they don't do that here!

Do you mean just fluids and no food?

Callie was in the vets for 5 days on a drip but had food too.

My vet says they have only started treating pancreatitis like this in the last year, before they would not have fed the dog

now they try to feed them as soon as possible.

Hope your new vet can give you some answers must be hard not knowing what causes it.

[Rappie]

Only a quick reply as I have to be at work in...er...8 hours

I have treated pancreatitis both ways for various reasons. Over the last few years it's generally accepted to maintain fluid support and begin feeding small low fat meals once there has been no vomiting for 24 hours (so long as the feeding does not make the dog worse). I have found that with a more aggressive approach to pain relief and supportive care that dog recover better when they are fed early. The previous thinking was to keep them on fluids and wait until the amylase and lipase levels were normal before feeding, but recent research has shown that not all lipase is pancreatic in origin (so the CPLi test was very exciting) thus treating the 'numbers' was not always for the benefit of the patient.

[fergusandtess]

Hi all thanks for your replies!!!

I do do all those things mentioned. I do not understand why she keeps having attacks. The only food i feed her is Royal Canin Low Fat digestive tin food. She had another flare up last tuesday night!

I took her to the vet yesterday and they did an ultrasound and Xrays and more blood work. The vet was going to sit down and study the scans and give me a call tomorrow with whay she thinks we do next.

I have spoken to a few people in the U.S i'm told they have internists over there who put their dogs on fluids for 5 days straight to give the pancreas long enough time to recover. I have a feelng maybe she has never properly recovered but i don't know what to do as they don't do that here!

Lizzy, Tess was on fluids only (intravenous) for 2 days then commenced on hills id canned food on the third day ( small amounts often) . She stayed on small amounts often for 1 week then twice daily feeds from then on. She did really well with this regime. It is also how they treat pancreatitis in humans (intravenous fluids only until pain and vomiting settle then small amounts of oral fluids then progress to foods). Hope this helps good luck :p

[puggy_puggy]

Perhaps your dog is actually suffering from EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency)

EPI

[Lizzy06]

Took Miss Lizzy back to the vets on Friday afternoon for more blood work and to get her results from her Xrays and Ultrasounds.

The vet suggests we cut her open to have a look at what is going on inside her tummy. They will take biopsies of some of her organs too. The scans came back with a few things that were abnormal on them. Her Gall Bladder looks really big, she had another section near the gall bladeder that the vet is unsure of what it is whether it's inflammation or something else. She also had a round black dot that the vet doesn't know what it is either. She said they will have a look at her pancreas as well make sure their are no abcesses and just generally check everything that is going on within that small body of hers. The scan showed and inflamed pancreas and a fair bit of solid fat that she can possibly remove.

She has been great over the weekend and not unwell at all. I'm honestly starting to believe that her pancreatitas attacks have all been triggered by stress. Pretty much every time she has had an attack i can link to some kind of stress that could have possibly of triggered.

Now i'm worried about putting her in for this major surgery.... I hope she is in good hands. I just have to get up the courage to book the surgery.... I'm also worried that it might trigger another attack by putting her through the stress of the operation.