Pancreatitis Diet

[dfperth]

Hi Guys,

I hope I am posting in the right area (apologies if not)

Mischa (my 9yr old staffy bitch) was diagnosed with mild pancreatitis and was in quite a lot of discomfort, we took her to the Vet and bloods confirmed the pancreatitis.

She was on Holistic Select (Fish) and by our own admission getting far to many pork treats and pigs ears (where I felt the issue was born)

Since then (8weeks ago) - she has been on a single protein diet of Roo n Pumpkin, which she loves, however was very scroungy in between meals.

She was having 500g of roo and 500g of pumpkin per day and certainly improved, minimal number #2s and generally very happy.

The issue we have is the time and cost surrounding this, minimal space and trying to be frugal with money has been difficult, ultimately we want her healthy though.

Her recent check up found she was still tender around the gut, but generally ok.

We asked about dry food alternatives (with a view to keeping her on single protein) and to my shock were given Hills (Vets own)

Now I have read through the ingredients and already can see the shear amount of #2 being left behind and I wonder, what or why this food is being suggested..

I understand the limited fat consumption, 100%, but surly pumping her full of filler isnt the answer either.

I liked Holistic Select for a number of reasons, and also that it didn't have much in the way of filler.

My question is as follows - Is there a quality low fat dry food alternative available? The other suggest was Royal Canine (again not overly keen)

I am not forgetting about doing roo and pumkin everyday again, but would appreciate the space in the freezer also.

Hope to hear back

Dave

Edited September 8, 2016 by dfperth

[Xyz]

If she's only had a mild case any low fat quality dry food should do. Compare fat tables on pack. It's usually the treats that trigger an attack! She's a cutie!

[*Avanti*]

If she's only had a mild case any low fat quality dry food should do. Compare fat tables on pack. It's usually the treats that trigger an attack! She's a cutie!

Advance Weight Control was one of the lowest I could find.

One of my Labs had quite serious pancreatitis Dave. She was on a special formula diet the hospital gave her for the first year (sorry but I forget the brand now) but once she improved the Advance Weight Control with 9% crude fat was ok for her and the pancreatitis never returned. But maybe we were lucky, I'd check with the vet though first though whether this could be ok for your girl.

http://www.advancepet.com.au/products/dog-products/adult/weight-control-large-plus-breed,-chicken-7kg.aspx

And yes, I second that she's a cutie! :)

Edited September 8, 2016 by LabTested

[Staff'n'Toller]

Hill's Prescription i/d has been a pancreatitis diet for a long time and it works very well, there is a lot of science and research behind both the Hill's Prescription and Royal Canin Veterinary diets.

Royal Canin G.I. Low Fat is newer to the market and may suit her better - you should definitely give it a try for 4-6 weeks before you look at other possibilities. :)

Pancreatitis is very serious and unfortunately some dogs can tolerate small amounts of fat after recovery, and others have a tiny amount and it triggers repeated attacks.

[karly101]

You want a dry food with fat content of 7-8% .. the lower the better.

If you continued with the roo and pumpkin you should probably add a multi vitamin to it.

But also be very very wary with anything else the dog gets - quite often they will flare up again after been given some treats (particuarly if they've been really good for a long time on the prescription diet).

[dfperth]

G'day Guys and thanks for the replies.

Yep she is on full watch now for treats, ever since she was a pup she would have rawhide and dental bones and her teeth are amazing for 9yrs old but I do appreciate that they arent great for her now.

Doing some research and have found a few single protein dog rolls that look good, however only feeding 440g a day left Mischa with a rubbley tummy and she seemed hungry all the time.

Looking at the rolls tho, it works out to be about 5.50 per day, which I guess isnt too bad, but still on the high side.

Nice to have another option I suppose.

Shall keep that in mind ( the vitamin ) support if continuing with the roo & pumpkin - Will have a look at the Royal Canin & Advance too.

Will keep you posted :)

[JulesP]

I don't have a dog with pancreatitis but do have one with a liver condition and wanted to share my thoughts about the prescription diets.

I was a total dog food snob. I was horrified when I had to feed the Hills Prescription food and also thought the ingredients were just nasty. However that food has now helped keep my dog alive for 5 years longer than the vets gave her!

I learnt from this to feed the food that the dog needs even if it isn't what I think is good.

Good luck with your dog.

[mita]

Just want to add something about bones. Our sheltie, Danny, had severe pancreatitis. We were guided in his diet by vets at UQ Small Animal Clinic. Then, once, even tho' I'd stuck to his diet, he got a nasty attack. Vet checked every bit of recent food. I'd given him a nice, fresh bone that had not a sliver of flesh or fat on it. Vet said, 'That was it!' She told me to go get a similar bone, put it in a pot of water, & boil....then look what comes out. Enormous amount of fat.

[Papillon Kisses]

Hi Dave!

Perhaps ask your vet whether your dog can have Greenies? My pack says the crude fat is min 4% max 7% so perhaps they are ok. They may possibly not follow your feeding preferences, but there is strong clinical evidence for their effectiveness against plaque and tartar. They have the Veterinary Oral Health Centre (VOHC) seal of approval and that's not something that is given lightly.

I don't know much about pancreatic diets apart from them having to be low fat, but if Mischa were my dog I would check back with the vet before feeding anything whether a dry food or dog roll. And as others have said, kangaroo + pumpkin is not a complete diet and will cause deficiencies in the long term.

In short I agree with JulesP that you sometimes have to set aside your feeding preferences for the good of your dog. And always always check with your vet if your dog has a health problem! Something may be fine for someone else's dog but not for yours.

Is there a reason why you need to feed a single protein? Allergies?

[stellnme]

Hill's Prescription i/d has been a pancreatitis diet for a long time and it works very well, there is a lot of science and research behind both the Hill's Prescription and Royal Canin Veterinary diets.

Royal Canin G.I. Low Fat is newer to the market and may suit her better - you should definitely give it a try for 4-6 weeks before you look at other possibilities. :)

Pancreatitis is very serious and unfortunately some dogs can tolerate small amounts of fat after recovery, and others have a tiny amount and it triggers repeated attacks.

My going on 16 year old girl was put on Hills I/D food many years ago after suffering attacks of pancreatitis and has always done very well on it. It's a trial and error thing but she can tolerate cooked chicken breast and small amounts of tuna in springwater. For treats she has Dentastix (vet recommended and well tolerated) and a low fat home made biscuits made by a talented friend with a home made dog treats business here. I don't change what is working well for her now.

[KelpieBess]

My old girl had epilepsy and pancreatitis. We tried Hills and Royal Canin prescription diets and she flatly refused them.

The only food she would eat and wouldn't get episodes with was the Prime single protein pet rolls - Kangaroo & Potato at about $11.50 per 2kg roll and boiled chicken breast.

Any kind of treat, scrap, anything apart from those items and she would have an episode.

She maintained a good weight once on the rolls, but unfortunately due to the epilepsy drugs she was on, had an insatiable hunger.

There is a canine pancreatitis group on facebook, when the vets ran out of low fat food suggestions - that group was amazing.

[BullBreedBoy]

I've never had a dog with pancreatisis, but i do have a good friend that does. He uses one of the vans complete mixes about 2/3 of the normal ratio with a very low fat kangaroo and chicken mince he gets from one of the pet meat suppliers. Swears by it.

[Stitch]

My old girl has been battling with IBD/s and/or pancreatitis for many years and she was mainly on Hills I/d but also on z/d as she also has skin allergies brought on by the diet.

We have a permanent stock of metrozine and amoxyclav for the times that diet doesn't control everything.

Approx. 6mths ago I moved her onto Meals for Mutts Sardine & Salmon (blue bag) and she hasn't looked back.

I really can't praise it enough.

[dfperth]

Gday Guys. We managed to get a tip from a local shop here. They produce their own pellets. Which comes under 8% fat content.

Made from roo bones essentially.

So she is getting about 130g per meal of those and 150g of roo n pumpkin too.

She is far less scroungey and doing a consistent #2 routine now.

We now move onto her 2nd issue which is multiple fatty nodes. She seems to be getting more n more cyst like bumps each week. Staffies are renowned for it and she just turned 9 .

Thanks again guys