Canine Pancreatitis can be serious

A reminder of this topic was just on Facebook, featured by The Whole Dog Journal and reminded me of Jasmine, pictured below, the dog we had before Honey-Bear. She had Acute Pancreatitis when she was about 8-years old. It was scary.  And was caused from sneaking next door during one prosperous deer hunting season and gorging on the "left-overs" from processed deer that had not yet been cleared away. I think most of you who are familiar with deer season will know what I mean. 

It caused my poor Jasmine so much pain! Once she was back home from her veterinarian visit, her main source of food for quite awhile was rice boiled with part of a skinless chicken breast chopped into it.  

The main point I want to make is to keep your dog away from large amounts of  fats - no matter the reason - especially if they are older dogs and not very active any more.

I only posted the bare minimum in this post so you could see if this is something you want to learn more about. Be sure to click on the link near the bottom if you want a LOT more info and want to read the complete article.  

Pancreatitis can be a serious acute condition, or just a chronic pain.

Your dog has vomited several times, doesn’t want to eat, and is walking around with his back arched up, or lying in a corner refusing to get up. Should you:

A) Try tempting him to eat by adding bacon grease to his food
     or offering something tasty like ham or bologna
B) Wait a day or two to see if he gets better
C) Take him to your vet right away

The answer is C: Take him to your vet right away. These can be signs of pancreatitis. While it’s fine to wait to see if a dog improves on his own after a single vomiting episode with no other signs of illness, repeated vomiting can quickly lead to dangerous dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, especially if your dog isn’t drinking or can’t keep water down.

When signs of abdominal pain accompany vomiting, pancreatitis is high on the list of possible causes. The worst thing you can do is feed your dog fatty food at this time.

Pancreatitis literally means inflammation of the pancreas, the glandular organ that secretes enzymes needed to digest food. When something causes these enzymes to be activated prematurely, they can actually begin to digest the pancreas itself, resulting in pain and inflammation.

Pancreatitis occurs in two different forms, acute and chronic, and both may be either mild or severe. Acute pancreatitis occurs suddenly and is more often severe, while chronic pancreatitis refers to an ongoing inflammation that is usually less severe and may even be subclinical (no recognizable symptoms).

Acute pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis can be extremely painful, and can become life-threatening if the inflammation spreads, affecting multiple organs and systems. Symptoms commonly include anorexia (loss of appetite), vomiting, weakness, depression, and abdominal pain. Abdominal pain in a dog may be exhibited as restlessness or not wanting to move; a hunched appearance or a “praying position,” with the chest down and the rear raised; or vocalization (crying or whimpering). Additional symptoms may include diarrhea, drooling, fever, and collapse.

For mild cases, all that may be needed is to withhold food and water for 24 to 48 hours (no longer), along with administering IV fluids to prevent dehydration and drugs to stop vomiting and control pain.

For moderate to severe cases, hospitalization and intensive treatment and monitoring is required. Supportive treatment includes intravenous fluids to keep the dog hydrated and restore electrolyte and acid-base balance. Potent pain medication is needed. Treatment is generally required for three to five days, and sometimes longer. Surgery may be necessary, particularly if the pancreas is abscessed or the pancreatic duct is blocked.

Causes of pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is often blamed on high-fat diets, though there is little scientific evidence to support this. Active, working dogs, such as sled dogs, can eat as much as 60 percent fat in their diets without developing pancreatitis, but too much fat may cause trouble for middle-aged or relatively inactive dogs, who are the ones most commonly affected by pancreatitis. Too much fat can also cause problems for some dogs with chronic pancreatitis.

Dietary indiscretion, such as eating rancid fatty scraps from the garbage, can also lead to pancreatitis, particularly when a dog accustomed to a low- or normal-fat diet ingests high-fat foods. That’s why pancreatitis incidents are thought to increase after Thanksgiving, when people may feed their dogs a meal of turkey skin and drippings.

Read more ~ Click Here

My take? If the dog is not accustomed to fatty meals, and especially is past middle-age, like 7 years old or so, do not give them excess fat or allow them to wander off to previously safe areas where there could now be such to feast on. 

I learned my lesson!  Even if Honey-Bear is only a bit over a year old, she is staying home until such wonders next door are gone during deer hunting season and awhile afterward, just to be safe!