Pancreatitis

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

Our female boxer has been diagnosed with Pancreatitis, it's not fatal, but her eating habits will change for the rest of her life. Basically a bland diet of chicken and rice for awhile. Along with her meds of Tramadil for pain, Sucralfate for the GI Ulcerations, Clavamox which is an anti-biotic and Famotidine which is an acid reducer. Any do's or don'ts?

 

[JDGator]

as a fellow boxer owner, i'm sorry to hear your girl isn't feeling great. my 4 year old last summer had arthritis so bad she would fall asleep standing up because it hurt to lay down. she would lay down for hours until i would pick up her. in the 4 years before i had never heard my dog bark, whine, cry, or even growl. but she hurt so back she would howl. we nearly put her down, but the vet gave a good pain killer and said once her spine fusses together she may be fine. now she is back to almost 90% and is just as crazy as ever.

hope everything works out ok for your little girl!!

 

[JDGator]

i also recommend glucosamine whether your dog needs it or not. liquid is great if your dog doesn't fall for sticking pills in a hot dog or wrapped in cheese.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

yea she is also on glucosamine as she has sever arthritis in her spine(saw the x-ray). It's amazing how dogs do not show pain

 

[wolfstar]

The question is what is causing the pancreatitis... It may be worth discussing any possible underlying issues with the vet as things such as cancer, systemic infections, etc can cause pancreatitis.

A bland diet is good. REALLY watch out for the fat content of the food you are feeding. High fat content will aggravate pancreatitis. So if you are feeding chicken and rice, make sure you remove as much of the chicken fat as possible. I would incorporate some vegetables (raw) into the dogs diet as well. Raw broccoli, carrots, green beans etc, chopped fine in a food processor will give your pup other avenues to assimilate vitamins and minerals needed to thrive. You can also use oatmeal instead of rice, it is easier to digest and really makes things move easier through the GI for a senior canine companion. I am assuming they did a CBC and Chemistry (blood work) to determine that your pup is a good candidate for the pain meds, that should have showed any abnormalities in organ function.

Give the famotidine about 1/2 hour before meals, this will ensure it does its job. If the tramidol is twice or three times daily, try to space the doses as evenly as possible apart. Tramidol levels that fluctuate to much can cause discomfort for the dog. Same thing for the antibiotics, but for a different reason. If they are being prescribed twice or more per day, the doses should be as evenly spaced as possible. There have been studies done that indicate that allowing antibiotic levels in the blood to go below a certain level in a canine (as can happen if the dosages are not evenly spaced and administered at the same time every day) can possibly allow the offending bacteria to develop a resistance to the antibiotic.

Lastly, Pick up Speaking for Spot by DR. Nancy Kay. This is a great book dealing with animal health advocacy for our companions.

I hope this is an acute case, and you have many more happy years with your pup!

 

[SharonaZamboni]

wolfstar, would digestive enzyme supplements help any? Just curious in case this problem ever happens with my dog.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

thanks for the replies..I'm really thinking about this bland diet/raw meat diet as talked about in this link. http://thewholedog.org/artpancretitis.html Now I just have to work on getting all the pills down her throat.

I have been boiling an entire family pack of chicken for my 3 dogs. I was mixing that into their kibble along with the chicken fat. I'm amazed as to how much fat there is in chicken. The last batch I boiled up I removed as much skin and fat prior to the boil and now I rinse off the cooked chicken with tap water. No need to have this happen in my other two dogs.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

just an up-date..........she's still not eating much, everything else seems to be normal

 

[wolfstar]

wolfstar, would digestive enzyme supplements help any? Just curious in case this problem ever happens with my dog.

Anecdotally, yes, they do seem to help. But I have not seen any studies that can positively confirm this. Personally, I give my pups pro-biotics, they certainly don't hurt...

 

[wolfstar]

just an up-date..........she's still not eating much, everything else seems to be normal

Make it savory, there is nothing wrong with a pinch of salt to make things taste better.

Just like a salt lick to a deer, salt for a bland raw diet will be attractive...

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

Update: ,,,,,yesterday was a ****ty day for me at work thinking all day how my Bailey was doing in the heat and not eating for a good 36 hours. Called the vet and she gave me some pills that would stimulate her appetite. When I got home, Bailey wanted to play with one of her stuffed animals. I brought her into the house and see if she would eat,,,nope, nothing,just sniffed her food. Went to the vet to pick up her meds, also picked up a bag of "Lean Treats" from the vet. Got home and gave her the pill then gave her a treat. She took the treat dropped it on the floor,I picked it up and she took it and ate it. Gave her another one and she ate that one too. So I tried to give her some boiled chicken breast,,,she ate what I gave her. Then she wanted more. It was like night and day....she seemed to be like her old self. Gave her a small bowl of chicken and rice and she ate it all. It's still a little early in the morning for her "breakfast" but she did take one of the treats I gave her. These past two weeks have been very emotional and educational at the same time. I will always be viligant on what we do or don't feed our dogs.....no more chicken fat and other fat from meats.