Pancreatitis

[stk78]

Hi All! Happy Christmas!

So, the poor wee Pooper dog is just back from UCD after a few days of having emergency treatment for acute pancreatitis. As you might imagine, the folks over at UCD are up to their eyeballs this weekend with emergency cases, being the only place open in all of Dublin. I was sent home with tins of Hills I/D, but there was no time to actually talk to the vet for more than a minute, as a serious trauma case came through the door as we were being discharged.

Problem is, Mr. P hates the Hills. I mean, he really, really HATES it. He won’t go near it. So I’m looking for something I can feed him which will be both nourishing and easy on his (very, very) delicate pancreas. A search on the internet recommends the standards- boiled chicken, boiled rice, potato, etc. All well and good, but to compound matters, Mr. P also has chronic IBD, which means a lot of those foods are not great for him. The chicken is ok in small amounts, but the rice irritates his stomach. Potato is ok, but he’s not overly keen on it. So, we’re in a bit of a bind.

Does anyone out there have any suggestions? I was thinking maybe some organic baby food (assuming I could even find any on Christmas Day) mixed with boiled potato to make it a bit more palatable until he can manage something a bit more substantial in a few days. Has anyone tried this with pancreatitis?

Any advice is welcomed! Thanks!

[dianneh]

Hi,it will take a while for the appetite to return to normal.
Small frequent meals are best and they need to be non fat or very very low fat.They can also have prescription w/d,non fat cottage cheese and organic turkey or chicken baby food,look for the ones with the lowest fat content.
I know UCD are very busy but if you are stuck you can still ring them for advice.

[DogsBestFriend]

Oh the poor love – sorry to hear that! I know that cottage cheese is fantastic for the dogs’ digestive system, it really is – go as low fat as you can possibly get. I have a dog food recipe book with all recipes being dog friendly but obviously sensitivities etc will vary from dog to dog. I cant put my hand to the book right now but Im gonna hunt it down early tomorrow and I will post up any recipes that I feel would be relevant for him on the forum here tomorrow. (All of my recipes are very user friendly with easy to get ingredients so you should be ok!). Hope this will help you out tomorrow!

[CurlyTail]

Hi

My dog was treated for acute pancreatitis about 3 weeks ago and I was told a low fat diet – the pancreas secretes enzymes to break down the fat in food but with pancreatitis it doesn’t work properly so can’t break down the fat. Unfortunately its a disease for life but we can manage it and prevent another attack of it with diet and being able to recognise the signs which are dehydration, vomiting, diarrhoea, bloating, pain in the abdomen and obviously other signs you may notice like the dog being quiet and not themselves.

Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Low Fat was recommended to me. I bought a small bag of the dry one and my dog loves it (but she loves all food!). I think they do a wet version of this food too and this would be a lot more palatable than the dry one. When I asked my vet about giving her chicken she was even dubious about giving her that but eventually said that she could have a small bit of the breast only. She said any peak in fat can bring on a bout of pancreatitis – it is a serious condition and can lead to death if not managed properly. I’m not sure I would chance cottage cheese especially if the vet is dubious about chicken. I would advise you to ring your vet and ask for advise especially if your dog is fussy with food.

Hope that helps
Caryn

[stk78]

We’ve had a pretty good 24hrs. No vomiting. He’s still super lethargic, but he’s sniffing around looking for food, and he’s drinking. At the moment I’m giving him a quarter can of the Hills I/D (warmed up…he seems to at least give it the time of day if it’s been warmed in the microwave) with just the teeny tiniest bit of boiled chicken (about a finger’s length, rinsed to remove any extra fat or grease) mixed through every 3-4 hours. He’ll eat it, but only just, and only because he’s hungry. As soon as he’s back to eating regular portions and isn’t feeling sick, he’ll start refusing to eat it and resort to scavenging. We’re back to the vet on Wednesday to check his lipase levels, and we’ll have a more detailed conversation about food from there. His normal food (Robbie’s Salmon and Brown Rice) is really low fat, and he likes it, so I’m hoping we can go back to that. We suspect this bout wasn’t food related, but due to toxin ingestion (there’s a broken sewage pipe which has been stagnating for months in the memorial in Arbour Hill…he ran through it and then licked the muck on his paws). So hopefully he can continue with his old food when we’ve got him back on track!

Thanks for all the suggestions. Lots to talk about with the vet on Wednesday. Looking forward to those recipes, dogsbestfriend! Thanks!

[DogsBestFriend]

Hi, glad to hear that P is eating again! Its always a huge worry when they dont – more so if they’ve previously been good grubbers! Now, sorry to be so late in getting back to you but I’ve only just seen off some more family (house full all day!) and I’m doing this now before I get caught up in cleaning Beirut and doing a mountain of dishes

Ive done a very thorough look amongst my recipes and a lot of them I’ve ruled out seeing as himself has a problem with potatoe / rice based dishes and most of the recipes I have for convalescent dogs / unwell dogs involve both of these. THEN, I read your second post and I see that RICE also irritates him, when I have a recipe for stomach and digestion, which is Rice Pudding Bowl. Now, I am hoping that in the small amounts your boy can tolerate that he may be able to have some of this as it really is excellent for any digestive / stomach problems that a dog may have. I have road tested this one many times on my various menagerie of dogs over the years and as well as loving it, it has been fantastic for even the dickiest of tummies. Our vet was very impressed with it also, but again, it varies from dog to dog with what they may be able to tolerate as individuals. I’m putting it here hoping it will do him some good:

7 oz (200g) short grain rice (pudding rice) – freely available in supermarket

1.5 pints (750ml) UNSALTED chicken stock – you can get these cubes without the salt in the supermarket if you dont have the carcass of a chicken to boil your own

3.5 oz (100g) cottage cheese (in your case the lowest fat you can get) or the lowest fat quark, whichever your dog prefers but cottage cheese is just fantastic for them

1 apple

Cook the pudding rice in the chicken stock until soft. Then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Stir in the cottage cheese or quark into the rice. Grate the UNPEELED apple finely and stir into the rice mixture. Serve in several small portions throughout the day, at room temperature (but stored in the fridge first if you know what I mean – just take it out a couple of hours before he is due to eat it!).

Now, I also have the following recipes but I wont post up unless you would like me to (due to your doggie’s dietary restrictions) – Oatmeal and chicken bowl (for convalescents), Dog Biscuits with Almond Bran (to help fight constipation) but with this one, with your dog’s IBS, Im not sure if he either cant go or cant stop! I have lots more for watching your dogs weight (which would be handy if he needs a low fat diet) and also A crunchy cure for wind (handy for the IBS!), nourishing mashed potatoe and lots more involving all manner of meat, veg etc etc but I dont want to use up all the space on the boards posting up unnecessary ones that may not be of any use. But you can let me know. All of the recipes I have have been carefully put together with advice from veterinary surgeons and have been tried out on a number of dogs. However, it is not impossible that in some cases, some meals may not be suitable for all dogs. If you are in any way uncertain how well your dog will tolerate any of the ingredients, please consult your vet. If you would like any of the other recipes I require or if you need some dog friendly ones including a particular ingredient that your dog either loves or tolerates well, post up on the boards and I will do my best to match one to your needs.

I would advise that you have an indepth discussion with your vet about your dog’s dietary requirements as its vital that he get the correct nourishment to suit his condition. What I would recommend is an early morning apt or else book in the last one but tell the receptionist / nurse on the phone that you would like to book a double apt – that way you wont be shunted out before your time!

Hope this helps in some way!

[Author]

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