Chronic Pancreatitis In An Older Dog

[krissn333]

My old man foster dog (age 11) had a severe bout with pancreatitis and we're pretty sure he'll deal with it for the rest of his life. He's skinny as can be, he weighs 52 lbs. and should weigh at least 70.

 

The vet has him on 2 antibiotics and an appetite stimulant. He's been prescribed k/d food (which I am not fond of, and neither is he). Poor old man needs to gain weight and the fact that he doesn't want to eat just doesn't help.

 

In my desperation I did some research and found this article:

http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com...s-remedies.html

 

Basically it's telling me that feeding him kibble isn't giving his pancreas any chance to rest at all because it's having to work hard to produce enough digestive enzymes to digest something like kibble.

 

It suggested feeding boiled chicken and rice, turkey baby food, no fat cottage cheese, and plain oatmeal.

 

It also suggested using digestive enzymes and listed a ProZyme advertisement.

 

We see the vet again on Wednesday and I'd like to be able to talk to him about changing Sutra's diet so that maybe he'll have a chance at getting better.

 

Has anyone been through chronic pancreatitis with a dog? This is difficult because he needs to gain weight something terrible, but he can't have anything fatty because his pancreas can't handle it. He has an ongoing elevated temperature (the smoldering pancreatitis), and I'm afraid that feeding him this kibble is only making his poor pancreas work harder than it needs to.

 

At this point I'm just wanting him to eat something, so I'll try feeding him the things I've listed above, but I wondered if anyone had any experience with using ProZyme or any other digestive enzyme?

 

Is that the same thing as using a probiotic? Can you use a probiotic if a dog is on antibiotics? I must confess I know NOTHING about probiotics.

 

Just want to get this sweet gentleman feeling better. For a little while he seemed to be doing better but the past couple of days he's been feeling pretty blue again

[patricia]

Angel LaceyLaine had severe pancreatitis and was in ICU several times. They ended up putting her on W/D which she LOVED and she got to eat a lot of it in several small meals a day and finally no more flare ups...she gained her weight back and did very well. Sending my prayers.

[galgrey]

My greyhound, Keno, had a severe pancreatitis attack shortly after I adopted him. I had given him a pig's ear and it almost killed him! Anyway, after he got out of the hospital, I did a diet similiar to the one you described above to let his pancreas rest and I gave him Prozyme. When I eased him back to kibble, I continued the Prozyme and was very careful about what he ate for the rest of his life. He only had one other attack, a minor one this time because I recognized the symptoms and acted quickly. That attack was triggered by a friend giving him food was on the forbidden list. He thought "just a little fat won't hurt him". Wrong!

 

Probiotics and digestive enzymes are both beneficial for digestion but aren't the same thing. Prozyme contains plant based enzymes(amylase, protease, lipase, cellulase) that help the body increase the use of the nutrients in foods and take some of the digestive burden from the body. Probiotics are are small organisms that help maintain the natural balance of microflora in the intestines. Acidophilus is one of the more common ones -- it's found in some brands of yogurt.

 

I've read that some people say you should not take probiotics with antibiotics, but I always do. Any time I have to take an antibiotic I always get a yeast infection if I don't take probiotics at the same time. Antibiotics always gave Keno terrible diarrhea (because they kill off the good intestinal bacteria along with the bad bacteria), so he always got probiotics too.

 

Good luck. Pancreatitis is very serious, but it is manageable with good nutrition and supplements.

Edited March 13, 2009 by galgrey

[Guest zoolaine]

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.js...tm/bc/23404.htm

 

 

I just read a good article in the Whole Dog Journal about Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. It was saying that the dogs eat and eat but because they don't have the enzymes they cannot digest the food - especially kibble. The dogs basically will starve to death, even though they are eating. The treatment is adding specific enzymes to the food so their body can absorb the nutrients. They said that EPI was seen as a disease of specific breeds until not too long ago so some vets don't specifically test for it. But any type of dog can get it. It is different I believe from pancreatitis and I'm not sure how the two relate.

 

I know that probiotics can be given with antibiotics but I believe it can not be given within 4 hours of each other. Also I believe the probiotic is supposed to be kept refrigerated.

[Scooby172]

My friend has a westie who has had pancreatitis for many years, she is now 12. This dog takes Viokase everyday and eats a prescription diet. The westie is full of it, a bit heavy but does very well as long as she sticks to her diet and takes her meds.

Good luck

Linda, Valor, Keeva and Bella

[Trudy]

I just read a good article in the Whole Dog Journal about Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. It was saying that the dogs eat and eat but because they don't have the enzymes they cannot digest the food - especially kibble. The dogs basically will starve to death, even though they are eating. The treatment is adding specific enzymes to the food so their body can absorb the nutrients. They said that EPI was seen as a disease of specific breeds until not too long ago so some vets don't specifically test for it. But any type of dog can get it. It is different I believe from pancreatitis and I'm not sure how the two relate.

 

They are different, though I think I may have read that many bouts of pancreatitis can lead to EPI - but not positive on that.

The treatment for EPI is ANIMAL based enzymes. Normally pig. The enzymes are kind of expensive and the vast majority of dogs will be on them for life. Instead of buying the enzyme powder, you can also just grind up some pig pancreas or even beef I think can be used. We use Pancrezyme. There is a generic that is cheaper and there is also another brand that is more expensive.

 

I don't know if that type of enzyme will help with pancreatitis.

[galgrey]

It's been a long time ago and treatment modes and medication of choice changes, but in my former life as a vet tech, Viokase and a prescription or homemade diet was the usual management course for dogs with chronic pancreatitis. I remember we saw it most often in minature schnauzers and yorkies. Anyway, Trudy's correct about Viokase being animal based rather than plant based. The term "pancreatitis" simply means inflammation of the pancreas -- it's a description of the condition of the organ, but doesn't explain the cause. Pancreatitis can result from a blow or physical trama to the pancreas, an overly fatty diet, some chemicals or medications can cause the pancreas to become inflamed (organophosphate insecticides for example), an infection (bacterial or viral), etc.

 

Several years ago a coworker had a dog (schnauzer mix) who had been diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis. The little dog was very overweight at the time. Her vet prescribed the Viokase and a prescription diet. She didn't stick with the diet and continued to give the little dog fatty treats and even poured gravy over the prescription kibble. Sadly, the dog had another severe attack and died. Her vet said it was shock/clotting issues from the pancreatitis. She told me she thought the vet was a quack and refused to believe that "a little fat could kill a dog".

Edited March 14, 2009 by galgrey