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Diet Changes After Pancreatitis


Guest pdxkara

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Guest pdxkara

I have a 7.5 yr old male greyhound, he's a healthy blood donor, but had an mild acute case of pancreatitis last month. He recovered just fine, but I've still been trying to firm up his stool. Before the pancreatitis, he ate raw with some grain free kibble He was eating raw with no issues for about 4 months & gained a few pounds. Before the raw he was a picky eater (eating grain free quality kibble) & stool was generally on the softer side. He had the best poo with raw, I miss those days.

 

After the bland diet, I transitioned him to an 8% chicken based kibble (Lotus senior). I think he's allergic to something in that kibble, grain or chicken meal perhaps? He ate raw/boiled/roasted chicken & jerky without problems. I thought the loose stool was from the fat, but after about 3 weeks, I'm pretty sure it's the kibble. This week I've been mixing in grain free kibble samples(much higher fat), along with the 8%, with no major changes in his stool. He also gets raw goat's milk and some dehydrated food on his kibble, so he eats it.

 

I've been researching fat/protein/additives in various high quality grain free kibble brands. I want to stick to 10-14% fat for now, especially since I add goats milk & dehydrated too. Here's a few brands I'm considering: Evangers, First Mate, Great Life, Pinnacle, and Solid Gold. I want to avoid chicken, chicken meal, chicken fat, and grains. Anyone have greys that love or hate any of these? I have a feeling, I'll be coming home with several 5lb bags to try.

 

Also curious, if anyone has had a grey with pancreatitis while on RAW? I'd like to go back to it, but worried that may have been the cause. My vet says most dogs do great on RAW, but occasionally some can't digest it as well. Many folks switch to raw after pancreatitis, feel like I'm doing this backwards. Has anyone had a similar experience?

 

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a friend of mine feeds only raw, her male developed pancreatitis. her resolution was to continue raw and used chinese herbs to support the pancreas.

 

would i do that? NO! my male had it, went to low fat kibble(6-8%), supplement with lots of carbs- yams, rice, pasta to keep some weight on. what do i feed since i can't afford science diet- low calorie /low fat Nutro Lamb & Rice mixed w/ Blue Seal Low Calorie(chicken based). If you were feeding raw then you can go with the solid gold- they have a fish recipe that's around $60 for 25#, low fat, good calorie count.

 

i have brought my male to the vet thinking it was a flare up of his pancreas- loose stool, enzyme #s were perfect, he needed a couple of rounds of flagyl. i would keep the fat content below 8%

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Guest pdxkara

Keeping weight on is my biggest concern with 8% or lower. He gained 1.5lbs this week, with the extra fat. Stool is soft, but not runny, so I don't think it's the fat. He also licks his butt more than usual, since he's been on this food, so eliminating the chicken for now. If there's no improvement with new food, I'll go back to the vet. He's very active and happy, not acting sick at all, and he loves to eat. That's a huge improvement from a month ago! He's naturally a thin greyhound, racing weight was 68lb, he's been between 65-70lbs for the last 4.5yrs. He finally hit 70lbs on raw, then down to 64lbs after his pancreatitis. He's back up to 66bs this week. Our vet is just down the street from my house, so we stop by for weight checks and treats several times a week. I have a week off work, and hope things improve this week, fingers crossed!

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With issues of pancreatitis, I would think that you would want a low fat diet. Consider a white fish, veggies, and rice diet. My Lucy who has seizures and IDB has been on this diet for a few years but, she also gets a monthly B12 shot (IBD) an she has been doing OK.

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Guest pdxkara

As far as we know, he doesn't have chronic pancreatitis. Most dogs can go back to their normal diet in time, but since Red was raw fed, not going there. His old kibble was 16% fat, which I think may be too high going forward. I'm hoping to find something he'll eat, in the 10-12% range, but considering a few up to 14%. I think it's going to be trial & error for a bit.

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a friend of mine feeds only raw, her male developed pancreatitis. her resolution was to continue raw and used chinese herbs to support the pancreas.

 

would i do that? NO! my male had it, went to low fat kibble(6-8%), supplement with lots of carbs- yams, rice, pasta to keep some weight on. what do i feed since i can't afford science diet- low calorie /low fat Nutro Lamb & Rice mixed w/ Blue Seal Low Calorie(chicken based). If you were feeding raw then you can go with the solid gold- they have a fish recipe that's around $60 for 25#, low fat, good calorie count.

 

i have brought my male to the vet thinking it was a flare up of his pancreas- loose stool, enzyme #s were perfect, he needed a couple of rounds of flagyl. i would keep the fat content below 8%

/Thank you for your post. I need to switch kibble and have wondered about both of those you mention! May I ask why you feed both, and not one or the other? TIA /

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You could always do a lower fat homecooked diet if that works...usually dogs love it and it is easy on the digestive tract (or a low fat raw diet with extra carbs added like rice, oatmeal, potatoes, etc.). One of my previous dogs had pancreatitis and we transitioned her to raw afterwords which was actually the only food that worked wonders for her. It really depends on the dog. My vet said that diet wasn't usually the underlying cause of pancreatitis (there are many factors that can cause it), but the fat just triggers the already damaged pancreas to have an attack.

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Guest pdxkara

You could always do a lower fat homecooked diet if that works...usually dogs love it and it is easy on the digestive tract (or a low fat raw diet with extra carbs added like rice, oatmeal, potatoes, etc.). One of my previous dogs had pancreatitis and we transitioned her to raw afterwords which was actually the only food that worked wonders for her. It really depends on the dog. My vet said that diet wasn't usually the underlying cause of pancreatitis (there are many factors that can cause it), but the fat just triggers the already damaged pancreas to have an attack.

I'd be willing to cook his food, if I had well balanced recipes He's such a meat lover, not a fan of rice & most carbs. I have a freezer full of raw, I may experiment a bit. I eliminated all chicken as of today, want to see if it's chicken rather than fat.

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fiveroooooers:

i'm mixing the blue seal and Nutro 50/50 supplementing with cooked white rice and yam mixture. i mash a huge cooked yam into a large cool whip container of white rice, that's good for 2 meals for 2 dogs along w/ 2 cups kibble each dog. i add that and some chicken broth to the food, sometimes low fat costco greek yogurt. i do feed 3xs a day since it's less stress on the pancreas.

 

the reason i started the Nutro is when i leave my area and run out of dog food, Nutro seems to be sold nationally. i am amazed that the dogs(i got lazy and put my other dog on this as well) still have great coats even with out cold pressed salmon oil.

 

btw, my vet does not want me to change the diet even though his last check was normal. the response when i questioned returning to the 14% fat content as originally fed, "why chance stressing the pancreas especially when GH are so prone to it."

 

"want to see if it's chicken rather than fat. "- then check out chicken, home cooked and rice.in a week you will know if it's the chicken.

i personally would not fool around with fat.

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Thanks Andrea, this is very helpful!

Old Dogs are the Best Dogs. :heartThank you, campers. Current enrollees:  Punkin. AnnIE Oooh M

Angels: Pal :heart. Segugio. Sorella (TPGIT). LadyBug. Zeke-aroni. MiMi Sizzle Pants. Gracie. Seamie :heart:brokenheart. (Foster)Sweet. Andy. PaddyALVIN!Mayhem. Bosco. Bruno. Dottie B. Trevor Double-Heart. Bea. Cletus, KLTO. Aiden 1-4.

:paw Upon reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all-too-short lives of our dogs.

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Thanks Andrea, this is very helpful!

Honestly, I would feed the hills script diet-I/D then slowlyyyyyy switch to a low fat OTC food. Solid gold's WolfKing is a possible choice- bison based lower fat-9% and their Holistique blenz is I believe 6% fat. ;-)

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