Anyone out there have a dog with pancreatitis?
- Thread starter mjb
- Start date
One of my dogs was diagnosed with pancreatitis about five months ago (maybe more). He had a pancreatic attack and had to be hospitalized for a few days.
We tried a perscription canned diet and they didn't go over well. He gained weight, but the ingredients were less then stellar and he still had HUGE cow patties. So we switched to a prey model raw diet and went very slow. He was also on digestive enzymes. He has been on a raw diet for the past few months and has been doing wonderfully. I have to monitor the fat intake, though. He can still tolerate a moderate amount of RAW fats, but every dog is different due to the severity of the pancreatitis. Currently, I've stopped giving him powedered enzymes and I'm trying him on fresh, raw pancreas. It's a little difficult to find a consistant dosage because each dog is different, but so far so good.
We tried a perscription canned diet and they didn't go over well. He gained weight, but the ingredients were less then stellar and he still had HUGE cow patties. So we switched to a prey model raw diet and went very slow. He was also on digestive enzymes. He has been on a raw diet for the past few months and has been doing wonderfully. I have to monitor the fat intake, though. He can still tolerate a moderate amount of RAW fats, but every dog is different due to the severity of the pancreatitis. Currently, I've stopped giving him powedered enzymes and I'm trying him on fresh, raw pancreas. It's a little difficult to find a consistant dosage because each dog is different, but so far so good.
weylyn gave excellent advise.
The only other suggestions I can add are to feed small portions about 3 or more times a day so your not over burdening the inflamed organ. Food should always be served with probiotics and enzyme supplements at room temp. Any excess fat and foods that contribute to digestive upset should be eliminated from the diet. In addition to healthy food and food combining, daily supplements of EFAs such as stabilized flaxseed, fish oils and vitamins A and E can help repair and strengthen the pancreas.
Meats, grains, vegetables, and fats are digested and absorbed at different metabolic rates, the pancreas must produce different enzymes for each. A diseased pancreas may have difficulty producing all the enzymes needed to digest a meal that includes too many food groups; so therefore, pancreatic efficiency can be optimized if each meal is comprised of food groups. So this is where a home prepared diet is going to be the best choice. Feed separate meals of food groups for example, grains and vegetables can be served together, as can grains and fruits or protein (meat) and vegetables. Meat and grains should not be combined during the same meal. If you cannot feed a home prepared diet there are a few grain free diets out there. I would stick with canned food only, Natura has canned EVO, Nature's Variety canned foods do not contain grain and there are a few others~Nature's Variety also has a kibble diet called Raw instinct which is grain free. Try to include a few meals of fresh raw ingredients tho, perhaps breakfast of canned EVO, mini break meal of raw meat with steamed & blended veggies with raw egg, yogurt etc.
For more information on food combining pick up a copy of "Keep your Pet Healthy the natural way" by Pat Lazarus.
Herbal therapies are best directed toward supporting organs and systems related to pancreatic function and the onset of pancreatitis. Milk thistle helps to regenerate and restore normal function to a liver that is damaged as a result of drug therapies or infection from pancreatitis. dandelion, burdock root, or Oregon grape can help improve digestion and reduce pancreatic stress by gently increasing bile and enzyme production in the liver. If bacterial infection is present, Echinacea helps to boost the immune system's response to the invading microbes. Yarrow is said to help reduce pancreatic inflammation and improve blood circulation to the organ.
weylyn and yourself can discuss what's working for both of you. There are also many yahoo groups designated to pancreatitis that you may want to join. You can then talk to others who have gone through this or struggling along with you.
Best of luck to you.
The only other suggestions I can add are to feed small portions about 3 or more times a day so your not over burdening the inflamed organ. Food should always be served with probiotics and enzyme supplements at room temp. Any excess fat and foods that contribute to digestive upset should be eliminated from the diet. In addition to healthy food and food combining, daily supplements of EFAs such as stabilized flaxseed, fish oils and vitamins A and E can help repair and strengthen the pancreas.
Meats, grains, vegetables, and fats are digested and absorbed at different metabolic rates, the pancreas must produce different enzymes for each. A diseased pancreas may have difficulty producing all the enzymes needed to digest a meal that includes too many food groups; so therefore, pancreatic efficiency can be optimized if each meal is comprised of food groups. So this is where a home prepared diet is going to be the best choice. Feed separate meals of food groups for example, grains and vegetables can be served together, as can grains and fruits or protein (meat) and vegetables. Meat and grains should not be combined during the same meal. If you cannot feed a home prepared diet there are a few grain free diets out there. I would stick with canned food only, Natura has canned EVO, Nature's Variety canned foods do not contain grain and there are a few others~Nature's Variety also has a kibble diet called Raw instinct which is grain free. Try to include a few meals of fresh raw ingredients tho, perhaps breakfast of canned EVO, mini break meal of raw meat with steamed & blended veggies with raw egg, yogurt etc.
For more information on food combining pick up a copy of "Keep your Pet Healthy the natural way" by Pat Lazarus.
Herbal therapies are best directed toward supporting organs and systems related to pancreatic function and the onset of pancreatitis. Milk thistle helps to regenerate and restore normal function to a liver that is damaged as a result of drug therapies or infection from pancreatitis. dandelion, burdock root, or Oregon grape can help improve digestion and reduce pancreatic stress by gently increasing bile and enzyme production in the liver. If bacterial infection is present, Echinacea helps to boost the immune system's response to the invading microbes. Yarrow is said to help reduce pancreatic inflammation and improve blood circulation to the organ.
weylyn and yourself can discuss what's working for both of you. There are also many yahoo groups designated to pancreatitis that you may want to join. You can then talk to others who have gone through this or struggling along with you.
Best of luck to you.
Great post, Poppy!
No matter what you feed, it is very important to space out the meals to reduce the work load on the pancreas. The less the pancreas has to work in terms of meal size, fats and overall diet digestability the better!
With a pancreatic dog, be prepared to become the Poo Patrol. It sounds gross, but I monitor my boy's stool (daily if we're trying a new doseage or new meal) to see how he is digesting things. If he has loose stool, I fast him for a day. I'd rather he miss a meal and return to normal, then I feed him and we're back in the hospital. If he vomits, the same thing. This is the mistake I made the first time and he had his attack.
Poppy, I'd love to know more about the herbs you listed.
No matter what you feed, it is very important to space out the meals to reduce the work load on the pancreas. The less the pancreas has to work in terms of meal size, fats and overall diet digestability the better!
With a pancreatic dog, be prepared to become the Poo Patrol. It sounds gross, but I monitor my boy's stool (daily if we're trying a new doseage or new meal) to see how he is digesting things. If he has loose stool, I fast him for a day. I'd rather he miss a meal and return to normal, then I feed him and we're back in the hospital. If he vomits, the same thing. This is the mistake I made the first time and he had his attack.
Poppy, I'd love to know more about the herbs you listed.