Pancreatitis...son's dog..

[Sher]

My son emailed me and said his 9 yr old chihuahua is in the throes of pancreatitis and is not doing well. She is on an anti inflammatory, anti-diarheal, and pregnezone. She has been in the hospital once to be hydrated. She is still having loose stools, mostly in the evening. The mornings, they seem to be better.

The vet told him to feed her 'Sara Lee' chicken slices and 'Halo'
Spot Stew. Does this sound like the right kind of diet to you all? The dog has lost about 3 lbs. and she was only 9 lbs to start with... Is there anything else you can think of he can do or try? He is self employed and his work is slow right now, so he is home with her most of the time and really trying to take care of her as best he can... any thoughts, opinions..? Thanks for any replies...

 

[Maura]

My sister adopted a beagle with pancreatitis. The vet told her to feed Molly Purina dog chow. After getting tired of cleaning up piles and piles of poop, she finally switched to a better dog food. The premium food made Molly feel much better. I think part of it is that there is less food for the dog to process. I would feed such a sick dog BARF.

 

[Snark]

My parents' English Cocker had that, and wound up on a prescription diet (canned food). However, the vet said she could have as many fruits and veggies as she wanted (apple, pear, green beans, carrots, etc). She never had another episode and lived to be nearly 15.

 

[Sher]

The dog had an appt at the vet today and they took blood for testing. He will find out later if there is an improvement. He thought she was feeling a bit better as she was outside barking at a squirrel that was up a tree..... always a good sign that a dog is having fun... the main symptom seems to be the diarrhea and ... as he describes it.."the dry heaves of the butt".
Does anyone know if those chicken slices are good for the dog? Also, is there a good canned food for this illness that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? Or at least one that is less expensive... Would feeding the dog vegetables and fruits really help her with her diarrhea? Is there anything else that would help with it? Thank you sooo much for any replies...

 

[smkie]

I had to be incredibly careful with mary's diet because she was easily affected and had pancreatitis once really bad, and a few lesser spells. Anything outside of her kibble (we feed nutromax) would set her off. My granddaughter got up in the night once and fed her half a loaf of english muffin bread and I just about lost her. So no people food at all. THe exact amount of food and not a crumb more. I knew when she would start drinking excessive water to pull the water so she didn't dehydrate herself and to give her a pills that I was allowed to keep on hand. SHe was an old dog and I had been told they can be prone towards this. If it was a light attack pulling the water and food and giving her system a 24 hour rest seemed to stop it off.

 

[Sher]

I know diet is extremely important. Does anyone know the name of a good canned food for this illness?

Also he just told me this, too...:" she poops and then tries again 4 or 5 times, with very little coming out, and I guess from the straining, starts to bleed a little.. this can't be good".. any thoughts or suggestions?
TIA...

 

[Amanda885]

aw I am so sorry to hear..that is heart breaking..poor doggie.
Sending tons of positive vibes both their ways!

 

[smkie]

WE referred to that as "mary's pooping problem".