Can I change to a raw food diet with Pancreatitis history

BARF refers to Biologically Appropriate Raw food or Bones and Raw Food. It is where owners have decided to feed their Schnauzer a natural diet of raw meat, bones, and organs. If you are considering this for your Schnauzer, you will find lots of handy tips here.
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sfrugrats
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Joined: 10 Sep 2019, 21:16
First Name: Sherry

Can I change to a raw food diet with Pancreatitis history

Post by sfrugrats »

Hi all,
My giant had a bought of Pancreatitis from eating a dead bird my cat caught. Ended up in the vets er for 3 days on IV. His coat is really starting to dry and flake and I'm wanting to switch him to a raw diet but I'm hesitant with his history. We haven't had any real issues after with the pancreatitis, but then again we don't really let him eat bones either. Any thoughts?
Oscar 12345
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Re: Can I change to a raw food diet with Pancreatitis history

Post by Oscar 12345 »

Hi Sherry, welcome to the forum. I am a novice on raw feeding, been doing it since Christmas last year. Leigh, one of the moderators here has a lot more experience so I am sure she will give you some tips. I would recommend that you join the Canine Pancreatitis Facebook group as there have been lots of discussions on pancreatitis and raw feeding and there must be loads of helpful info for you there. Good luck and do let us know how you get on and what you decide to do as it is really helpful for others who might be suffering this awful disease.
Man cannot survive with wine alone...
we also need a schnauzer.
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zeta1454
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Re: Can I change to a raw food diet with Pancreatitis history

Post by zeta1454 »

Hi Sherry and welcome to the Forum :-)

Sorry to hear about your GS pancreatitis. Sometimes dogs can get an extreme reaction to scavenged food but it may not recur if their diet remains good and they don't scavenge anything else that they shouldn't!

There is really no reason at all why a raw diet should cause any issues of itself and may be really beneficial to him. If you are new to raw feeding, it may be best to start off with one of the many commercially prepared raw dog meal suppliers, some of whom do offer meals specifically for dogs that may have or had pancreatitis. If you do an online search for "raw dog food for pancreatitis" you should find a range of companies who offer these. Some companies, such as Honey's are also happy to discuss any health issues your dog has before offering specific guidance on appropriate raw food:
https://honeysrealdogfood.com

The widespread view with pancreatitis in dogs is that it is triggered by too high fat content in the food and therefore a low fat diet is best but this is not necessarily always the case as this vet's article explains:

https://www.naturesmenu.co.uk/blog/gues ... m-and-diet

A supplement which can also help any dog with a digestive / pancreatic issue is Tree Barks Powder which can be added to raw food quite easily:

https://www.dorwest.com/product/tree-ba ... -and-cats/

Eating bone should not really be an issue with pancreatitis unless the bone has a lot of fat attached or a large marrow bone as marrow has a high fat content. Many of the raw dog food companies sell a variety of bones other than marrow bones so they could be an option if you wanted to give him one as a chew.

Julie's Facebook group link is a great idea so do check that out as these groups are often really helpful. Good luck and let us know how you get on :-)
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

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