Pancreatitis

[Hannah]

Our 8 year old mini schnauzer has had acute pancreatitis 4 time in the last 6 weeks. Twice she has had to have sub-q fluids and shots to ease her stomach symptoms which were mostly diarrhea every 30-60 minutes all day and night with a few incidents of vomiting. I was sent home with metronidazole pills all 4 times which stopped the symptoms after a couple of days. She becomes very lethargic and is in pain and it's horrible. They want me to try a "Prescription" Royal Canin canned dog food because of it being low fat. The fat content says from 1.43% to 3.5% and I currently cook her food with 99% fat free turkey and boiled sweet potatoes and carrots which I feel is healthier and definitely lower fat than that. Has anyone had any luck in successfully controlling pancreatitis as I know there is no cure. I am so heartsick that she has to live with this painful condition.

[Dawnspell]

A friend of mine recently adopted a rescue dog who had pancreatitis. She changed him over to raw specifically low fat and he hasnt had any flare ups since. I certainly wouldnt want the prescription diet either. If you dont want actual raw then you could try Pure dehydrated raw https://www.purepetfood.com/dog-food-fo ... nBEALw_wcB Jasper likes it and hes a very fussy eater. You just add water and mix.

[zeta1454]

So sorry to hear about your mini schnauzer’s illness. It must be really stressful for you as well as her suffering. Have you had a definite diagnosis of pancreatitis as it is a condition that is notoriously difficult to establish with certainty in all cases even after specific tests. There is a lot of useful information on this link regarding pancreatitis:

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/ ... is-in-dogs

The Metronidazole pills are antibiotics specifically to treat certain bacterial infections but are not a treatment for pancreatitis and can also cause diarrhoea and vomiting as a side effect and potentially may affect the liver:

“ Side effects of metronidazole may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, regurgitation, decreased appetite, tiredness, and drooling.”

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/ ... 20weakness.

I agree that a raw (or home-prepared diet) will definitely be better than Royal Canin or similar. You may also find these articles of interest re feeding a dog with pancreatitis:

https://dogsfirst.ie/diet-for-pancreati ... eal%20food.

https://dogsfirst.ie/causes-of-pancreatitis-in-dogs/

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/m ... s-in-dogs/

For easing abdominal pain and helping with absorption of nutrients from the food, Tree Barks powder can also be helpful:

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

https://www.dorwest.com/common-problems ... dogs-cats/

[Hannah]

Thank you for the information. She did have a positive result for pancreatitis and her symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy and hunching over correlates with the diagnosis. Thank you for the link.