# Pancreatitis - Jackson got diagnosed.



## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

Friday afternoon and evening, took Jackson to my uncle's house for a family BBQ. Pretty sure he just had one too many treats and bad things, including a part of a chocolate cupcake that fell on the floor, some sausages from the pizza topping, and who knows what else the kids dropped. He also swam in a salt water pool and maybe gulped some, for all I know.

He's always had a pretty stomach of steel and could handle anything. Well, I came home from breakfast Saturday AM and found two piles of throw up. Knew he wasn't feeling good. He went outside, ate grass, and threw up more white foamy-looking piles full of grass. Then he threw up again around 4pm and 7pm. I just thought his stomach was upset. He then had to throw up again at 1:30am, then again at 4am, and then last time at 5am. He did drink a bit of water but not enough.

Took him to the vet today at 2pm and they did x-rays and bloodwork. He was really dehydrated and those particular levels were up. His liver and most other things were totally normal and fine. X-rays were cleared and fine. Took his temp and the thermometer had blood on it.

I got so upset when they told me he had to stay overnight on IV and fluids. I've never left him before, besides him staying at my dads house, and I was holding back tears. So I did not hear specific details and stuff, I am hoping tomorrow to get a copy of the sheet with all the levels,etc (I think I forgot it when I left). I started bawling in my car when I left him. Vet is hopeful he can come home tomorrow afternoon...

I am so sick over this and feel so guilty. What does anyone know about pancreatitis? I am sitting here so sad thinking of him scared in a crate in the hospital but I know he's in the best place he could be right now and I want to get him better. 

I am going to ask questions to my vet tomorrow but I need some help in making sure I ask the right questions.

He's currently eating TOTW Sierra Mountain (25% protein, 15% fat) and I know he's most likely going to have to be on a lower fat diet now.


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## Janet At Nutro (Mar 11, 2011)

My heart goes out to you and Jackson.


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## tansox (Jun 22, 2011)

My Yorkie had pancreatitis diagnosed when she was 7 years old, it took a couple of weeks to stabilise her, but I had to keep her on a low fat diet for her life, but other than that, nothing different. She died when she was 17. She had a great life, she went swimming in the lake every day virtually, lived and played like any other dog and provided her weight was regulated, she was fine. 

I know what you mean though having to leave her, Daisy, (my little Yorkie) was in and out of the vets for weeks, but saying that, this was way over 15 years ago or something, so no doubt things have changed somewhat. Jackson is in the best place and he'll be sedated a little to help with any anxiety, they won't leave him "stressing", they'll take good care of him. I wish I could give you a hug, but I'm thinking of you. (((hugs)))


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## bug (Jul 19, 2011)

Five years ago my then nine year old Austrailian Terrier developed pancreatitis. He went straight from the vets office to the NC State vet school where he spent two weeks. It was touch and go for awhile but we got him through it and had two more good years with him before cancer finally got him. He did go on a low fat diet after he recovered.

I hope everything goes well for Jackson. Stay strong and think positive, the vets at the vet school told me they think my visiting with him everyday actually helped him pull through it.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

This might go against your vets advice, but I wouldn't worry about high fat kibble. I would look to feeding the higher protein level totw formulas and feed much less. You could always go back to champion and feed even less;0) I would be more worried about the kids dropping crap on the floor. it's hard to watch, but I do when my dog is around kids or adults acting like kids ahahaha. Also no high fat treats or table scraps other than meat


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

My 2 bichon girls have had recurring pancreatitis for years now. Lexi is 12 and Darby is 9.5. Just went through another bout with one, and finally "gave up" trying to do raw with them (even takeing off all visible fat and skin). THey are feeling SO much better. Actually playing now and happy vs. sad looking and sleeping all day. 

I found Petcurean NOW! Grain free Senior. Protein is moderate at 24 and low fat at 10%. I add warm water as well because they are prone to UTIs.

Good luck! Don't make my mistake and try to reintroduce normal and higher fat foods. Even in attempting to do the best thing, I was hurting them instead


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## StellaLucyDesi (Oct 29, 2008)

I agree...Now! Senior is a good food. Another option might be Wellness Core Reduced Fat. Protein in the 34% range and fat in the 10% range..grainfree and around 350 calories/cup (if I remember correctly). This is what we put Desi on when he had an acute bout of pancreatitis around a year ago. His case was mild, though, and did not require any hospitalization....we were very lucky with him. No recurring case with him (as of yet...fingers crossed!) He's 8 years old. He and my other dogs are currently eating all premade raw (NV and Primal) with kibble used as treats (Halo or Now! Small Breed).


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

Thanks for the amazing support you guys.

He is home. 

He was really excited when he ran out and saw me. My mom, stepdad and little sister came too. He was VERY excited! Went outside and peed right away a lot. He was pretty mellow on the car-ride but that's pretty typical. I held him and he stuck his head out the window a little bit which means he's feeling good!

Whew did his butt stink. I'm assuming his anal glands (I've smelled that smell before...) because he expresses them when he's scared, even when he gets his nails cut. He did have a bit of poop stuck to his butt too.

We walked in the door to our house and he was so happy to be home -- I could just tell. He peed a lot again when we got home, to be expected. I used a sponge and dog shampoo and tried to clean his butt as much as possible for tonight. It smells a little better... whew!

He was starving. I offered him his Purina E/N kibble and he ate it up! Not a lot... probably like 15 kibbles? He used to get 1/2 cup a day of TOTW and the vet said 1/3 of his usual diet... I'm pretty sure. Either way, it wasn't a lot. He said lean boiled chicken is perfectly fine, but obviously not right away. Still letting his stomach settle.

This is going to be hard... he's basically his 'normal' self. Step-dad took out his quesadillias from the fridge to eat and Jackson was sitting right beside him, laying head on lap, just waiting for us to give him a piece (don't worry - I took him down). He clearly has no idea what caused this mess, LOL. Then he walked around the whole kitchen just sniffing the floor scrounging for food. This IS the dog with an ID tag that states 'Treat Monster'. *sigh* Oh, then he found a piece of a treat on the floor left over I suppose from the other day. One of those freeze dried liver treats, I pried open his mouth and took it out. He looked at me so confused, poor fella. But it's for the best and I am not taking any more chances.

He did try to play with his Orbee ball for about 3 minutes with me and bounced it around but he's pretty tired. I'm sure from just the whole ordeal, the sickness and everything. So he just went under my bed for some rest, which he does almost every night, so very typical of him. Oh he did just have the "hershey squirts" as my dad calls them outside but he's drinking water well and had a bit of food.

Of course the vet on the phone also told me "stay away from all natural diets and feed high quality kibbles such as IAMS, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc". So he's basically saying the Purina E/N only needs to be fed until the bag is finished and then I should go to one of those foods *sigh* This is difficult for me.... lol. I can tell he will not discuss any other types of food with me and is totally against anything else.

Obviously, I am going to listen to my vet's advice. I really trust his knowledge and I am going to use what is best for Jackson's tummy. But I am hoping I can maybe get him to agree on at least Natural Balance for the future? They have some pretty low fat and protein content foods.... I can't see how feeding Iams or Eukanuba would be any better than NB at least. But this is just my issue that I will speak to the vet about and possibly contact a few more just to get their opinion. Maybe find a canine nutritionist and we'll go from there. For now, he will stay on the Purina E/N.


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## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

Glad he's doing better, that's always nice to hear.

However, seeing what the vet recommended, I'd get Jackson off of that stuff 

Purina E/N:

Brewers rice, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, chicken meal, animal fat preserved with mixedtocopherols (form of Vitamin E), coconut oil, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, animal digest, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, sodium bicarbonate, salt, soybean oil, fish oil, zinc proteinate, choline chloride, Vitamin E supplement, dried colostrum, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), manganese proteinate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, copper proteinate, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite. S-4552

I personally don't like NB very much, however it is still TONS better than that EN stuff, and their chicken formula only has around 10% fat, same as EN, except much better ingredient-wise.

Sweet Potatoes, Chicken Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Chicken, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potato Fiber, Natural Flavor, Flaxseed, Sodium Chloride, Salmon Oil (a source of DHA), Taurine, Choline Chloride, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Folic Acid.

Crude Protein	21.0% minimum
Crude Fat	10.0% minimum
Crude Fiber	3.0% maximum


P.S: Just be careful where that "nutritionist" got his learning from, make sure it's not form one of the food companies.


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

I am not comfortable with it, either. But for now, I want to get his stomach back in order and not "disobey" the vet right now, lol. But I am definitely hoping this will not be long term with the RX food. He goes in Thursday again for a re-check of bloodwork, etc, so I hopefully will get a chance to discuss it with him then.

I am looking at Natural Balance Bison & Sweet Potato. Atleast it would eliminate the corn and rice as the main ingredients. Otherwise, it doesn't look all that different to me and I think it'd be easy on his system.

Here is a comparision:
Purina E/N:
Brewers rice, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, chicken meal, animal fat preserved with mixedtocopherols (form of Vitamin E), coconut oil, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, animal digest, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, sodium bicarbonate, salt, soybean oil, fish oil, zinc proteinate, choline chloride, Vitamin E supplement, dried colostrum, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), manganese proteinate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, copper proteinate, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite.

Crude Protein (Min) 23.0% Crude Fat (Min) 10.5%

NB Bison (Lean Meat) and Potato:
Sweet Potatoes, Bison, Potato Protein, Pea Protein, Canola Oil (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols), Dicalcium Phosphate, Potato Fiber, Natural Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Chloride, Salmon Oil (a source of DHA), Choline Chloride, Taurine, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Folic Acid.

Crude Protein 20.0% minimum Crude Fat 10.0%


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Sounds like a bout of acute pancreatitis...which isn't as worrisome as a chronic case. The pancreas is capable of repair, but usually when it is damaged through bouts like this, they are more likely to have other episodes later in life. So its important to pay attention to what you give your dog. 

I don't know enough about kibble to give my advice there but best of luck to you both!


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Glad to hear that Jackson is doing better. California natural is another alternative with the protein and fat levels your looking for. Do you think it's possible you where over feeding him between the food, treats and scraps? With a nick name like treat monster;0) it's not good to give dogs much scraps not containing meat. I don't give any non meat scraps. Jackson could be getting alot of fat from non meat sources??? How much does he weigh?


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Would you be open to doing your own food, like raw or homecooked? Then you can control the amounts of fat in everything.


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

cast71 said:


> Glad to hear that Jackson is doing better. California natural is another alternative with the protein and fat levels your looking for. Do you think it's possible you where over feeding him between the food, treats and scraps? With a nick name like treat monster;0) it's not good to give dogs much scraps not containing meat. I don't give any non meat scraps. Jackson could be getting alot of fat from non meat sources??? How much does he weigh?


He's actually really skinny. I think he's at a perfect weight for his frame. 16.4lbs. He's always been really healthy and super active.









When it came to dog food, I don't think I was over-feeding it. 1/2 cup per day of TOTW Sierra Mountain and a dab of canned food. He got Canz Real Meat dog treats for trick training and I'd break them into small pieces. I didn't THINK I was giving him a lot of human food... but looking back, I think for a small dog, he was definitely having too much. We, as a family, basically shared most stuff with him. I'd give him a little piece of my pizza, and cheese, and basically whatever else. My dad was always throwing the dogs food. No more, obviously. That is done. 

But yes, he was a total food mongrel! He would eat anything. The vet called him a walking garbage disposal from his bloodwork tests.


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

Caty M said:


> Would you be open to doing your own food, like raw or homecooked? Then you can control the amounts of fat in everything.


This is something I've definitely considered.

I am not entirely sure I'm comfortable with raw with his condition personally. But homecooked is something I am considering. Just need to do more research.


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

DaneMama said:


> Sounds like a bout of acute pancreatitis...which isn't as worrisome as a chronic case. The pancreas is capable of repair, but usually when it is damaged through bouts like this, they are more likely to have other episodes later in life. So its important to pay attention to what you give your dog.
> 
> I don't know enough about kibble to give my advice there but best of luck to you both!


Thank you! Yes, from everything I've been told and read, it's super important to make sure everything going into his mouth is healthy enough for him, low fat, etc.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Personally I would either do home cooked or raw so I could be 100% sure what he was eating. The other thing to think about is getting your bone to organ to meat ratio is 100 times easier on raw than on cooked. I have done both and cooked is harder for me by tons. The other thing to consider is I believe raw fat is different for them than processed fat. I belive their is a thread in the raw forum for a pancreatitis diet. I am not sure if they have one for home cooking but someone may be able to give you direction in that area. My mom's sheltie had panceatitis for his last three years and did very well on raw. No pressure just my experience. I hope you can get some good info on home cooking soon.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

I just want to add that if you do end up going the raw route, I would NOT use premade patties. You have no idea what is in them and they likely contain a lot of skin and cheap parts of the animal- higher fat than roasts, chickens etc that you can de-fat yourself.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Jackson looks good in the pic. He should be getting 3-400 calories a day. When you said table scraps earlier, pizza came to mine ahahaha. That could probably be your problem, especially if everyone is feeding him. He probably was getting 2 or 3 times what he needs and the nutritional balance was out of wack. If you become more strict with feeding, your problem will hopefully go away;0) It's ok to give some treats, but keep it limited and try to use meat. You can use some kibble as treats instead of breaking off a piece of pizza crust;0) My dog gets chicken quarters for treats. I trick him into cleaning his own teeth;0)


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## tem_sat (Jun 20, 2010)

You definitely want to become as knowledgeable as possible regarding the difference between raw fat as opposed to COOKED fat. From what I understand, COOKED fat is the culprit when it comes to pancreatitis. (I wouldn't stand a single chance mentioning that in the YT forum as they would never accept that.) I would, without a single doubt, feed the most digestible (least stress on the pancreas) diet possible. That means, I would ONLY feed raw. Not commercial raw, not dehydrated raw, but PMR. Absolutely nothing cooked or processed ever. Sorry that this response is in the kibble forum...my apologies in advance.


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## Sapphire-Light (Aug 8, 2010)

Pizza is only for people and ninja turtles  

I hope Jackson gets better and I agree on the raw, maybe you can start wit turkey, the ground one is very cheap and makes them feel full :thumb: chicken wings are also nice but they cost more and have more fat.

I know its really hard but its for their own sake, leftovers can be harmful  when Pompadour came home one of the first things I said was "no leftovers " but my parents (mostly my father) were feeding him when I was in classes or not looking.

Then he stared refusing his kibble and even raw meat but he gained twice his weight in just 15 days, my vet was mad and my father confessed he was feeding him cake, tripe soup, donuts, fried chicken, canned weiners, canned cookies, etc.

He was vomiting food in the mornings and making a lot of poop from the overfeeding  sadly now he still begs, cries and even walk on two legs for human food and sometimes if he smells something really yummy he refuses his meals  , two times he stayed more than 3 days witout eating something and he stars to vomit a yellow foam acid from his tummy.


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## 3 dog mom (Jun 25, 2011)

Hey, I am sorry Jackson and you had to go through this. I went through pancreatitis with one of my dogs last year. Let me tell you it is tough trying to find a high quality food with low fat and moderate protein. It seems that the lower fat varieties are often the senior dog foods. I've used a few different ones that my dog has tolerated: Innova senior plus, Blue Buffalo Senior, Merrick Senior Medley and a california natural. All of these hover around the 8-10% fat and 20-25 % protein mark. So far she has done well and recovered with no recurrence. At one point I tried to reintroduce a higher protein food because I do feel most dogs need higher protein than whats in a lot of food, but it made her nauseated so I went right back to the senior varieties and she is doing well. Good luck!


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

3 dog mom said:


> Hey, I am sorry Jackson and you had to go through this. I went through pancreatitis with one of my dogs last year. Let me tell you it is tough trying to find a high quality food with low fat and moderate protein. It seems that the lower fat varieties are often the senior dog foods. I've used a few different ones that my dog has tolerated: Innova senior plus, Blue Buffalo Senior, Merrick Senior Medley and a california natural. All of these hover around the 8-10% fat and 20-25 % protein mark. So far she has done well and recovered with no recurrence. At one point I tried to reintroduce a higher protein food because I do feel most dogs need higher protein than whats in a lot of food, but it made her nauseated so I went right back to the senior varieties and she is doing well. Good luck!


Thank you! I will look into some of the senior varieties, too. What a great idea! I am so glad your dog is doing okay.


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