# "dogs can get pancreatitis from pork"



## SuperPug (Mar 5, 2013)

I don't think I've heard that before. I honestly don't believe that statement. Anyone else?


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

beth, some of the untruths i hear every day are enough to make a grown woman cry. 

i will say this. i don't think pork causes pancreatitis, unless there is an underlying condition going on....because from my own studies, pancreatitis is caused more from sugars than fats...but if the pancreas or liver are vulnerable, i suppose anything can happen.

the other thing i will say concerns commercial pork, such as farmland and swift and ibp and smithfield.

these are corps that raise the worst pigs, feeding them the worst of foods, conditions that melt even my heart...and then minimally process them. they are given antibiotics.....because if you read the label, it says no additional antibiotics given, i believe .....

we now feed pastured pig. the difference is astounding...but only because of the nutrient profile and better quality of pork...than the notion that pork causes pancreatitis.....oy vey.


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## Candyd (Apr 11, 2013)

I'm surprised, why specifically pork (and not another meat) ? Because of pork fat ?
Personally, I think too much starch and foods with a very high glycemic index are much more often responsible than any other environmental cause. My dog has been diagnosed with pancreatitis several years ago and it completely disappeared when I stopped giving him foods with a lot of starch. He eats about 50% of protein, 30% of fat and it's absolutely not a problem for him, that's even what saved his life. I suffer from pancreatitis too, and it happens only when I eat foods with a high glycemic index. I have no problem to eat very fat foods, as long as I don't combine fat with starch or sugar in the same meal.


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

Candyd said:


> I'm surprised, why specifically pork (and not another meat) ? Because of pork fat ?
> Personally, I think too much starch and foods with a very high glycemic index are much more often responsible than any other environmental cause. My dog has been diagnosed with pancreatitis several years ago and it completely disappeared when I stopped giving him foods with a lot of starch. He eats about 50% of protein, 30% of fat and it's absolutely not a problem for him, that's even what saved his life. I suffer from pancreatitis too, and it happens only when I eat foods with a high glycemic index. I have no problem to eat very fat foods, as long as I don't combine fat with starch or sugar in the same meal.


You know what's funny? I had the same results. I have gallbladder problems and my doctor explained it's from NOT eating enough fat so my gallbladder got lazy and stopped working. Fast forward almost three months later, I'm eating about 2-4 TBSP grass-fed butter a day, 3-4 tbsp of coconut oil a day, and cooking everything in tallow -- my hormones are better regulated and almost all my stomach issues are gone. They really screwed us when they vilified good fats. Oh, and I haven't gained a pound...(which actually isn't a good thing for me) The only things that bother me, like you said, are the high glycemic index foods, which I mostly avoid or cook the products the right way to limit the index.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Super Pug 

We have had shelties forever and my family all have shelties. The ones who have ever suffered from pancreatitis were kibble or can food fed and the pancreatitis came after being fed meat with a lot of cooked fat. I have not heard of (though I am sure there must be some) of raw fed dogs gettting sick from raw fat. 

Liz


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## Losech (Jul 10, 2012)

Fat does not _cause _pancreatitis, but it sure can _trigger _it. It's usually some underlying condition that the sudden feeding of fat triggers, so people think fat causes it. I had a paper on it but I can't find it right now. If I do, I'll post it.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

*Pork*

Sorry - trigger is the correct word. There are some breeds more prone or sensitive to pancreatitis and then we have acute or chronic pancreatitis.


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## FBarnes (Feb 17, 2013)

This is what the rawfed myths site says about dogs on raw getting pancreatitis - not sure where the pork part comes in. 

"_Pancreatitis, kidney disease, and other diseases claimed to be linked to raw feeding are in the same boat as bacterial septicemia. What generally happens is that a) there are underlying factors, b) there is an underlying disease, and c) the raw diet brings these to light. With pancreatitis, it is typically kibble-fed dogs that suffer from it when they receive a fatty meat they do not usually get. It is also incredibly important to note that fat does not cause pancreatitis; excess fat is simply a trigger for pancreatitis and may start the cascade of effects in the pancreas. If ingesting a fatty meal triggers a bout of pancreatitis, then that is indicative of some other underlying problem with the pancreas (again, ask "Why this dog? Why now?" Not every dog that eats raw meat or high quantities of fat "gets" pancreatitis, so something about that particular dog indicates "susceptibility"); the pancreatitis itself is a symptom that the pancreas (and possibly other organs) are not well, because a healthy dog with a healthy pancreas will not suffer from pancreatitis. Surprisingly, many dogs that previously suffered from these diseases while eating kibble have dramatically improved since switching to a raw diet._ "

Myths About Raw: An Honest, Candid Conclusion


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## FBarnes (Feb 17, 2013)

And Liz touches on a very important fact that is often overlooked - there is chronic and acute pancreatitis. A bout of acute pancreatitis can be life threatening but it is often completely recoverable and temporary.

Edited to add: If fat were a cause, no dogs could be raw fed since fat is their source of energy, the oil that lubes their organs, critical to life.


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## Roo (Oct 17, 2010)

I've read that there is very little scientific evidence (1 study) for the cause of pancreatitis to be from high fat meals. However while fat may not be the cause, it looks like it can be the trigger for a predisposed dog and lower fat does seem to be helpful with managing pancreatitis. There seems to be some different factors that may predispose a dog to it like medications, genetics, certain illnesses, possibly dogs fed low protein diets etc.
http://www.idexx.com/pubwebresources/pdf/en_us/smallanimal/education/diagnosing-treating-pancreatitis-roundtable.pdf 

If fat is the trigger or even if it is somehow the cause, cooking fat changes the chemical structure of it, causing the molecules to become much larger in size and harder for the body to break down and digest. Raw fat has a high amount of lipase enzymes which perform certain essential roles in the digestion, transport, and processing of dietary lipids (fats). The high heats in cooking may destroy a lot of these enzymes. With this info, it would seem to me that cooked fat could possibly be more of an issue than raw fat.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

Oh man, Tobis been eating copious amounts of pork fat for the last few years, he loves it and love the way it makes him Shine and gleam, never an issue, and most weeks we feed 2-3 pork meals high, by high I mean slabs of straight fat (quick energy for exercise) and never have we had but a little gas and maybe a loose stool. Pork fat is our main at we feed, venison is far too lean in the pieces we get.


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## Felix (Oct 9, 2012)

My sister is a vet tech and she says giving my dog raw of any kind will give him pancreatitis. So far we are going strong for 2 years feeding raw and some kibble and haven't had an issue. However, her dogs have had it 3 times getting into their McDonald's burgers that they eat daily...


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Sheltielover25 said:


> You know what's funny? I had the same results. I have gallbladder problems and my doctor explained it's from NOT eating enough fat so my gallbladder got lazy and stopped working. Fast forward almost three months later, I'm eating about 2-4 TBSP grass-fed butter a day, 3-4 tbsp of coconut oil a day, and cooking everything in tallow -- my hormones are better regulated and almost all my stomach issues are gone. They really screwed us when they vilified good fats. Oh, and I haven't gained a pound...(which actually isn't a good thing for me) The only things that bother me, like you said, are the high glycemic index foods, which I mostly avoid or cook the products the right way to limit the index.


you probably already read Chris Kresler....but if not, he is doing research on the big fat cholesterol lie  and fats.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

sorry, Chris Kresser......


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