Any chronic pancreatitis experts out there?

[Luucylu]

Hi all. My little senior man had his first bout of pancreatitis a couple of months ago, he had on and off symptoms for about 3 - 4 weeks which ended with a big flare up so he was diagnosed towards the end.

He has been doing amazing since then, so much energy and happiness. Again, he was full of it last night then we had a vomit at midnight and another this morning and the poor thing has been in a lot of pain since. He’s gone down fast. He’s seen his vet who’s given him anti nausea and a strong pain injection so he’s quite out of it now.

Is it possible the pancreatitis has returned? We’ve been so strict with his diet.

He does also have a progressing gallbladder issue so there are a lot of possibilities.

I’ll be checking back in with my vet in the morning.

We have a dog who has it and he's a bugger for finding food he shouldn't have and giving himself a flare . As long as he has only the low fat food from the vet he Is fine but the vet did day that at some stage that food may not be enough and that the pancreas will start to flare no matter what we do.

Hello. Is he a schnauzer? Go for Arden Grange Partners Fish and Potato tinned food. It is extremely low fat. I can advise further. Has hyperlipidemia been diagnosed? You can get it on zooplus.

If he has a bout going on now it is crucial to keep him from dehydration..they don't usually want to drink though. You can give them water via a syringe (the kind that you use for Calpol syrup) into the side of the mouth. Lift his lip and slowly inject it, little and often, through his teeth and onto the tongue. It's important - check for dehydration by pressing his gums. If they're sticky and dry he needs water.
When mine is in the middle of a flare up she has boiled fish (cod or haddock only as other fish has too high a fat content for her condition) and a little bit of cooked white rice, small meals three times a day. I add water to keep hydration up.

Chappie dog food is lower fat too, but not as low as the Arden Grange. Chappie easier to get your hands on and not quite as costly. You may need a probiotic from the vet.

NB, like @romdowa my girl is now muzzled on walks so there is no risk of her eating the wrong food.

Thanks all. He’s a terrier X. He’s already on special food due to his other health issue. It’s not confirmed pancreatitis but I’m wondering if it’s common to come back so quickly?

Ok. May need further investigation by vets. There was no doubt at all with my girl. I am not a vet but have been managing panc flare ups for a few years. It took a while to get the balance in her diet right, she needed such a low fat diet and she lost too much weight so she has a little Chappie with her meals too. I'll keep everything crossed, keep going with the water. 🫂

Vet has given him anti nausea and pain relief so he’s quite sedated and snoring now 🥹. We’re going back tomorrow to decide whether to do bloods or ultrasound. Hopefully nothing major. 🤞🏻

I'll keep my fingers crossed, hope all goes well. The chronic condition can be managed, good luck tomorrow.

You must be so worried for your beloved boy. My darling springer suffered from this vile illness in his last year.

We went down the route of X-rays/ ultrasound with the results sent away and a specialist vet gave her opinion/advice to our normal vet. I’d really advise to look at what else is going on, they picked up on a gallbladder issue which gave us extra time together. If he vomits please get in touch with the vet immediately. As with humans, pancreatitis is incredibly painful and I do regret not making an early decision during his final attack. Each attack seemed to be worse than the last and like you, I was strict with his diet and he had no off lead walks once he was diagnosed because he was able to sniff out contraband from 5 miles away.

Sending positive thoughts to you and your boy. Horrible, horrible illness 💐💐💐

@SpanielsMatter thank you, we’ve already got a known gallbladder issue so it is an extra big worry whenever he’s ill like this.

If he’s not better or worse tomorrow we will likely do bloods and an ultrasound. His last ultrasound was only 2 months ago.

I’ll keep everyone posted. 🙏

I have chronic pancreatitis and would be very careful , my dog has also had one attack. If it is a regular problem . Please please please consider pts . It’s awful when you understand this never mind when you don’t.