# Pancreatitis and Food



## chelseyface (Dec 19, 2010)

No sure if I should post here or in health. Noticed some of you had experience with pancreatitis and pancreatitis insufficiency. (took the test for that today) My 3 year old golden had an attack of vomiting and was diagnosed with pancreatitis was in hospital, meds, iv etc. She was on orijen for 2 years but vet thinking maybe it was just too much fat for her. She is a very energetic dog and wasn't getting table scraps and very trim, fit and a good weight. 

For the next month she is on the Purina prescription (which has horrible ingredients - and goes against everything I believe ugh!) Hoping Vet will let me upgrade to better low fat food (Wellness Core low fat or Acana fit and lite, has grains though) Didn't want anything that has once been recalled, and Proctor and Gamble now have California Natural, Evo - not sure what will become of those foods. Wellness used to be great..

Was thinking of raw, but after speaking to some of the distributors; they say it could cause more harm when transitioning, could cause a host of problems, until it gets worked out; not sure if that is a good idea.

Any suggestions of food, pancreatitis etc. much appreciated - how it's going with your dog, what food, what you have tried etc. Thanks!


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

My old guy was prone to pancreatitis. He was hospitalized twice and both times were touch and go.

The first attack was from table scraps before I knew better and the second one (September 2009) was from changing dog food. Once they have an attack, they are more prone to a repeat attack so I've been told.
He was put on Science Diet W/D which had ingredients that sound horrible, but it was better than risking another attack and another $1700 vet bill (that included e-vet).

If you do change, do it very, very slowly but honestly - I leave her on the one whose ingredients read bad and not risk it.

He did find and I lost him to cancer in October. He had no problems on W/D for over a year. Good luck with your girl. I hope she never had another attack.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Canine Caviar has a special needs formula that, for many, can replace the prescription foods. Special Needs It is a lower protein/fat food but made with quality ingredients. I'd compare its nutritional analysis with what you're using now and then provide the comparison to your vet. You may also want to consult a canine nutritional consultant for additional input. Please keep us posted.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Honestly, I think this depends on the dog and how much damage was done by the bout of pancreatitis, and what caused it. If that makes sense? 

Danny was on Hills for a month both times and weaned back onto his regular kibble. When he had the pancreatitis, it was caused by handouts, not his normal kibble. And I agree with Copper's Mom that when it happens once it is bound to happen again. <- Which is why after the second time Danny wound up in the ER on IV's I finally got my mom to understand that he couldn't have leftovers after big fatty dinners like Turkey Dinner on Thanksgiving or Ham Dinner on Easter. 

Now, we had him on Nutro Natural Choice all his life... and it is a bit easier on a dog's stomach than some of the more premium kibbles are, I think. It's more rice based than meat/fish based, so I assume it's a little easier on the digestion. <- At least that is my best theory as both goldens back then were switched onto Nutro to calm down their digestion issues back when they were puppies. And it was the best thing for them all their lives. 

^ The above is not intended as a sort of advertisement for Nutro. I'm just trying to say that it isn't always necessary to permanently have your dogs on a prescription diet. The important thing is to feed your dog something that he/she has no problem digesting. Something that is easier on their systems.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I know there are alot of people that dont like the Science Diet or Royal Canine prescription food because of the ingredients, but they are good foods for the problems. They have years of experience behind them and work. The food is not to be used for long term basis but for a certain problem and will work for what they are intended. 
For me, I would use them when the vet recommends them. They are not getting money from the companies to recommend them, no matter what you may hear. I asked my vet about it and he would not lie to me, as we are friends, and he said NO he does not get money from them. And I have heard that from other vets.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

> The food is not to be used for long term basis but for a certain problem and will work for what they are intended.


But with some dogs and certain problems, that is exactly the case. They need to be on prescription diets for the rest of their lives, because the food is specially formulated for their particular problem which will never go away.


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## AtticusJordie (Aug 15, 2006)

BeauShel said:


> I know there are alot of people that dont like the Science Diet or Royal Canine prescription food because of the ingredients, but they are good foods for the problems. They have years of experience behind them and work. The food is not to be used for long term basis but for a certain problem and will work for what they are intended.
> For me, I would use them when the vet recommends them. They are not getting money from the companies to recommend them, no matter what you may hear. I asked my vet about it and he would not lie to me, as we are friends, and he said NO he does not get money from them. And I have heard that from other vets.


Your comment has me a little concerned (and perhaps, I shouldn't be...). Our vet (who has Goldens herself--and who we trust implicitely) recommended the Royal Canin Calorie Control High Protein for both Atticus and Scout (and we put Jordie on it, too). All three of them were overweight so she recommended the RCCCHP to help slim them down. That has worked well for Atticus (we must keep him svelt due to his severe heart condition) and Jordie--for the most part. Scout still hasn't slimmed down very much. We feed the RCCHP mixed with a little Neumans' Own Senior Formula for the breakfast meal, then give them Bravo raw for supper (mixed with some green beans or raw carrots). Are there possible problems with long-term use of the RC?

Our vet also told us that to give meds to the dogs we can use peanut butter (their favorite food next to all other foods  ) but she cautioned us not to overdo the peanut butter because it can cause pancreatitis.

SJ


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

When I am talking about these types of food, I am talking about when they have a medical issue like with the pancreatitis or a medical issue that the vet says they need to be on it for a certain length of time. Not the kind like for weight issues. Like when Beau was recovering from bloat, he put Beau on the kind with venison that is lower fat and easier to digest. I think it was I/D. But not sure since it has been over 3 years. 

Yes it can be used for long term for certain issues but this post is directed for people that get it when their dogs are sick for a particular issue and then see that it has something that is not in their particular dog food and dont feel comfortable feeding it. But it is good food for the problem. In fact I keep a can for digestive issues when I get a foster puppy because they usually come from a shelter and usually will have a stomach problem.


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## chelseyface (Dec 19, 2010)

*Dog Food Pancreatitis*

Thank you so much for posting your thoughts! Maybe I am in denial, because it all happened so fast. She was bouncing around one minute and I went out for 15 minutes, came back and barf all over the carpet. It went on all night until I could go the vet early morning. But through it all she was "never sick" even in the hospital; she was still energetic, happy. It was more like an episode of food poisioning. Anyways vet said it was pancreatitis. The last thing my dog did have was peanut butter. I put some in her kong hours before. I swear she has an allergy to that; I think once she got diarrhea. I told the vet but he didn't think so. He didn't think this caused it.

I honestly believed that vets did push their food eg. Hills, Purina, all the prescription. I heard they get incentives and it supports medical school. I really don't understand what's in this food that costs a fortune. I've looked at the ingredients; I swear this is going to kill her! I think it is crap with the most basic ingredients but calculated with equations and proportions of percentages which sounds like a medical quality food. I understand even if it's the best food in the entire world; if it makes my dog sick then it is not good food! She was on over 17% fat and high protein so if she went down to 10% or little more - better quality, maybe she will be fine. I will wait until my vet thinks we can transition very slowly, but if it was up to him; he would continue with this horrible food. 

I am just petrified that if I do end up changing the food; if something does happen; he will say "I told you so" and I will have caused my dog and our family a lot of grief. I have heard that it may never happen again, and I've heard it could be chronic. She'll be 3 in February. Long time to be on crappy food. Guess I'll have to wait and see what the Insufficiency test says.... Thanks!


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Please take a look at the Canine Caviar special needs food I mentioned above. It is an acceptable alternative many times to the prescription foods and made with good quality ingredients. www.caninecaviar.com Look for Special Needs.


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## chelseyface (Dec 19, 2010)

*Cavier*

Thank you for recommending; looks interesting. Unfortunately not available in Canada as of yet


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## chelseyface (Dec 19, 2010)

Thank you for recommending Canine Caviar, however not available in Canada as of yet


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## chelseyface (Dec 19, 2010)

*pancreatitis insufficiency*

So......just got blood tests back...and everything looks great! Guess we can rule that out. I guess I'll finish the prescription food and maybe I'll be able to transition her to a better quality just a lower fat content. The cainine Caviar looks really interesting, sounds like a good company. They are working on bringing it into Canada one day. I am hoping I can find a suitable food for my dog. I might even add can to her diet, as I think it might be more digestible.


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