[LuvMySissy]

Just wanted to share our latest journey with you and let you know why forums like this are so important for education.

Last fall, Sissy spent a Sunday afternoon vomiting for several hours. But, then she stopped. I was keeping her hydrated with Pedalyte and water since she had stopped vomiting and wasn't having diarrhea to see how she was during the night and in the morning. Although she didn't get sick any more, she looked at me with "those eyes" in the morning to let me know she didn't feel well.

So, in the morning, I called my vet and we went in. She didn’t have a temperature and was only slight dehydrated with nothing else remarkable. As I knew she was sick, I asked for a full blood panel. A very elevated Lipase level was the result with a diagnosis of Pancreatitis. She was already on The Honest Kitchen freeze-dried raw, so we continued on that and almost completely eliminated treats and then only very low fat. She had been doing very well.

A year later, during her check-up, I request the full blood panel be run again to check how her levels were since she had been doing so well. Major shocker that her Lipase levels was significantly higher than when she was diagnosed with Pancreatitis – with no symptoms!!!!!!

So, knowing what I know about pancreatitis, I requested a cPL and TLI (pancreatic specific panel that also checks Cobalamine (B12) and Folate levels). And in the meantime, I consulted with pet nutritionist Susan Davis. Susan felt given Sissy’s history of Giardia along with just a really high Lipase with everything else fairly normal that it wasn’t pancreatitis, but an intestinal issue stemming from the Giardia. So, her diet was changed slightly and three supplements were added. When I finally got the results of the pancreatic specific panel, pancreatitis was ruled out and bacteria in the small intestine with a probability of developing severe intestinal disease if left untreated. She has started on weekly B12 injections and we will be visiting California next week to further consult with Susan Davis and holistic vet, Dr. Gordon.

My vet told me that if I hadn’t been an educated pet owner and run this blood work just to see how she was doing, Sissy most likely would have died within the next year. Please, please, please trust your gut and be an advocate for your furbabies. Granted this diagnostic process has cost about $600 so far, it is a small price to pay for my baby’s health and well being!!!!!!!!