Hello, my Jackson has been through pancreatitis a few times. He is 12 now and still active and crazy as ever. But the attacks and flare ups can be so scary. Sorry you had go through it.
If it works for your pup, Royal Canin GI low fat is a great option. It didn't work for Jackson but he is a super anomaly. We've been to specialists, he's had ultrasounds, etc.... there was one point where he had diarrhea for 2 months straight (only symptom) with no real resolve, guess was IBD but we no longer believe he has a protein sensitivity, anywayyy it's a long story but here is what we do:
for the actual pancreatitis, it's always clear to me when it's a flare up. He stops eating (Jackson is a cow and will eat anything and everything if left to his own devices. When he stops eating, it's not good). This has only happened 3 times in 12 years where he stops eating. He also usually presents with lots of vomiting and diarrhea. One attack he simply stopped eating though and vomited once, so nothing extreme. I have learned if I get Cerenia (anti nausea med) in him ASAP it helps. If he has already stopped eating food, I get him to the vet asap for anti nausea shot and sub-q fluids. If you are on top of it, I find they recover quicker.
I am assuming your vet gave you Cerenia and metronidazole, which is pretty standard treatment. I would keep those meds on hand for the future *just in case*. My vet also has us keep Pepcid A/C on hand (famotidine). Jackson is bigger at 18lbs so he takes 1/2 tablet of 10 mg as needed. If I hear any weird tummy grumbles, I give one as a preventative.
My guy just cannot digest kibble anymore. Even low fat. Last year we switched to 100% canned food (we feed Weruva - their website shows a detailed analysis of the nutritional info, which is VERY important for pancreatitis pups, we feed Grandmas Chicken Soup and Cirque de le Mer). Many people think canned food is lower in fat because if you read the label you may see "4%" fat, you think it's low, but you need to account for moisture. It *must* be converted to dry matter basis (they have calculators that help with this, such as:
https://www.pawdiet.com/articles/dry...-for-pet-food/ ) or you have to email the company directly. Some vets don't even really know about this, so something to keep in mind (I know I had ZERO clue about any of this during Jackson's first pancreatitis). You want to aim for 10% fat DMB or less at first but there are other factors as well. For ex: Jackson does better on a wet food with approx 12% fat DMB than he did on a dry food with 7.5% fat.
Also in the future I always just go right for the SpecCPL test at the vets to test for pancreatitis. It's pretty darn accurate and I don't see a reason not to do it if it can give me a more definitive answer. Regular bloodwork usually would show amylase and lipase being high in the case of pancreatitis but it's NOT always the best way to diagnosis it IMO.
I wouldn't really do bully sticks personally. You might be able to find a few acceptable treats once she recovers though!
I really really hope this didn't overwhelm you! I know it can be a LOT at first to think about it. Try not to stress yourself out too much. Your pup seems like she got proper treatment right away and I am sure she will live a long happy life.
