I lost my beautiful terrier mix, Nighean, to pancreatitis in January. She had had a few attacks in previous months, but through meds and good veterinary care, she was able to recover. This last attack, though, was a bad one. We got her to the vet as quickly as possible, but we could tell that she was suffering. She couldn't move, the pain was so bad. The vet called us later that day to tell us that Nighean's pancreas was devouring itself, and that she was in extreme pain. Her chances of recovery, we were told, were almost nil. We had no other choice but to make the decision to help ease her passing. As one who lives with chronic pain, I couldn't stand the thought of my baby living with this horrendous pain for any longer than necessary.
Nighean was only 7 years old and was on the best dog food we could find, and she rarely, if ever, ate people food. Because of this, we were unsure as to why she was having these attacks.
It's a serious disease, and if your dog shows signs of an attack, get to the vet immediately. Nighean was vomiting bile (with a strong odor) and couldn't keep water down. (The vomiting is one of the first signs, in our experience) She became withdrawn and stayed still as any movement at all seemed to cause her great pain.
You feel so helpless, as there's nothing that you can do to ease that pain except get to the vet asap.
__________________  VAL, TOPHER AND SOPHIE |