Bailey's got Pancreatitis
 

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas, an organ that is important in digestion. Pancreatitis can be acute (beginning suddenly, usually with the patient recovering fully) or chronic (progressing slowly with continued, permanent injury to the pancreas).

Acute pancreatitis occurs when the pancreas suddenly becomes inflamed but improves. Patients recover fully from the disease, and in almost 90% of cases the symptoms disappear within about a week after treatment. The pancreas returns to its normal architecture and functioning after healing from the illness. After an attack of acute pancreatitis, tissue and cells of the pancreas return to normal. With chronic pancreatitis, damage to the pancreas occurs slowly over time. Symptoms may be persistent or sporadic, but the condition does not disappear and the pancreas is permanently impaired. Pancreatic tissue is damaged, and the tissue and cells function poorly

I googled that so I hope that helps a little. And that was the def. for humans so I'm not sure if it's the same in pups but maybe it will give you an idea~ So sorry to hear he's sick!

:getwellso

good link to check out
Veterinary Q & A - Pancreatitis in Dogs and Cats

Thanks for your definition!!! I think he said it's Chronic Pancreatitis. He said he's a little underweight and with his bathroom problems and the bloodwork, it all makes sense. He's had this problem once before too. If the medicine doesn't cure this, he wants to do a different test on his pancreas.

Layla has pancreatits as do many dogs on YT- I'm surprised how often I see posts like yours. While it is very scary right now and pancreastitis is very serious- it can be well managed.

I (as have many on YT) contacted a nutrionist right after i got the diagnosis- Layla's vet wanted me to feed her some canned crap which was not going to happen. I had a consult with Susan Davis (Holistic Veterinarian Pet Nutritionist Holistic Pet Care) and Layla is now on a speical home cooked diet which is VERY low in fat- she is also on a lypase enzyme which helps her pancrease in that it does not have to make it itself. Layla's Spec numbers were in the 800's in the midst of our problems (in October) and we went back in Feb to be rechecked and she is now in the 100's- I can honestly say Susan saved Layla's life and saved her from a life on horrible food.

So no matter which way you go- LOW fat is what is going to make all the difference- no more meat based treats- only veggie or fruit based. It is very hard to find a quality low fat food (i had to find one that also didn't contain chicken as layla is very very allergic) which is why we went the direction of the nutritionist- also based on the wonderful comments i received on here about Susan.

I am very sorry Bailey has Pancreatits. I have heard that once a dog has it they can get it again:( However, it can be controlled with propper diet. I am very glad the vet is taking very good care of him right now, and giving him what he needs to get well.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and Bailey. :animal-pa

Thanks, I actually have an phone appt. with her on Wed. at 12:30. I'm going to make sure I have all my vet paperwork with me to read to her. Right now he's on the canned crap and I can't wait to get him off of it!!! Thank got he's got the medicine to help him with the switch of foods.

Good job Mom- this is going to be THE best money you have ever spent. Susan is great- does not push anything on you (She highly recommends Nature's Variety- but I wasn't going to feed raw- ) but the all the supplements she recommended- i bought and we use daily. She is phenomenal with her shipping- usually arrives within 1-2 days- you are just going to love her- please let us know how it goes.

I don't know if you will know these codes but these are what were high RBC 8.51 - HCT 61.0% - HGB 19.1 g/dL All of these say HIGH next to them.... :( but I have no clue what they mean.

sorry I am no help - Layla only had her lipase enzymes and Spec done- but I'm going to send this link to Jodie and Crystal- both of their girls also suffer and they shoudl be able to help.

Oh thanks!!!

Oh Chandra! How scary. You and Bailey are in my thoughts. There are a lot of folks here who've been through this, and I know they'll help you learn about this disease. Please keep us posted.

Did he happen to eat something out of the ordinary before this episode?
Did the vet do a Spec cPL or are they trying to diagnose this with a blood panel alone? What was his lipase and amylase?

It sounds like the vet is thinking about doing a TLI (trypsin like immunoreactivity). vitamin B12 and folate testing is done with this quite often. A low TLI would indicate exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. This would cause a dog to be underweight. It can be very serious but it is generally managed well with a pricey drug. Whether this med helps or not, if this was Ellie, I would choose to run this test anyway. It can't hurt and it is best to know what you are dealing with. This could cause symptoms of IBD but it is something different.

Hi Chandra - so sorry to hear that Bailey isn't feeling well. We started with a diagnosis of pancreatitis based on a high Lipase level, but a year later when we re-ran the bloodword and the lipase was twice as high as it had been with a very regulated low-fat diet, we did the Spec cPL. I antiticpated a low TLI with a diganosis of Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, but instead Sissy had a high TLI with a low Cobalamine level, which indicates Protein Losing Enteropathy. Thankfully, we caught it very, very early and she is doing really well. Her last bloodwork was almost normal.

The RBC = red blooc cells; HCT = hematocrit; HGL = hemoglobin. An increased level in each of these are usually indicative of dehydration. Here is a link to reading canine lab results....Douglas Island Veterinary Service - How to read lab test results

If you vet didn't run the Spec cPL bloodwork, they cannot make a definitive pancreatitis diagnosis. You really need to have these results and they also help to rule out other things which can cause pancreatic episodes. This bloodwork must be run with them fasting for 12 hours and the results take anywhere from a couple days to two weeks.

You will love Susan Davis. She will have great information for you and hopefully Bailey will feel better in no time.

Oh my I am so sorry to hear about Bailey..I'm a wreck myself as Izzy is in the hospital as I type this. We also had to take her in again on Sunday due to vomiting blood. She was diagnosed with Pancreatitis in November and has now this is her 4th time since. :(

I also consulted with Susan Davis and now we are doing a cobalamin and folate and TLI test. I truly feel now that she has other issues that are triggering the pancreatitis attacks. We won't do anything else until we get all the blood work back which should be by end of week.

Izzy has super high (Amylase) LIP (Lipase) levels but when the SpecCPLi test was done she was neither confirmed has or does not have pancreatitis but "could have"..which is nutty.:confused:

I just talked to our vet and Izzy is doing well and I should be able to bring her home tonight.

I feel your pain as it just hurts to see your baby so sick. Talk over with your vet and I also suggest talking to Susan Davis and if need be a consult with Dr. Gordon. I may be calling them again myself soon.

Keep us posted on Bailey.:(

Wow this is all so overwhelming and I really have to learn what all these medical words mean. It's been tearing me up inside to see my little boy so sick with diarrhea. He didn't eat anything that would have brought this on, everyone knows that he ABSOLUTELY cannot have anything beside his food and a cracker. Today he felt so much better. He woke up at 3:00am crying b/c he was hungry...LOL! Finally at 6:00am I got up and fed him. I can't let him get off his schedule. The IV fluid really helped him!!! I really appreciate all the support and concern everyone has. I'm not too sure exactly what tests were done to confirm this but after I talk to Susan Davis on Wed. I'm going to call my vet and discuss with him what she said. I will ask him exactly what tests were done. I really do appreciate all the support, this is very scary (sp) for me!

Chandra don't feel bad I am clueless about all these tests and what they mean as well. I am learning as I go with this and with the help of super members on YT who have gone through the same thing we learn from each other.:D

I know - you just feel bad for your baby. I'm happy to hear that you are setting up time with Susan you will learn a lot from her.:D

I don't know what all of these tests and numbers mean but I just wanted to say Get Well Bailey. We'll be sending some good thoughts and prayers. :)

Thanks again for all your support and prayers! I'm talking with Susan Davis today and was wondering if any of you had ideas or suggestions of what I could ask her? I have a general list going as far as food and treats, but I want to make sure I ask the right questions now that he has this new issue.

She will be very thorough with suggesting a specific diet. Asking about treats is great. Make sure you understand all the directions given, how much you are going to feed, exactly what supplements and the dose and how many times a day, what symptoms to watch for, any other bloodwork you should have done.

Good luck!!!!

i agree with Jodie- she is very thorough- also when she sends the supplements- she will write down on the paper how much to give- just in case you forget.

Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to update you on my talk with Susan. She told me to start off feeding Natural Balance Fish and Potato, green beans, Natures Variety of freeze dried medallion and canned pumpkin. I'm also putting him on a couple different supplements. Tonight I started off with the veggies and pumpkin b/c I want to wait for the supplements to help him digest the food. He's going to be on this diet for a couple weeks and then we have to re-check his blood and then re-evaluate his food routine and make adjustments where necessary. I really liked her. So that's where we're at for now. Bailey thought he had died and gone to heaven tonight with his veggies and canned pumpkin...LOL... :)

Good to hear!!!!! I'm guessing the supplements you'll be starting on are the Probiotic, lLpozyme and possibly Bioliv???

Yeah and one that is for anxiety. I can't remember the name right now (it's in my purse in the other room) LOL. I should get them Saturday. Do you know what the Bioliv is for? My notes aren't so good for that one.

Also, if anyone can tell me... I know Bailey can have cooked veggies, but can he have fruit??? I'm so new to this so any information would be great!!! Thanks so much! I would hate to keep Bananas from him! :)

Fruit is great! Layla hates fruit but for a nightly snack she gets fat free yogurt with baby food fruit- LOVES It!

and i'm pretty sure the bioliv is for the liver.