stages of pancreatitis?
 

CAn someone out there shed some light on this for me? My 9 year old yorkie had an attack of pancreatitis about 3 months ago. She was put on special prescription food, no table scraps and has been doing well. Out of the blue, today she has very loose stools with blood. My vet is low key and just gave me flagyl to give her. He assumes it will clear up in 3 days. I'm a wreck. Any suggestions? :aimeeyork :aimeeyork

I can give you a little info, but not a lot and I can tell you my opinion for all it's worth. I have a friend with a little one that has pancreatitis and is now a rich old age. :)

I will refer you to this page to start with:

http://www.judithstock.com/Speaking_...s_in_dogs.html

Little one's with pancreatitis seem to always think they are hungry, too. There are two kinds: acute and chronic. Her vet did a blood test and prescribed viokase which is in pill form and she gives her two 425 mg pills a day as well as a special food. She splits them into halves and feeds her 4 little meals a day and she smashes the pill half into the food and mixes it in. It is important that her little doggie not go too long with an empty stomach.

Viokase is used as a digestive aid and in the treatment of pancreatic insufficiency.

I can't remember which kind (acute or chronic) hers has off the top of my head, but she can go a long time (maybe a year even) without any problem and then she might have an attack. In these last years, she hasn't had any for some years now. She takes very good care of her, too. She also gives her pepto bismal and her vet also prescribes antibiotics whenever she does have another siege of it. The antibiotic is important to fight the bacteria.

I hope this helps you some. :confused:

Hi! I am so sorry you are going through this. I too have a little one who has been diagnosed. Zeus was diagnosed about 9 months ago and he was put on prescription diet food also. He was doing great until he got into the cats food and then he had another attack. The vet said that the cat's food had too much protein in it and his little tummy just couldn't handle it. So, we are now on Hill's RD. We stay away from treats other than greenies. So far, so good. Anytime that Zeus appears to have a tummy ache, we just give him half of a Pepcid AC, per the vets instructions, and it seems to do the trick. I would just make sure that there isn't anything around that your little one could get into. As you probably already know, once they are diagnosed, they are very easy to have another attack.

Good luck. I hope she feels better soon! :)

What are the sypmtoms???

The only symptoms that Zeus had was the vomitting. It was the yellowish liquid that they have sometimes when their tummy is empty. Since Zeus had never done this before, we took him to the vet immediately to avoid dehydration and they did a blood test to reveal pancreatitis. Thank God we caught it early, as some dogs end up in the ICU.
After that happened I did think back to a few days earlier when I went upstairs to find Zeus lying on the couch in our bonus room all by himself. He is always right under foot, so that is a sign as well. Anytime a dog goes off by themself, and this isn't something they normally do, it usually means that something is wrong.
It is just so frustrating because they can't tell us what's wrong, if there is even anything wrong. So I say you can never be too careful.

Thanks so much!!!I've been concerned a little about Bentley's digestive system :( I'll mention this to the doctor and see what he thinks.

Vomiting with yellow bile, diahrrea that is mucousy, painful abdomen as I recall.

I just found a very good article here:

The pancreas is a V-shaped organ located behind the stomach and the first section of the small intestine, the duodenum. It has two main functions: it aids in metabolism of sugar in the body through the production of insulin, and is necessary for the digestion of nutrients by producing pancreatic enzymes. These enzymes help the body promote the digestion and absorption of fats. Acute pancreatitis is a sudden onset of pancreatic inflammation.

Causes

Multiple factors can contribute to the development of pancreatitis. Certain medications, infections; metabolic disorders including hyperlipidemia (high amounts of lipid in the blood) and hypercalcemia (high amounts of calcium in the blood); and trauma and shock can be associated with the development of pancreatitis. Middle-aged dogs appear to be at increased risk of developing pancreatitis; as a breed, Schnauzers and Yorkshire Terriers appear to be more prone to pancreatitis. Nutrition also plays a role. Dogs with diets high in fat, or dogs who 'steal' or are fed greasy 'people food' seem to have a high incidence of the disease.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of the acute form of pancreatitis in dogs include a very painful abdomen, abdominal distention, lack of appetite, depression, dehydration, a 'hunched up' posture, vomiting, diarrhea and yellow, greasy stool. Fever often accompanies these symptoms. Animals with more severe disease can develop heart arrhythmias, sepsis (body-wide infection), difficulty breathing, and a life-threatening condition called disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), which results in multiple hemorrhages. If the inflammation is severe, organs surrounding the pancreas could be 'autodigested' by pancreatic enzymes released from the damaged pancreas and become permanently damaged.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of pancreatitis is made through information obtained from the history, the physical exam, and laboratory testing. Dogs with pancreatitis generally have an increased blood levels of the pancreatic enzymes called amylase and lipase. If the liver also becomes inflamed, liver enzymes as measured in the blood may be increased. A rather new test, serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity, may prove to be a valuable diagnostic aid. The white blood cell count is generally increased in acute pancreatitis. Radiography (x-rays) and ultrasound can also help in making the diagnosis. Biopsy can result in a conclusive diagnosis, but is not commonly performed.

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to rest the pancreas, provide supportive care and control complications. Treatment always begins with a withholding of food, water, and oral medications for at least 24 hours. The lack of oral intake stops the stimulation of the pancreas to produce digestive enzymes. Depending upon the animal's response, food intake can be started again after a few days. The dog is generally fed small meals of a bland, easily digestible, low-fat food. Over the course of a week or more, the size of meals and quantity of food fed are increased. The dog may need to stay on the special diet for life, or it may be possible to gradually reintroduce the former diet.

The second major component of treatment is fluid therapy. Dehydration and electrolyte imbalances are common in dogs with acute pancreatitis, and water intake is often restricted so fluid therapy is usually needed. Fluids are either given subcutaneously or intravenous.

Dogs who are experiencing severe pain can be treated with pain relievers such as meperidine or butorphanol. Antibiotics are often administered prophylactically to protect against infection.

If the pancreatitis was caused by a medication, the medication should be stopped. If it was caused by a toxin, infection, or other condition, appropriate therapy for the underlying condition should be started.

In rare instances, where there are intestinal complications or the development of a pancreatic abscess, surgery may be necessary.

Long-term management and prognosis

Pancreatitis can be a very unpredictable disease. In most cases, if the pancreatitis was mild and the pet only had one episode, chances of recovery are good, and avoiding high fat foods may be all that is necessary to prevent recurrence or complications. In other cases, what appears to be a mild case may progress, or may be treated successfully only to have recurrences, sometimes severe.

Dogs with severe pancreatitis can recover, but may also develop fatal complications. The risk of developing fatal pancreatitis is increased in dogs who are overweight, or have diabetes mellitus, hyperadrenocorticism, hypothyroidism, gastrointestinal tract disease, and epilepsy. Pets who have repeated bouts of pancreatitis may need to be fed low-fat diets to prevent recurrence. Even so, some animals develop chronic pancreatitis, which can lead to diabetes mellitus and/or pancreatic insufficiency, also called 'maldigestion syndrome.'

In pancreatic insufficiency, the nutrients in food are passed out in the feces undigested. An animal with this disease often has a ravenous appetite, diarrhea, and weight loss. Even though he is eating, he could literally starve to death. Treatment for pancreatic insufficiency is lifelong and expensive, but is possible. The pet's digestive enzymes are replaced through a product processed from pancreases of hogs and cattle which contain large quantities of the digestive enzymes. A change in diet with added nutritional supplements may also be necessary.

Summary

Acute pancreatitis can be a life-threatening condition, and early recognition and treatment can improve chances of recovery. In dogs, fever, lack of appetite, depression, and vomiting are the most common signs. Treatment is based upon stopping all oral intake to rest the pancreas, correcting the dehydration and maintaining proper fluid and electrolyte balances, and treating any complications or underlying conditions.

http://www.swiftwaterfarms.com/swift...ncreatitis.htm

GREAT article!!!!!

Hey
A BIG thank you to all of you. Blades is resting now and still looks like her old self. I'm keeping a close eye on her and will stay in touch. Thanks so much for the great articles!!!!!!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone - I know we are all thankful for our furry friends:) :aimeeyork

Happy Thanksgiving to you, too! :D

I too enjoyed reading the article. It is another chance to preach against feeding people food. As much as we are tempted to "spoil" them in this way it is really not good for them. :(

Pancreatitis
 

Our little girl, 9 years, with Cushings, got Pancreatitis and we took her to the vet a few days after presenting with symptoms. The vet ran blood tests and confirmed it was very high levels for pancreatitis. We took her to the animal hospital and had her admitted, however this young girl vet said new research said that they need to exercise the pancreas to make it better. I believe this is what ended up causing our Avery to get alot worse fast and pass away. When she left the hospital her levels were higher than when she was admitted. Do not let your Vet tell you this. Everything I read says no food, which they were giving her a liquid protein diet through a feeding tube. She was hydrated fine. We took her home with a feeding tube and 4 days later had to send her to doggy heaven. I am posting this to help those whose dogs get a confirmed pancreatitis attack. Feed it water with a syringe up to 10 mls an hour after the first day to ensure hydration. This was according to our vet. NO liquid protein or food. Hopefully your puppy will survive the first several days then you have to work on the diet. I hope this helps. We miss our little girlie!!!

No food for pancreatitis
 

You are right. No food for pancreatitis attack , just water. Gradual small low fat meals for at least a week. Better 4 or 5 really small low fat meals like a spoon or two of over cooked mushy rice and overlooked skin free chicken breast. My baby had extreme chocolate poisoning that caused acute attack of pancreatitis is gradually getting back to Normal. I found even with humans do your own research before blindly listening to even vets. At least question them if it's completely apposed to your research. I'm so sorry for the loss of your baby.
Please know she's in heaven and will see you again. Look for signs, they are always with you. You just have to look. God Bless

Information Sebaceous Cysts
 

In the last six months Sophie Kate has had three Sebacous Cysts appear on her body (normally the back area). Each time I have taken her to the Vet and they have tested the cysts and always the same result. This morning I found a fourth cyst so back to the Vet we go tomorrow.

Does anyone have experience with this? I cannot figure what could be causing them, nothing has changed as far as diet, shampoo, grooming.

Also we had planned to remove them with her next dental which should be next Spring but I am wondering if I should do it now? I do not want to put her under if not necessary but with them increasing it has me worried.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I apologize for posting my dang cyst post under your topic, I thought I was starting a new thread. I will see if it can be moved.

Don't apologize. I just don't know anything about yorkie cysts. I wish I could help.
I know in humans it's not serious. I hope that's true about dogs too. God Bless all Yorkies everywhere.

Euro, that is very good advice. We've been battling our little guy with pancreatitis since June, and still haven't been able to get his levels completely back to normal, although he is much improved. No food or water for the first 24 hours (hydration by IV or sub q may be required), and then water or fluid only until 24 hours after the last bout of diarrhea or vomiting. Dogs can go a few days without food as long as they're well hydrated. Then our vet had us feed mushy, overcooked rice with a little chicken broth ran through the blender and by syringe. Just 5 ml every hour or two for the first day, 10 ml every hour or two the second day, and by the third day we were able to add in a little boiled and skinless chicken breast. You have to introduce food back very, very slowly. Our little guy is still having trouble handling any fat in his diet and even the RC gastro-intestinal low fat diet sets him back off. We are now feeding him small meals of rice or boiled potato, chicken breast and very well cooked carrots with a few vitamins and supplements. He has had a couple of little set backs, but is finally now pretty stable and his levels are steadily dropping. It takes quite a long time for the pancreas to completely settle down, and once a dog has had an acute attack, they are very susceptible to another, so that means low fat from that point on.

Diana and Scooby

My Presley had his first pancreatic attack when he was 7. He is now 17. It is a manageable condition. He does have flare ups, but they are pretty rare. We are pretty good about sticking to his diet. He has had a few flare up since we had to switch food due to kidney disease, but it may be once or twice a year. And usually by day 2 he is back to normal. If he has a bad episode, such as bloody poopoo he goes to the vet. Frankly we think his getting fluids 3 times a week (to treat his kidneys) helps keep the attacks at bay. He stays well hydrated. My vet has always stressed to keep him in a quiet place where he is still - the exercise comment stunned me.... No food during his attack. Frankly, he wouldn't be interested in any kind of food during an episode anyway. We usually keep medication on hand if anything crops up.

His symptoms would range from bile vomiting with a stretchy mucous - could also have blood in it. Gurgling stomach and tender to the touch. Diarrhea - sometimes bloody. His very first episode he vomited so much blood I thought he was dying. We learned a very valuable lesson about feeding from the table.

He does get some plain, boiled chicken, green beans, peas to spice up the food we have him on for his kidney disease...otherwise he doesn't like it and he needs this food more than the gastrointestinal food. But it is very little and we have managed well for the past year not giving him too much. My vet is ok with this.

What do you feed your baby for his kidney disease?

I feed Presley Purina NF. Its the only one he will eat. We've tried others. So far his levels are doing pretty well. He has been on it for almost a year and his levels have only slightly elevated. Plus he gets sub q fluids three times a week. That helps alot too.

Thank you so much for your response. My little girl is back on her raw diet and everything is back to Normal. Im with holding bone for a couple of weeks more. My Yorkie only does well on the raw diet. She never vomits or scratches and has lots of energy. I tried everything before starting raw 5 months ago . Even this week before I put her back on raw she was vomiting . I guess every dog is different. I am so glad you found something that works for your baby. Thnk you again.

My YORKIE just got back from the emergency room after eating a fatty oxtail. So upset. She now has acute pancreatitis and is home with me. I wanted to leave her at the emergency vet like they recommended but the cost was in the thousands. I don't have it. Can anyone give me advice... she has had it since eating the bone last night she ate this morning and threw up then acted lethargic with shakes. I knew something was wrong so I took her to vet. Thank God they did not see an obstruction. She has not eaten at all since am and drank very little water today. She hasn't really moved she is in so much pain. She just threw up a clear liquid that smelled seriously awful. I don't know what to do for her. She l miserable. The ER Vet said I could monitor her but I know I won't sleep due to her condition. Has anyone else gone through this the first time? Any advice? Thanks

What treatment did your pup receive at the ER? Was she on an IV, or at least get sub q fluids? Hopefully she was also prescribed pain medication, as acute pancreatitis is very painful.

I would not worry about feeding her for now. Her pancreas needs to rest, and there is no point in feeding a vomiting dog. Continued vomiting causes more issues than not feeding and not vomiting. If she received fluids at the ER, she should be well hydrated for now. If not, and she can hold it down you might trying giving her just a couple of cc's of water by syringe every hour or so, only as long as she is able to hold it down.

By tomorrow morning if she is not still vomiting and hasn't for several hours, you can try feeding her a bit of over-boiled white potato or rice. Make a slurry with the water you boiled the potato in, to the consistency of a thick liquid. Try giving her just a teaspoon or two of the slurry to see if she can hold it down. If she hasn't vomited within an hour or two, you can try giving a little bit more but only tiny amounts at a time every hour or two for the next day or so. It can take weeks for a pup to get back to eating their regular diet about a serious bout of pancreatitis, and you will have to modify her diet to very low fat now that she has had pancreatitis.

It is very easy for a small dog to become dehydrated and that can be very dangerous. Especially if she did not receive fluids at the vet (and even if she did) watch for excessive vomiting or diarrhea, and head straight back to the ER if she shows signs of dehydration.

Dehydration in Dogs | petMD

My baby has had a number of flare ups but I finally found a formular that works
without running to the vet. You need to get a syringe and unflavored pedialyte fill the syringe and squirt the pedialyte into your yorkies mouth every 15 minutes for the first hour. Then every 30 minutes. Usually you will see a visible difference in about 3 hours. The vet had prescribed a canned dog food that you have to buy at the vet for dogs with pancreatitis. Or you can buy eye round steak boil it so it's overcooked put it in a food processor ,process adding water until its slush. That is all I ever feed her now. The vet dog food worked also. Hope this helps

Thank you. At ER now and they want to keep her 48 hours. Now they are not sure it is Pancreatitis and want to do an ultrasound. Could be an obstruction. This is heart breaking. She is in so much pain. If it turns out to be pancreatitis I will definitely keep your thread at hand. Thanks again

We will be praying for you and your baby

Diagnosis
 

Well because they did the ultrasound they found several other problems. She has moderate to severe pancreatitis, abnormal renal glands, Large mass on her mamory glands, possible cancer associated with that, possible cushions disease, and her kidney are starting to fail with an infection. OMG the pain she must have been in. I saw her today and she looks better then yesterday. Just awaiting outcome of food. If it stays down then her pancreatitis is calming down and we can address the next issue. This over whelming. She is 11yrs old so some of it comes with age and inherited. Let's see how much her Aspca pet insurance covers. I am up to $3200 :(

Thank you

Elenitag,

Both Cushings and pancreatitis can cause elevated kidney numbers, so if you get the pancreatitis under control and treat the Cushings it is likely you'll see a drop in her kidney numbers. I'm sure you're overwhelmed and that seems like the least of your problems, but I wanted to pass it along. Good luck. Sending healing thoughts for your baby.

Diana