Gizmo has pancreatitis!!
 

So, last month Gizmo had bloody stool and we took him to the vet and he thought it was hemorrhagic gastroenteritis... He got better with the antibiotics and was well for a good 2-3 weeks. This morning he started throwing up bile with blood. So we took him into the vet and he did blood work and his amylase and lipase (enzymes of the pancreas) were EXTREMELY elevated. So he did another blood test to confirm it was pancreatitis and not just gastroenteritis... So questions for you guys! Has anyone else’s yorkie been diagnosed? if so what do you feed him or her? Vet suggested a food low in fat, high fiber... I guess Iams and Eukanuba make a good hypoallergenic food but i am not a fan of those companies. Gizmo eats Fromm and Stella and Chewys ( freeze dried patties, but i found out that it has EXTREMELY high fat content so no more) and loves it! Did you have to continue your yorkie on this low fat diet the rest of his/her life?

I am so sorry, I have no advice for you but I am keeping you and Gizmo in my prayers. Good luck

Sophie Kate has Pancreatitis and she only eats Hills Science Diet ID. This is after two bouts earlier this year which scared me to death.

I am very rigid with her diet no people food ever. Treats are limited to Charlee Bear Treats and it people are visiting I put a small amount of her dry food in a little bowl and they can use those for her treats . I am very direct with people that if they sneak her food it could make her very sick and if I am not sure they will listen she is locked in my office.

Good luck

Princess got pancreatitis last July-ish & has been on Science Diet's i/d ever since, per vet instructions. We think it may be triggering some allergies so I may reluctantly switch to another G.I. sensitive formula. I'm still trying to weigh the pros & cons of changing since the 'allergies' aren't always that bad. I do plan on keeping her on something similar to what she's on now for life. It doesn't mean she'll never get sick, but it does reduce the chances. After she vomited 10-15 times in mere hours (about 12) & almost losing her to dehydration I'll never risk it again. Too scary & it's not worth the risk by any means for me.

She still gets some human treats but they are plain veggies & fruit, as well as Gerber puffs, all approved by her vet. If I ever want to try something new I call the vet. They all know our names & story very well.;)

I know some dogs have gone back to their original diets, but I've decided to err on the paranoid side of caution. Overall, I'd probably go with what your vet says as well as doing your own research.

Good luck! Hope your baby's doing well very soon!:)

Does the ID only come in wet food?

No. There's dry kibble also. I buy a bag I think is about 9 or 10 pounds & it's $24. Cans are $2.30 or so. It may seem expensive but it really lasts a long time.

thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to respond!!! Will keep everyone updated!! Have been worried all day about him! I am glad i took him in to the ER vet today and didnt wait till tomorrow like the vet tech suggested....

Barney eats Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Lowfat or home cooked food specially designed for him.

Scary stuff! Gracie had 3 bouts of it last year. Was very lucky she survived her last attack. She had a horribly absessed pancreas and pathology came back with necrotizing pancreatitis. That was in July.

She came home on the ID wet food. It didn't seem to settle well with her. She is currently on Royal Canine Moderate Calorie Hypoallergenic Potato & Whitefish. Her little tummy doesn't make noises anymore and the vomiting is gone. She get nothing but her food and water. I also mix enyzmes in her food everyday to take some of the load off of her pancreas. No treats and no people food! Just can't afford to take the chance.

Best of luck and I hope he's feeling better very soon!

I allow Chloe dry cheerios, activia yogurt and pieces of cooked meat. Are these foods potentially dangerous??? I know she has in the past vomited up some clear yellow stuff but only a couple of times and never more than once. After reading these posts I am worried that I may be hurting Chloe with kindness!

i have a homeopathic dog book that talked about enzymes to help with the pancreas. what are the ones you give? Also, what test did your vet run to find out it was necrotizing pancreatits? i was worried about that one

We use panacare plus powder. She had surgery last July because after several days she was acting better but not as well as she should have. After an ultrasound and xrays, a mass was in her abdomen. Wasn't sure if it was a tumor so she had surgery the next day. It was actually her pancreas, badly absessed. Slides were sent out and the report came back a few days later from a lab. My vet said it was the worse pancreas she had seen in her 20 years.

I do grind her dry food and soak in water with the enzymes for at least an hour before her first meal. I mix it all in the morning and divide it out for the day. She eats 4 times. Dry food is harder to digest than wet, so that is why I do it this way.

This sounds like a very serious problem, keeping all in my thoughts and prayers.

Usually pancreatitis gets started when a pet is getting too many snacks, human and pet snacks. Could someone have been giving him people food or too many doggy snacks? I would do a close check on what he was eating before switching to another diet all together.

Prayers for Gizmo. I hope he'll be ok.

Unfortunately, Stella and Chewys is really high in fat. Too high for yorkies...debatably too high in protein too.. But because there really isn't an exact cause known for pancreattis, it's just a matter of avoiding possible triggers. Because Rx diets have a very consistent formulation, that is hat I would feed.

I have no experience with this either, but I did want to say that I hope Gizmo gets to feeling better! We will keep you guys in our thoughts and prayers! Hugs to you and Gizmo!

My vet felt like it could have been a combination of her previous prescription food (Hills CD) and various meds (prednisone, temaril-p) we were using to get her some relief from her crazy allergies. Several triggers have been noted on what I have read, but no definite cause for some cases. I have read ALOT but I am by no means an authority on the subject.

Sending prayers for sweet Gizmo and hoping he feels better soon.

It's also my understanding that once it gets triggered it can be triggered easier next time, and so on. I know ours was most likely from pizza toppings (which she will never get again, but now the vet is worried that anything that's out of what she's allowed can trigger it again-even if it was fine in the past. Hope your baby is starting to feel a little better.

thanks everyone for the kind thoughts and prayers. Gizmo is better this morning ate a few teaspoons of the I/D and holding it down. I think the Stella and Chewys could of triggered it cuz thats all hes been wanting to eat lately. Unforantly, i gave it to him and i was a bad doggy mommy! but now i know... hoping this is just an acute attack and it doesnt turn into a chronic problem!

You aren't a bad mom! You got your pup to a vet immediately.

There is a lot of questionable information online about diet. It's hard to sift through all of it and know what is correct and what isn't. Now you know though - high fat and sometimes high protein diets can trigger a pancreatitis in dogs, esp. breeds prone to it (which includes Yorkies). Be very strict with diet from here on out (listen to the vet or a board certified veterinary nutritionist) and there is a good chance all will be fine.

Yoda had pancreatitis a few years back. Thankfully, he has since recovered and is on a strict diet of white rice with Royal Canin LF low-fat canned food along with natural treats that his vet says is fine. He had to stay at the vet for about a week with an IV drip and monitoring.

Good luck with Gizmo!

As people have said, human food is REALLY REALLY bad for our Yorkies and their tiny stomachs aren't ready for the oils and fattyness from our food...

anyone know why vets push hills science diet??? Suggested Low Fat Dog Foods look at all the low fat foods that are out there! why do they push science diet? When i talk to my vet tomorrow im going to question her! Gizmo likes Fromm, and she knows that and they even have a low fat flavor... i dont understand these vets! gr

There are several reasons that people have come up with about why vets "push Hills". Some of them are:

They gets kickbacks.
They learn about the food in school.
They are taught nutrition by Hills.
They barely need one nutrition class, so aren't informed enough to make reasonable dietary decisions.

It is true that they can make money off of any food they sell (this could apply to any brand they choose to stock though). They do have Hills reps at school, but other companies are generally free to do what Hills does if they want to. They don't learn too much about nutrition, but they are generalists, not specialists. And even if they are taught be Hills, part of the reason is that Hills puts tons of money into studies on animal nutrition.

It's a matter of doing what you're comfortable with. A low fat food is not always enough. Low to moderate protein tends to be good for pancreatitis. Rx foods are controlled fairly well so only the ingredients on the label end up in the food. Many foods have stray ingredients in them on accident. And what happens if something that ends up in one of these OTC foods is one of your pup's pancreatitis triggers? Minimum fat is listed on all foods, but how consistent are OTC foods with this %? Are they consistent enough to trust with a pancreatitis dog? And rx gastrointestinal/pancreas foods tend to be highly digestible. Does this apply to the OTC low fat foods out there?

If you want to feed an OTC food, I would talk to your vet about what is best for your pup.

I dont mind feeding Hills. Just dont like to be limited to one brand for the rest of his life. Does anyone how know large the i/d dry kibble is? Gizmo is 3.5 pounds so it needs to be tiny.

Oh! Prednisone is notorious for causing all kinds of problems. I hope he is feeling better soon.

Vet's are totally dependent on the pet food industry to provide a food for their clients. They just sign up with whatever company they feel comfortable with or with the company rep that gives them the best deal. The pet food company develops a really bland combination of ingredients and adds vitamins and minerals for nutrients.