Gizmo has pancreatitis...

[KeeganRiley]

So sorry that your little fella is ill--he sounds like such a sweetheart. Will be thinking about him and hoping for a swift recovery!

[Lisa and Pic]

I'm sorry to hear about little Gizmo. Hope he is feeling better today. Poor little guy and I know he is in the best of care.

When you were talking about Gizmo being so sick in the bathroom, I was thinking back to the time Piccolo had pancreatitis and I woke up in the middle of the night to find a huge mess like you were describing. It just tore my heart out and I cannot even imagine how awful you must have felt for him yesterday.

Anyway, get well soon little one!

[barneysmommmy]

I'm so sorry for poor little Gizmo. Hopefully he will be back on the mend soon. I appreciate your sharing this info though. I learn so much every time I read one of these threads. Praying Gizmo is up and running soon and that you are getting rest after the fun night of bathroom duty.

[kjc]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

...
I feel terrible. I had groomed him yesterday and in the middle of it, he got upset and really kind of spazzed out on me. He is usually so good for grooming I don't know now if maybe the stress from that set him off....OR if he was maybe brewing something and was uncomfortable. He has been eating well and had no diarrhea prior to this morning. If only they could talk. Poor Gizmo...he is 13 now and a frail little guy. He is blind...so it kills me to see him go through this and be in a strange place.

A very early sign of pancreatitis is pain in the back, right between the end of the rib cage and where the hips begin, to just either side of the spine. The degree of pain is so bad, that just a gentle touch in this area can cause a dog that is reliably docile to turn and bite. This is repeatable, meaning that while grooming one may snag a knot in this area and get a bite response. Test the other side with a light touch and if the dog responds by trying to bite, get him to the vet for testing.

I use this test frequently on my dogs, because pancreatitis is common in the breed. Anytime anyone seems a bit 'off' I check them. It's also useful for dogs once they've been treated, to make sure they are not having a relapse.

Praying for a quick recovery for little Gizmo....

[YazminD]

Oh no! poor little guy! It breaks my heart, the thought of our babies suffering through pancreatitis attacks. Thank you Linda, for taking good care of Gizmo, he's so lucky to have such a caring Mom like you. I'm praying Gizmo's recovering and feeling much better today.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by kjc

A very early sign of pancreatitis is pain in the back, right between the end of the rib cage and where the hips begin, to just either side of the spine. The degree of pain is so bad, that just a gentle touch in this area can cause a dog that is reliably docile to turn and bite. This is repeatable, meaning that while grooming one may snag a knot in this area and get a bite response. Test the other side with a light touch and if the dog responds by trying to bite, get him to the vet for testing.

I use this test frequently on my dogs, because pancreatitis is common in the breed. Anytime anyone seems a bit 'off' I check them. It's also useful for dogs once they've been treated, to make sure they are not having a relapse.

Praying for a quick recovery for little Gizmo....

I am so sure that is what happened. I was grooming him and was really surprised at his reaction. The thought of pancreatitis never entered my mind since he was eating well and seemed fine. If he had a lot of teeth, I would have had a few holes in my hand.

They said he rested well during the night. No more vomiting and/or diarrhea. No lip smacking. So, they are going to start him with small bland meals.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I feel terrible. I had groomed him yesterday and in the middle of it, he got upset and really kind of spazzed out on me. He is usually so good for grooming I don't know now if maybe the stress from that set him off....OR if he was maybe brewing something and was uncomfortable. He has been eating well and had no diarrhea prior to this morning. If only they could talk. Poor Gizmo...he is 13 now and a frail little guy. He is blind...so it kills me to see him go through this and be in a strange place.

I wasn't thinking last night when I posted -- you had already mentioned stress as a potential factor.

I agree: if only they could talk to us!

Praying for a good update on Gizmo today.

[ladyjane]

I sent an email to the vet nutritionist. She answered me this morning and is going to work on something for Giz...he is not going to be able to eat the SO anymore. I don't know for a fact it had anything to do with it, but he really does for sure need lower fat in his diet. I should have contacted her when he had problems with the home cooked diet instead of just putting him back on the SO. Worked for months...but I am suspicious that it might not have been helpful here. Poor Giz.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Lisa and Pic

I'm sorry to hear about little Gizmo. Hope he is feeling better today. Poor little guy and I know he is in the best of care.

When you were talking about Gizmo being so sick in the bathroom, I was thinking back to the time Piccolo had pancreatitis and I woke up in the middle of the night to find a huge mess like you were describing. It just tore my heart out and I cannot even imagine how awful you must have felt for him yesterday.

Anyway, get well soon little one!

Pancreatitis is evil.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Maximo

I wasn't thinking last night when I posted -- you had already mentioned stress as a potential factor.

I agree: if only they could talk to us!

Praying for a good update on Gizmo today.

I don't think it can be said enough. So many people assume that only high fat foods will trigger it. I think that is because the first thing vets ask is what the pup was eating. (mine never ask me anymore...they know there are no table scraps being given here and they also know it is something our breed is susceptible to) Always asking that sends a message to people that their pups are ok if they have not gotten any "bad foods". That keeps many from ignoring the early symptoms.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Read your update yesterday and just checking in on how Gizmo is getting along today. And saw Kristin's post and your agreement. How awful if stress can cause the pancreas to become inflamed and make a dog so ill!!!!! How in the world would an outside stressor create the whole inflammatory process, I wonder? Does the dog already have to have an inflamed pancreas or other similar condition for stress to bring on a spell with the pancreas like this or can it just occur out of the blue so to speak?

Scares me silly to think a grooming session or something else could stress a dog badly and cause all of this, Linda and Kristin! What does each of you think? I'm thinking of having Tibbe clipped back very, very short and now am worried about doing it. Tibbe's got enough trouble without adding pancreatitis. He's got MVD but has never been diagnosed for pancreatitis though he was given a CPL Snap test for it once before, which was negative. Now, I'm wondering if a grooming session could cause him to also develop pancreatitis .

[ladyjane]

Jeanie, stress takes on many forms. It could be internal as well as external. Gizmo already has a history of pancreatitis and a predisposition to it. He could have just been uncomfortable when I touched him when I was grooming him. It was when I was shaving his belly, so I am thinking it was more that than stress..

I was just making the point that we don't always know what causes pancreatitis. High fat diet definitely will and honestly the Urinary SO that he is on is good for the calcium oxylate stones, but probably more fat than he should have. Why did it get him now? Who knows. I don't make myself crazy over thinking it....it is what it is. I will just change his diet since that is an obvious thing to do. I wrote to the vet nutritionist last night and she responded this morning and she is going to come up with a plan for him.

No, I don't think grooming will cause pancreatitis. I was just saying how stressed he got and he never does that. It was just what I thought of when he got sick the next morning because he had been so upset.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Jeanie, stress takes on many forms. It could be internal as well as external. Gizmo already has a history of pancreatitis and a predisposition to it. He could have just been uncomfortable when I touched him when I was grooming him. It was when I was shaving his belly, so I am thinking it was more that than stress..

I was just making the point that we don't always know what causes pancreatitis. High fat diet definitely will and honestly the Urinary SO that he is on is good for the calcium oxylate stones, but probably more fat than he should have. Why did it get him now? Who knows. I don't make myself crazy over thinking it....it is what it is. I will just change his diet since that is an obvious thing to do. I wrote to the vet nutritionist last night and she responded this morning and she is going to come up with a plan for him.

No, I don't think grooming will cause pancreatitis. I was just saying how stressed he got and he never does that. It was just what I thought of when he got sick the next morning because he had been so upset.

I thought that's what you both meant but just wanted to check with you in case these little guys have such a stress-trigger that maybe something new and stressful could start them down a bad path. I'm glad to hear that just the stress alone likely wouldn't do it all by itself. Still, it's worrisome, isn't it? But it's so hard to tell beforehand when they are having trouble as they are so darn good at masking their problems!!! I also wish they could talk!

Don't beat yourself up and think anymore about it as that won't do any good. If you'd had any idea you wouldn't have continuing grooming him as they are often vocal if they are the least bit stressed by grooming or anything they don't like! Tibbe will yelp out when I just touch him with the scissors or brush him in a way he doesn't like. I've just picked up his foot to grind his toenails and he's yelped because he wasn't ready yet! You didn't know he was feeling bad.

He'll be fine now - he will. Try not to worry anymore.

[kjc]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I am so sure that is what happened. I was grooming him and was really surprised at his reaction. The thought of pancreatitis never entered my mind since he was eating well and seemed fine. If he had a lot of teeth, I would have had a few holes in my hand.

They said he rested well during the night. No more vomiting and/or diarrhea. No lip smacking. So, they are going to start him with small bland meals.

I'd automatically think bad behavior myself, but I try to remember this little clue, because it's one time a bite or attempted bite should not be disciplined, it is truly only a response to pain... same as if you grabbed a dog's leg that was broken. When Gizmo comes home, he'll be his normal, sweet self once again.

Another easily missed sign is a dog walking with a slightly hunched back. In older dogs, who may be stiff upon waking up in the morning and tend to walk a little funny anyway, a very slight hunch (like a Halloween cat, but not as exaggerated) is also an indication of possible pancreatitis.

Knowing that pancreatitis can be deadly, and very expensive to treat, getting an early diagnosis can save a ton of money and the dog recovers quicker. When my Peek had it, I took him right in and he came home right after the office visit with medication to take. I was expecting to have him stay overnight with an IV but the vet said it early enough in the disease/illness process and that he would recover on the meds, but to keep a close eye on him. He did have a relapse two weeks later, and again I got him right in there, and back home on meds again. After the 2nd round of meds he did not relapse and I don't think he ever got it again (can't remember). He was about 7-8 years old at the time.

[MauiGirl]

Sorry to hear Gizmo is sick, and I hope he recovers quickly. I never knew dehydration could happen that quick. Being in ICU may be stressful for him too, and I hope he is home and comfy soon.