I have two pups on Hill's Z/D ultra and they love it!

Thank you. I would like to be able to feed both of my dogs (yorkie brother and sister; Turner is 6 and Anna is 4) the same thing, but that may not be in the cards.

I just read the entire thread on George's bout with pancreatitis. You went through a lot with that adorable little guy, but as everyone here knows, it's all worth it. I followed a link to another post which mentions that George had gone to the Bridge. I was sad to read that but was glad that, as you mentioned, you had more time with him

Annabelle continues to improve each day. I still have her on the boiled chicken breast and rice with a tiny bit of potato water because she's not too keen on drinking water yet. I add more water in the rice and chicken and potato water. I also give her water with a large eyedropper. Maybe that's why she's not drinking. :)

She's still on Flagyl, and she's peeing but no stool yet. I guess that's because she's on a low-residue diet and until just recently was eating little, but I'm starting to wonder about it.

I'm researching prepared diets, Royal Canin, Hills, The Honest Kitchen, and am tempted to try the online nutritionist or take her to one. I'm also wondering if down the line I can put her and her brother Turner on the same kibble but with different wet additions. He's never had pancreatitis, so I don't think I should restrict his fat intake to the same extent I do Annabelle's.

Another thing: I did a search on "pancreatitis" and nothing came up even though it's been tagged. I found this thread by searching "annabelle,' which is not going to be helpful to the rest of the community. So I hope the site does something about it. I still haven't heard back from my email to them.

Much appreciation to all.

My George was a sweet boy .. he had a few bouts with pancreatitis over the years but that one was just horrible. I really did know that he was on borrowed time but I treasured every momeny I had with him. <3

So happy to hear that Annabelle is doing well. You are right..if they get water in their food, you really don't see them drink much. As long as she is hydrated I would not worry too much about the amount. As for the stool...she will go! I have learned to just be patient...unless they are struggling, I don't fret about it too much.

I don't understand the tag thing. I suppose we need to ask someone. I meant to do that but forgot.

Thanks for updating! :) Annabelle is lucky to have a loving mom! :)

I'm sorry your baby has pancreatitis. It's pretty tough. My Barney had it at age 5 and was hospitalized for a few days on IV fluids. He went back to a normal diet after and for another 5 years he was just fine. Then at age 10, he had another episode that did not require hospitalization but was still scary. My vet wanted me to try the various commercial food options for him, but since I home cook, I contacted the nutritionist, Dr. Remillard, at pettiest who had already made diets for my other dog. She made Barney a diet that he has essentially been on since age 10 (he's now 15) and has done great. I highly recommend her and feel she has positively contributed to my two dogs living a long time. For a short time, I used royal canin gastrointestinal low fat kibble as a back up.

I know there was some talk about the cPLI test. For what it's worth, our internal medicine specialist uses it and finds it reliable. I have also had vets use ultrasound in conjunction w/ bloodwork to diagnose pancreatitis.

I hope your little one gets well soon.

:thumbup: I agree cPL is a good diagnostic tool; but I have never had it repeated to compare. Once the diagnosis is made, the specialists I use just check on the other abnormal values.

They also do the ultrasound in conjunction with the blood work.

Thank you. That's hopeful that your baby has done so well. I think I became overly optimistic at Annabelle's *seemingly* fast recovery. She threw up her dinner of rice with boiled chicken bits about 30-45 minutes after I fed her. I think I fed her too much at a time. As soon as she threw up she wanted to play and doesn't seem to be in pain, as she has been jumping on and off the bed at will.

I've spent all day reading up on diets, both home-cooked and the commercially prepared kind. There seem to be pros and cons on both methods. If I home cook, people say she will have to have supplements and a non-varied diet that isn't the best for getting all the nutrients she needs. The supplementation I read about seems complicated, exacting and a little overwhelming to me. The commercial diet dog foods, it is said, do not always contain the best ingredients, have recalls, etc.

For my own health I try to avoid GMOs and to eat organic/local when I can. I don't want less for her. I just don't know if I'm up to the job of managing every supplement she might need in the amounts she might need. I also like the idea of being able to put kibble down for when she may be hungry when I'm not home or when we leave her at her groomers when we go out of town, which is fairly rare but still a concern.

I think I've got analysis paralysis and am feeling kind of overwhelmed at this point with trying to make the right decisions. I've done nothing else all day and into the night now.

I found a Dr. Rebecca Remillard at petdiets(dot)(com). Is this the Dr. you were referring to? I think I've been to that site before, but I've been researching so much that it's all jumbled together in my head. :confused:

I was just looking at the itemized bill from the ER vet where Anna was hospitalized, and they did the Pancreatitis/cPl test. They gave her Cerenia, Buprinex, Famotidine. Also Neo-Poly W/Dex drops because her eyes became runny and crusty beneath. I know what all of these are except Buprinex

There is also a mention of--testing for I guess--Amylase and Lipase, which I know are blood values that go up with pancreatitis.

Other things listed include E. Collar 12 IN. (Electric collar?)
Fluorescein Stain
PlasmaLyte
Cyproheptadine 4 mg. tablest
Her hospitalization level was 2/12
No ultrasound.

I'm thinking now I stopped the Pepcid too soon. I didn't give it to her today.

Bupranex is for pain.
E Collar is the lamp shade looking thing that keeps them from licking and pulling IVs out.
Plasmalyte is the IV given

It just takes time for them to improve. Sometimes they will have some vomiting...and yes, I would be careful about the amount of food. Maybe for now just give her more meals and less food each time...
Honestly, the Cerenia is more likely to help than Pepcid for vomiting. You might call your vet and ask for some if she continues. It sounds though like she is feeling better.

Haha. My husband straightened me out on what E Collar meant: Elizabethan Collar. I was quite incensed at the idea of them putting an "electric collar" on my sick baby.

I'm feeding Anna smaller amounts more frequently, put her back on the Pepcid and she's no longer vomiting. If she does again, I will call the vet about the Cerenia.

I must remember that she's not "well" just because she's out of the hospital. I wish vets would stress this more. It should be common sense, but dogs are such brave little souls that unless they're lying there practically comatose, one might assume they're feeling just fine. I guess I needed that reminder. Poor Annabelle.

Thanks again for your kind words and advice. I'm learning, albeit slowly.

Ohhh I forgot to add that when I posted. I did chuckle when I saw it..and then forgot. No, they don't shock them. LOL

You are correct in your assessment...never trust their idea of what is ill. They are so unbelievably stoic.

You are fine! She is lucky to be so loved! We have all had our first times with yorkie illnesses and issues. It is scary. Me, I have had more than my fair share...not just with my own; but I have had so many fosters and I am the lucky one who seems to attract all sorts of things. :p

Thanks. So wonderful that you foster. Lucky dogs.:)

Yes. That's the nutritionist. By the way, I dont agree that dogs need all that variety. I have fed Barney chicken his entire life. Occasionally he will have eggs or turkey. I have a diet with variety for him but I hardly ever do anything except chicken. The supplement I use for him is BalanceIt. Having done human supplements in the past, it's daunting and more expensive and I wouldn't go back to it ever. Home cooking in general is time consuming. I would definitely listen to your vet here (or someone like dr Remillard) because pancreatitis is terrible and you want to avoid a recurrence as best you can with the few things you can control like diet.

Thank you for responding and for your advice on this horrible malady. So if I understand you correctly, you don't do home cooking and supplements? I'm not clear on this.

I'm sorry if I was not clear. Yes, I home cook for my dogs and use supplements. I feel that if someone isn't going to properly home cook, then using a commercial food recommended by your vet is the best in my opinion. I was responding to your concerns about home cooking when I suggested that your vet may have the best suggestion on a commercial food. Our dog was put on very low fat after his second bout of pancreatitis and I was initially worried it was too low fat. But he's done great.