Pancreatitis -Info needed

[cincol]

Do you have a yorkie that is being treated for Pancreatitis? Sissy has been treated with a very strict diet for over a month. I am looking for additional information.
Thank you!

[marcerella02]

Hi- Weclome to YT

Layla, and many other Yorkies on YT have pancreatitis. Layla's vet felt that the only way this could be managed was with canned food- however in my opninon, canned food is crap and I didnt' watn to feed that to my dog. So i talked to a dog nutritionist - Susan Davis Holistic Veterinarian Pet Nutritionist Holistic Pet Care She formulated a diet for Layla. I also buy a lipase enzyme from her website- which combined with Layla's diet has honestly saved her. I get Layla's vitamins and calcium supplement from Animal Essentials Welcomes You!

Layla's numbers were very high when she was tested in October of last year, by Feb of this year they were all in the normal range. I have her nutritionist to thank. Her consult costs 90 dollars (i think) and it is an hour on the phone and it is THE best money i have ever spent on Layla. THere are many other members on here (luvmysissy, IzzyPrincess) who have used Susan for their dogs' pancreatitis and have had great success also.

Hope this helps. This IS manageable.

[Ellie May]

Is it chronic or acute?
Mild or severe?
What has been done so far?

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Is it chronic or acute?
Mild or severe?
What has been done so far?

Crystal you always know the good qustions to ask

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by marcerella02

Crystal you always know the good qustions to ask

lol, unfortunately I got good at it because of Ellie.

[cincol]

This all started suddenly.. One day I noticed bloody black stool.. Rushed her to vet..Her blood test show L numbers off the chart. He put her on canned LF food, rice and boiled chicken..Flagyl and antibodics..Her stool is improving, but at times still dark and runny. I am so very concerned for her...The vet said that was about all he could do without having her scoped, and I don't know of anyone within 100 miles that I can take her too.. Any suggestions. We are in southcentral Ohio.. Thanks, Cindy, Sissy and Lincoln

[cincol]

Hello again... Sorry.. I said south central ... That is not correct.. I am on the Ohio River..

[Ellie May]

So her lipase came back high and the vet diagnosed pancreatitis without a Spec cPL? Pancreatitis should not be diagnosed on high lipase alone in most cases. And if the vet did think that she had pancreatitis, why didn't he pull food and water and put her on an IV since black stool is quite serious? That's the treatment for pancreatitis. Whatever the case, if she is still having black stool after all this time, she has got to see somebody who can help her. At this point, maybe Ohio State? There have got to be internists in your area. Or you have a vet school in PA.

[LuvMySissy]

Also - did they do a stool sample to rule out Giardia? It sounds like there might be something more going on with her if her stool is still questionable. It is important to know if you're dealing with pancreatitis or really an intestinal issue such as IBD. Starting her on a quality probiotic (an actual supplement, not just yogurt) can do wonders for the gut.

I would definitely request a Spec Cpl, with the Cpl, TLI, cobalamine and folate levels. These could reveal alot.

What diet has she been on since this happened? If it is just chicken and rice, the diet is not balanced. Rice can be difficult to digest particularly if she has IBD. Chicken can also cause problems unless you are only purchasing guaranteed hormone/antibiotic free range chicken to use for her.

I would highly recommend following up with another vet. OSU would be a great option as well. I would not do a scope. An ultrasound is much less costly and doesn't pose risk of tacheal trauma. The only benefit of a scope/biopsy is a confirming diagnosis - but that doesn't necessarily change the treatment plan depending on what is going on with her.

Hope this helps....

[Izzy Princess]

Hi I'm in NE Ohio and I for sure agree with Elllie on this one. If you can see another vet that is more in tune with pancreatitis/IBD/IBS/PLE, etc. You are so close to OSU I would call their vet school ASAP and get in - I know it's not that expensive as compared to a internal doc.

Izzy has pancreatitis/SIBO/IBD and first got it 11/08 and had 4-5 episodes before finally getting it under control 5/17/09. OMG yes you do remember dates with these things as you count the days of no issues...yeah..Izzy is now almot 5 months no episodes.

Izzy was on the Purina EN for 5-6 months (first on Science Diet W/D and then we went with the Purina EN as that's the better of the two believe it or not). Do not put her on Science Diet W/D as that has pork in it and can trigger an episode. Sadly that's what we did after 8-12 weeks with Izzy and she relapsed.

We have also consulted with Susan Davis and Dr. Gordon and Izzy is now on The Honest Kitchen Preference with steamed Tilapia or Cod and then in the AM she gets The Honest Kitchen Thrive (only one without flax seed as that's another pancreatitis trigger).

Supplements as well: enzymes, Vitamineral Green, probiotics and when I remember colostrum. I was doing Bioliv but we can stop when we want.

Also what saved Izzy was being on Tylan since she has SIBO and Pepcid AC.

Sounds like a lot and it is in the beginning. But once you get it under control it's very easy to get into a routine with doing their food.

I also work and giving Izzy 3-4 small meals a day was not happening which is what all vets recommend for our sick furbutts but she gets fed 2x a day (when she was really sick we did 3 meals a day).

First I say get bloodwork done and get your numbers first to get a handle on treatment. Then if you can afford it contact Susan Davis.

Good luck and keep us posted.

OMG funny Jodie posted as I was posting..yup do not do a scope that should be your last resort. That would have been our next step if all this did not work..thank goodness we didn't and I have a pretty smart vet as now that we have it covered why spend the money and perhaps injury to their little throats when the diagnosis/treatment would be the same.