Pancreatitis

[lil fu fu girl]

Milkyway, my first Yorkie had acute pancreatitis.
The most important thing I can tell you is keep him on a low fat, high fiber diet. High Fiber is the key; both soluble and insoluble.


~ Soluble fiber helps fats and sugars enter the bloodstream at a slower rate, providing a steady supply. Reducing the risk of a "fat-overload" which could trigger an attack.
~Insoluble fiber helps move fat through the GI tract faster so that less of it is absorbed into the body, reducing the risk of an attack.

Also, be aware that the pancreas contains specialized cells, the Isle of Langerhorn, which is responsible for the production of insulin. Although rare, Diabetes Mellitus is a possibility when the pancreas is damaged. Asking your vet about this possibility would be advisable.

Best wishes....

[Britster]

Originally Posted by lil fu fu girl

Milkyway, my first Yorkie had acute pancreatitis.
The most important thing I can tell you is keep him on a low fat, high fiber diet. High Fiber is the key; both soluble and insoluble.


~ Soluble fiber helps fats and sugars enter the bloodstream at a slower rate, providing a steady supply. Reducing the risk of a "fat-overload" which could trigger an attack.
~Insoluble fiber helps move fat through the GI tract faster so that less of it is absorbed into the body, reducing the risk of an attack.

Also, be aware that the pancreas contains specialized cells, the Isle of Langerhorn, which is responsible for the production of insulin. Although rare, Diabetes Mellitus is a possibility when the pancreas is damaged. Asking your vet about this possibility would be advisable.

Best wishes....

I'm really curious/confused about fiber. Because both RC Low Fat and Purina E/N (vet prescriped food for pancreatitis) have low fiber (between 2-3%, I believe).

My vet did not tell me really one way or the other which is "better"... so I'm thinking I'm going to stick with under 5% at least.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by Britster

I'm really curious/confused about fiber. Because both RC Low Fat and Purina E/N (vet prescriped food for pancreatitis) have low fiber (between 2-3%, I believe).

My vet did not tell me really one way or the other which is "better"... so I'm thinking I'm going to stick with under 5% at least.

My vet put Barney on low fiber both for his home cooked recipe and Rx.

[lil fu fu girl]

Originally Posted by Britster

I'm really curious/confused about fiber. Because both RC Low Fat and Purina E/N (vet prescriped food for pancreatitis) have low fiber (between 2-3%, I believe).

My vet did not tell me really one way or the other which is "better"... so I'm thinking I'm going to stick with under 5% at least.

Odd isn't it, that the one thing that would help them with fat digestion or expulsion is not promoted more by vets, or by the kibble companies.

With human pancreatitis, most nutritionists know that fiber is the key element in the planning of a healthy diet for the patient. One that would assist in the bodies homeostasis.


If you want more fiber than what is in your current food, adding fruits or vegee's as snacks would help. One's high in fiber such as pea's, pumpkin, banana's, apple's, beans, carrots,oatmeal, etc. Most of these contain negligible fats, but offer vitamins, minerals, and of course,fiber. There really isn't a negative health issue associated in adding more fiber into your pups diet. Well....besides the obvious, larger stools.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by lil fu fu girl

Odd isn't it, that the one thing that would help them with fat digestion or expulsion is not promoted more by vets, or by the kibble companies.

With human pancreatitis, most nutritionists know that fiber is the key element in the planning of a healthy diet for the patient. One that would assist in the bodies homeostasis.


If you want more fiber than what is in your current food, adding fruits or vegee's as snacks would help. One's high in fiber such as pea's, pumpkin, banana's, apple's, beans, carrots,oatmeal, etc. Most of these contain negligible fats, but offer vitamins, minerals, and of course,fiber. There really isn't a negative health issue associated in adding more fiber into your pups diet. Well....besides the obvious, larger stools.

The natural sugar content of carrots and apples, and carb content of peas and pumpkin do add another facet to consider in diet. For dogs, especially my boys, gas is another concern. I have to be really careful because my boys have had a couple instances of very painful gas. Max was in so much pain once that I nearly took him to the ER vet.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by lil fu fu girl

Odd isn't it, that the one thing that would help them with fat digestion or expulsion is not promoted more by vets, or by the kibble companies.

With human pancreatitis, most nutritionists know that fiber is the key element in the planning of a healthy diet for the patient. One that would assist in the bodies homeostasis.


If you want more fiber than what is in your current food, adding fruits or vegee's as snacks would help. One's high in fiber such as pea's, pumpkin, banana's, apple's, beans, carrots,oatmeal, etc. Most of these contain negligible fats, but offer vitamins, minerals, and of course,fiber. There really isn't a negative health issue associated in adding more fiber into your pups diet. Well....besides the obvious, larger stools.

Generally speaking, vets and vet nutritionists recommend low residue diets for pancreatitis patients during recovery. Low residue usually means low fiber. I know my own vet nutritionist cautioned me specifically about sweet potatoes and bananas. There also was a member here whose dog was set off by peas.

[lil fu fu girl]

Originally Posted by 107barney

Generally speaking, vets and vet nutritionists recommend low residue diets for pancreatitis patients during recovery. Low residue usually means low fiber. I know my own vet nutritionist cautioned me specifically about sweet potatoes and bananas. There also was a member here whose dog was set off by peas.

Yes, absolutely, during the initial recovery phase of pancreatitis a low fiber diet is suggested by most nutritionists and vets as fiber slows gastric emptying and can indeed prolong pancreatic stimulation: thereby causing further damage to the organ.
However, in consideration that the OP has stated that it has been at least 9 days or more, past the episode,
and that her pup is up and around playing; than I assume her acute phase is over.

The addition of fiber into the diet is not a debate by most of the nutritional community, but the amount of fiber is. While some pups do best with a 0.5-5.0 , others work better with a higher ratio 10.0-15.0 %.

Interesting that a pup was set off by peas, as most nutritionists recommend a diet high in carbohydrates for pancreatic patients as they have little effect on gastrointestinal hormones which are the triggers for the pancreatic enzymes. Perhaps another chronic disease was in play.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by lil fu fu girl

Yes, absolutely, during the initial recovery phase of pancreatitis a low fiber diet is suggested by most nutritionists and vets as fiber slows gastric emptying and can indeed prolong pancreatic stimulation: thereby causing further damage to the organ.
However, in consideration that the OP has stated that it has been at least 9 days or more, past the episode,
and that her pup is up and around playing; than I assume her acute phase is over.

The addition of fiber into the diet is not a debate by most of the nutritional community, but the amount of fiber is. While some pups do best with a 0.5-5.0 , others work better with a higher ratio 10.0-15.0 %.

Interesting that a pup was set off by peas, as most nutritionists recommend a diet high in carbohydrates for pancreatic patients as they have little effect on gastrointestinal hormones which are the triggers for the pancreatic enzymes. Perhaps another chronic disease was in play.

I can only relate my own experience. My dog has been in recovery now for 17 months from a mild case of pancreatitis. He's on 3% fiber for the rest of his life. A Board Certified Veterinary nutritionist designed his diet and modulates it on a regular basis. She greatly cautioned me to NOT feed certain foods in the beginning, and we did not even add green beans for three months. By the way, my dog has no other illnesses at play, and this is the recommendation.

[lil fu fu girl]

Originally Posted by 107barney

I can only relate my own experience. My dog has been in recovery now for 17 months from a mild case of pancreatitis. He's on 3% fiber for the rest of his life. A Board Certified Veterinary nutritionist designed his diet and modulates it on a regular basis. She greatly cautioned me to NOT feed certain foods in the beginning, and we did not even add green beans for three months. By the way, my dog has no other illnesses at play, and this is the recommendation.

I am so sorry that your pup has had such a horribly long experience with this. It almost sounds like a chronic case. I am glad that you have found a BCV nutritionist to assist you, and that you are not relying strictly on a vets offerings. Only someone who has studied your pups particular case can design a diet that best suits your pups individual needs. And then you as the guardian are the best resource as to what is working and what isn't, as every pup is different.
Best of luck...

[107barney]

Originally Posted by lil fu fu girl

I am so sorry that your pup has had such a horribly long experience with this. It almost sounds like a chronic case. I am glad that you have found a BCV nutritionist to assist you, and that you are not relying strictly on a vets offerings. Only someone who has studied your pups particular case can design a diet that best suits your pups individual needs. And then you as the guardian are the best resource as to what is working and what isn't, as every pup is different.
Best of luck...

Thank you! He is fine and only had pancreatitis for a few days. He isn't chronic at all. The nutritionist just took a very strict approach. This was his second acute episode (each episode was 5 years apart) so that probably played into her decision on his diet choices.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by lil fu fu girl

Yes, absolutely, during the initial recovery phase of pancreatitis a low fiber diet is suggested by most nutritionists and vets as fiber slows gastric emptying and can indeed prolong pancreatic stimulation: thereby causing further damage to the organ.
However, in consideration that the OP has stated that it has been at least 9 days or more, past the episode,
and that her pup is up and around playing; than I assume her acute phase is over.

The addition of fiber into the diet is not a debate by most of the nutritional community, but the amount of fiber is. While some pups do best with a 0.5-5.0 , others work better with a higher ratio 10.0-15.0 %.

Interesting that a pup was set off by peas, as most nutritionists recommend a diet high in carbohydrates for pancreatic patients as they have little effect on gastrointestinal hormones which are the triggers for the pancreatic enzymes. Perhaps another chronic disease was in play.

I think this is a very dangerous assumption. I'm really a believer in high fiber too, but adding it that soon seems very dangerous. I think with health matters it's always better to error on the side of caution, so an acute case doesn't become chronic or deadly. Serious, from my understanding, it takes months for the digestive system to heal, I don't think we can assume because a dog was playing that it's digestive system has healed. Britister, I believe, said that Jackson was playing when he got home from the hospital.

Kathy, my son's dog has to be on low residue for life. It took a long time before they even could find a food that worked. Each incident damages the pancreas so much more that they don't want to take a chance, that next time it won’t recover at all.

[chatwizme]

Very interesting information, thank you everyone. I purchased more rx dog food from the vet yesterday, both dry kibble and wet. I added 7 kibble pieces to her wet rx food last night and this morning. I am now concerned about the fiber issue. She usually has quite a 'regular' elimination system, twice a day everyday. The last 11 days it's been way off, but it's looked pretty normal for the last four days. (sorry to be graphic!) But she hasn't been 'going' in the mornings and her evening duties seem much 'less' than usual. Should I be concerned about this? Is this the low fiber in the food, the low fat in the food? I thot the dry would help her get things 'moving' a little better and maybe make her not so hungry. The wet seems to digest very quickly and she's at her dish giving me sad eyes which has never happened before in her life. Also, the vet indicated that 'stress' is what brought all of this on, in addition to the Swiss Cheese my little grandson was 'sharing' with her on the day before this began. Also, we are planning a road trip in 3 weeks and this stresses her out something horrible and we have no choice but the take her with us. The vet suggested benedryl! has anyone else had experience in drugging their little one while traveling in an RV across several states? Help again! Should I really do that?

[Ellie May]

Now you'll know for your next lil pup that cheese isn't a good snack for them at all. Just too high in fat and rich.

Can you just feed the kibble if she feels fuller on it?

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by chatwizme

Very interesting information, thank you everyone. I purchased more rx dog food from the vet yesterday, both dry kibble and wet. I added 7 kibble pieces to her wet rx food last night and this morning. I am now concerned about the fiber issue. She usually has quite a 'regular' elimination system, twice a day everyday. The last 11 days it's been way off, but it's looked pretty normal for the last four days. (sorry to be graphic!) But she hasn't been 'going' in the mornings and her evening duties seem much 'less' than usual. Should I be concerned about this? Is this the low fiber in the food, the low fat in the food? I thot the dry would help her get things 'moving' a little better and maybe make her not so hungry. The wet seems to digest very quickly and she's at her dish giving me sad eyes which has never happened before in her life. Also, the vet indicated that 'stress' is what brought all of this on, in addition to the Swiss Cheese my little grandson was 'sharing' with her on the day before this began. Also, we are planning a road trip in 3 weeks and this stresses her out something horrible and we have no choice but the take her with us. The vet suggested benedryl! has anyone else had experience in drugging their little one while traveling in an RV across several states? Help again! Should I really do that?

Oh dear if the vet suggested stress brought it on and a road trip causes her stress, I don't think I'd go on the road trip with her. What would you do if she had an attack on the road? Is she always anxious in the RV? It just seems like you could lose her. There are ways to train a dog to become less anxious, but I don't even think you'd want to attempt that untill she's much better.

Concerning your other question, low residue means that they can easily digest ever little part, so there is not much work for the digestive system, and I would assume this means smaller poop and less of it.

[lil fu fu girl]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

I think this is a very dangerous assumption. I'm really a believer in high fiber too, but adding it that soon seems very dangerous. I think with health matters it's always better to error on the side of caution, so an acute case doesn't become chronic or deadly. Serious, from my understanding, it takes months for the digestive system to heal, I don't think we can assume because a dog was playing that it's digestive system has healed. Britister, I believe, said that Jackson was playing when he got home from the hospital.

Kathy, my son's dog has to be on low residue for life. It took a long time before they even could find a food that worked. Each incident damages the pancreas so much more that they don't want to take a chance, that next time it won’t recover at all.

In actuality, this is not an assumption. Most vets, BCV nutritionists, and CCN's recommend a low fat high fiber diet, after the initial acute phase. Usually during the first 12-48 hours NPO is recommended. After that period if the pup has begun hydrating satisfactorily, and vomiting has subsided (for a period of 12-24 hours), the pup will then be placed on small, easily digestible meals. Over the next several weeks, after the initial phase of the attack, usually food is increased with the low fat high fiber diet.

When I mentioned that the pup was playing and that it had been over 9 days since the episode, my inference was that the "acute" phase, NPO was over. So the pup was being fed a prescribed natural diet, but with smaller portions. At this point, where the pup is eating again, a high fiber diet is recommended. Now in consideration that each BCVN will take into account each individual pups body system, high fiber, as I stated earlier, may range from 0.1 - 15.0%. It depends on each pup, and the diagnosis of the BCVN.
I have tried to post several white papers which apparently people cannot access without my log in. So here are just a couple that reference the white papers I refer to.

As I have stated this is the "usual" recommendations. There are always going to be different suggestions by different BCVN's depending on their training, their specialties, and especially considering the needs of each pup may be quite different. So what works well for one, might not for another.

I am sorry that your daughter has had such a rough time with her pup, but thankful that she has finally found something that worked for her. Oftentimes, it is more trial and error when working to define a nutritional guideline for a pup. No two seem to be alike; very much like humans.

Best wishes for your daughters little one.....




High fiber diet
High fiber diet