Pancreatitis
 

My 15 year old Yorkie had routine labs done 6 months ago that showed he had pancreatitis (normal 400, his 1200). He had a little vomiting, no diarrhea or weight loss. He was active, walking a half mile a day and playful. Started making him meals of chicken, brown rice and veggies with a 2 tablespoons of Royal Canine Gastrointestinal Low Fat canned food as the vet recommended. A month a ago his level was down to 800. No more vomiting. Still active, so he's better. He will be rechecked in 3 months. In 6 weeks we will be gone for 2 weeks and the house sitter will stay with him. I am worried about her feeding him the home made food even if I freeze it. I am thinking he would do best with just the canned food which he loves just to be on the safe side. That way I won't worry about if the chicken is out too long or the veggies aren't cleaned enough. What do you think? We also have a 12 year old overweight (7 pound) female who eats what he does. Neither of them like the kibble food same brand. Suggestions?

I'd have the sitter to come to the house at least twice before you leave to make and feed Chester so both of them can get use to this.
I know exactly how you feel. I home cook and we are going to Oahu & Maui for two weeks and were having a couple (friends) who will stay in the house and take care of our three girls and the house, but I am almost sick to my stomach that the youngest stops eating, (she's been a headache getting weight on her ever since she was 12 weeks old), or they won't go out in the yard with the girls to keep an eye on them and such. I just know I will be calling every day to see how things are going.

That's a great idea! She's been our "nanny" for 13 years so the fur babies are very used to her but this new feeding plan is new and it's so important, like medicine. Thank you so much for the suggestion. Have a wonderful vacation!

Pancreatitis :-(
 

So sorry your poor fur boy has this disease. But glad that his numbers are improving with treatment and that he is behaving normally and seems well.
But 800 is still fairly high and he still would benefit from the low fat RC food in my opinion.
If I were you I would keep to the RC Low Fat food alone as that is what I have always fed after an attack. That will be an easy regimen for the sitter to feed while you are away.
If your 12 yr old girl is overweight, it would seem a good idea to feed her the same RC food too as it is low fat.
Enjoy your trip and hoping your boy gets completely over the P disease soon with normal numbers.

I was feeling like I was a being a better mother by making his food rather than giving him canned food (much like I did with my child). But your kind post has just alleviated all guilt! It's canned RC from now (and they love it) You've made my day! Thank you so very very much.

I feed home cooked food and have no problems using sitters to feed. The chicken diet is lower in fat than the RC so I'd be reluctant to use that and set him off while you're gone. I would stay with the current food. I personally would switch him off brown rice and use white. I also have dogs who are old and one is very fat restricted for the same issue.

solid gold has a good low fat food 6% called holistique blend

Having fed William just canned RC last night, this morning he wouldn't touch it and I was worried I'd upset his tummy. I put chicken and rice down and at first wouldn't eat it either, but did eat it all about 20 min later. In checking with the RC can, it seems that all cans of the same product are not created equally. There are minimums and "not more thans". My husband, how is a pediatrician, tried to figure out an exact amount (and he's pretty good with that sort of thing with premature baby food needs) and he couldn't. That being said, a medium skinless chicken breast has 52 grams of protein and 6 grams of fat, considerably less fat than in the RC low fat canned food. How confusing. Bottom line, I think I will listen to William and stick with the chicken/rice/veggie food with a tablespoon of RC on top. While Lucy does not have P, she does have hyperlipidemia, so this diet is good for her also. Thank you all so much for your help. What a gem of a site. I'm learning a lot and hope to be able to contribute some advice as well.

P food
 

Sorry William would not eat the canned alone, but happy you have found a diet combination that works. My dog would always eat the prescription canned even if sick, but all dogs are different. A few weeks on the low fat canned cleared up my dog's P issues and the value came down to 93, then soon after to 63.
If he appears a little picky still and the cPL number is still greater than 400, could it be he still has mild Pancreatitis! My dog had P symptoms with a value of 399.
Perhaps a Snap cPL test at the vet might check whether he is totally better?
Good to hear he is doing well and hope he is over the P.
Thanks for the update :)

I use Trader Joe's Ice Glazed Frozen Chicken Breast Tenderloins with white rice, vegetables, and a supplement for Katie. For a 26 gram serving, they have 1.5 grams of fat, but they have a little added sodium (75 mg), so I don't know if that's an issue. I used to use brown rice until I read it's more difficult for dogs to digest brown rice. I have no experience with pancreatitis, but I know the struggle to keep a dog healthy and lean. Katie is six years old today. I hope William continues to improve and that Lucy does well too.

Dog food cans and labels are indeed hard to read. But, Rx foods such as gastrointestinal are generally accurate based on the can. So if the can says Crude Fat not more than 8% then that is the fat max. It is when the can says stuff like "8% fat minimum" and they don't tell you the maximum that you have a problem. You also have to calculate based on a "dry matter basis" and that means you need to convert the can.

I really think you should consider changing to white rice from brown for this pancreatitis dog. Brown rice is not low residue enough for dogs with this problem. I would also be careful w/ vegetables and make sure they are cooked until he is no longer smoldering with pancreatitis.

When I travel, I make food in little zip lock snack bags - one bag per meal per dog. Everything is weighed out and portioned accordingly. My sitter defrosts the food and then adds their supplement to the warmed food. It works out pretty well for us this way.

Also how much chicken are you feeding him? Excess protein can be an issue in pancreatitis dogs too.

Each dog gets 2 heaping teaspoons of chicken and 1 of rice. I am no longer giving them brown rice. They seem to like sweet potatoes and Lucy likes any kind of vegetable but William no longer eats peas, green beans or carrots. Help! Also, what kind o supplement do you use? My vet suggested "missing link" but it's a powder and there are no specific directions for simply supplementing for home made diet. We live in a small town and pet store is not helpful. I am trying so hard to keep them healthy. So you freeze the chicken, rice and veggie in a bag all together?

my yorkie has that also. we only feed her purina H A it is perscription only.. amazing results we give her nothing else no meat! no veggies, nothing it has no meat in it either

I use Balance It. Have you checked out their free recipes? You can get a free diet for William's pancreatitis but your vet will have to "ok" it. I'm sure once your vet reads about balance it he may prefer recommending it instead of missing link.

I would give William white potatoes and chicken breast. I would try canned cooked (no salt added) carrots and peas and see if he goes for it. I have one dog who clearly prefers canned cooked peas to frozen ones.

Yes I freeze their meals together in the mini snack bags. I write their names on each one using a permanent marker.

I've spent a lot of time this morning on the Balance It website and the site will fax my vet to have him approve what they suggest. His office said he had not heard of the product so hopefully he will find this helpful for other per owners as well. I like who they are very specific, even saying how many days the supplement will last. And a diet specifically made for each dog is just what my babies need. I'm an RN and used to following orders, but very specific orders. Not just "give a little morphine" I need to know exactly how much, exactly how something is done. I'm like that with cooking. I have to have a recipe. I can't throw in a little of this and that. So thank you and I apologize for needing so much guidance. I am getting more and more anxious as tomorrow they get their teeth cleaned. I always dread this annual procedure but as they age I worry more. Please pray that they tolerate this well. Your helpfulness is so appreciated.:)

I'm so glad the info was helpful! Your vet will probably appreciate knowing that the company's founder Sean Delaney DVM is also a board certified veterinary nutritionist and diplomat if the American College. I have a diet for my dog wih a history of pancreatitis from Dr Remillard at petdiets. Her consultation costs $250 and is a great service if you are like me and have a long list of preferences and peculiar dogs! Her website is also very informative if you read the "ask the nutritionist" section and other sections. Anyway two of my dogs use the "balance It Canine "k" version and that's what you might need for William (I'm not sure!). Dr Delaney at Balance It is always helpful via email too if your vet or you have questions.

Good luck - let us know how you do!
Good luck also with the dentals, hope all goes well :)

I home cook for one of my pups who is on low fat due to lymphangectasia. She has been on this diet since she was diagnosed in Dec 2011. It calls for Balance It. She has done very well on this diet.

I previously home cooked for one of my pups with pancreatitis. He passed away last year due to a pancreatic tumor but was on home cooked and did very well. It also called for Balance It. I got both recipes from a vet nutritionist.

I highly recommend this product and these diets!

Someone just asked me about dentals in dogs with pancreatitis. I had actually meant to post about it, but got side tracked.

I am assuming they made the diagnosis based on the lipase and/or symptoms; but it sounds like the symptoms were mild. Pancreatitis is tricky to diagnose. Lipase can be unreliable as a diagnostic tool. I think you are correct to be concerned about a dental ..anesthesia can set off pancreatitis. My George had pancreatitis and a mass on his pancreas for some time before he died. He had a dental done and remained in ICU for 24 hours for close observation after ( I had his dental done by a board certified vet dentist so he was already in a 24 hour hospital). He did fine!

Your pup may indeed have pancreatitis, but I would honestly want an ultrasound done to see how the pancreas actually looks. Just relying on lipase, amylase or even cPLI is not totally diagnostic. Not sure I would cancel the dental, but you might want to call the vet and discuss this with him. I am personally very pro dental because leaving their teeth uncared for will cause terrible illness...sometimes you must take some risks. Probably in his case your vet plans on running fluids anyway.

There was good news for Lucy. Her blood showed normal lipid level! She had her teeth cleaned and is doing great. Also Balance It got her form and faxed it to the vet. Somehow William's has gotten lost and we are working on that. Sadly, William has lost 8 oz! He was 4 lb 6 ½ oz.! So he did not have the procedure. He had a body X-ray and a lot of blood work. No results yet. I am just SICK about it. Feeling such anger, guilt and frustration I cannot tell you! Told my vet I felt he had let me down when I begged him to help me with the diet. He told me "nutrition isn't my strong suit". He was impressed by the Balance It credentials and is anxiously awaiting to hear from him about William. I am praying William's weight loss is due to only poor intake and not something worse. He still insisted on his usual walk last night so he's got lots of energy. My heart aches when I see his bright eyes. I want so badly to help him now!

Betsy, I know you feel let down by your vet but I am very impressed by two things with your vet. First, he is willing to admit where he lacks specific specialty type of expertise such as nutrition and second, that he is open minded to learning new things!

Try not to worry too much about William's weight loss until you have more information. As dogs age they lose muscle mass just as we do and that may account for the 8 oz loss.

If William does have another issue that creeps up, then he may need a more detailed nutrition service instead of BalanceIt. In that case, petdiets and a consult with Dr. Remillard would be better because she would review all of William's medical records and fax her dietary recommendations to your vet. Her website is petdiets and the fee is $250 for the professional consult w/ the dietary recommendations.

Keep us posted on the results!

Also, did you email Dr Delaney at balance It for help getting this sent? He is very helpful. Just tell him your from the yorkie forum, he's starting to know who we all are :p

I think William may need more food to make up for the loss of calories coming from his fat restriction. This could be why he's losing weight. Does he like canned corn with no added salt?

Update on William and his pancreatitis
 

Spent 7 hours at the med center. where they did an ultrasound. They found chronic inflammation of his pancreas but they were not particularly impressed by what they saw and suggested I switch to Hills low fat diet because William is so picky and they don't want me doing the homemade thing because he is so picky and won't eat vegetables. Anyway, the ultrasound also showed abnormalities in his bladder/prostate areas so they did a biopsy. But they are quite certain that my sweet fur baby has prostate cancer although he's had no symptoms. I am stunned. I drove 2 hours there thinking the worst news I'd get was something about his pancreas and I come back with a box of used kleenex sobbing because my baby has cancer. I've just looked up life expectancy for this and I read 30 days! But that's with symptoms. They talked about chemotherapy, saying radiation is not done nor is surgery for this type of cancer. I leave April 30 for two weeks in Germany and I don't know if I can go and leave him. I guess I need to wait until they call tomorrow with the path report but I felt like writing with the day's events .....you now how we love these little guys. No one else understands how special they are. Thank you for listening to me blubber.....

I'm sorry Betsy, I wish the news was better.
Home cooking indies not require veggies so I disagree with them there. I would try the Hill's though...
I just went through a similar experience where an error was made in thinking Barney had a bladder tumor and I learned there are many benign things you can find. I hope it's not the worst news. A friend of mine did chemo for her 14.5 year old and it wasn't a bad experience.

Oh my....I am so sorry. Prayers for you and your William...

I'm so sorry to hear your baby may have cancer. I pray the test comes back negative. For what it's worth, my little girl was diagnosed with insulinoma, a form of cancer is November, and the vet was initially saying survival time was 2 months. But, she's been doing fine on medications since then. I hope you get some good news for your little one and that it's not cancer.
Also, I noticed you said your baby no longer wanted to eat the Royal Canin Lo Fat Gastro food. Miss Tink used to LOVE this food. However, with the most recent shipment, she will not even touch it. I noticed the consistency was more "mousse-like" than previous. Like you, we switched to Hill's ID Gastro, and she really likes it. The ingredients in Hills look much better.

Again, I'm praying that the tests show there is no cancer. Prayers for your little one :aimeeyork

Betsy, did you get William's results?