Diets for puppies with pancreatitis?

OMG I can't believe I'm not the only one dealing with a puppy with pancreatitis...My puppy has been in and out of the vets office more times than I care to count since we got her in May.  This little Chessie is just miserable.  She will be great for a few days and then within a matter of a few hours she can be in pain and so sick.  I am able to do IVs at home if I need to, but my question is what do you get them to eat?  Pumpkin she loves...yogurt at times.  She was eating ground turkey with rice and cottage cheese....but now she won't even look at the turkey...what else can I give her to eat some protein.  I just had the lab test drawn today for Pancreatic functions....Forget the name, but they have to send it to Texas...Suppose to tell me if she has pancreatic insufficency.  I really would appreciate any other ideas of how to get her to eat.  Thanks!

[Jon Geller, D.V.M.,, Dipl ABVP]

It is good that you have a confirmatory blood test pending, because pancreatitis can be a very challenging disease to diagnose. Usually pancreatitis can only be diagnosed with a combination of clinical signs such as vomiting, abdominal pain and fever along with a positive results for a specific blood test (probably the one your veterinarian had sent in), and confirmation with an abdominal ultrasound. In the meantime, you and your veterinarian should keep an open mind, and always ask the question, "What else can it be?", especially if your dog is not getting better. I would have a fairly long list of diseases that must be ruled out, such as parvovirus, intestinal parasites or a partial intestinal obstruction of some kind.

If your dog is not eating most food because she is not interested, or she is vomiting, she probably needs to be hospitalized until the diagnosis is confirmed. If she will eat for you, small amounts of plain yogurt can be helpful with modest amounts of canned pumpkin. Sometimes baby food can help a dog get back on track with their eating, as long as they are not vomiting.

Jon Geller, DVM

[Sandra_G]

Hi, you are so right. Pancreatitis is a crazy disease. My 9 yr old Poodle Julie just got better with a severe bout with it again..for the 2nd time in 6 months. Each time she was hospitalized for 4 days.She also has Cushings disease & I treat her with Trilostane for that.  Her "pot belly" look was getting so much better but today, I noticed it was big again. This worries me. Does Pancreatitis ever go away?
Anyway, all the vets where she was told me to not give her fatty foods & to limit the fats way down. Try boiled chicken minus the skin. Yesterday I made her stew.
Chicken (not too much) yams (good for dogs) carrotts, parsley, garlic, celery, & rice..all boiled in low sodium Fat free chicken broth. She loves it. Refrigerate & keep it for all week...I mixed it with her Hills KD can dog food.
Her problem is she is forever hungry..insanely, & thirsty too.
I was told that foods that are Starches are fine to give. So I bake a few Yams,  cut them up small & give her it as a treat daily & with her pill. I give her plain pasta too, It's cooked with salt & olive oil so it's tasty,  not often, maybe 1x in 2 wks. Any potato's are okay too. I give her 1 hard boiled egg white for breakfast daily.
Good luck with your pup & let me know how it goes.  

[PeggyV]

Thank you for your concern.  Now they say that she doesn't have pancreaitis!  They did surgery for "telescoping intestines" and surprise, surprise she didn't have any....my breeder has a puppy with the same symptoms and they dx that puppy with HOD....HyperOsteo....something Dsytropy...A growth disorder that large breed puppies can get, but out grow.  Both vets here say no way....I was told yesterday that they removed lymph nodes during the surgery that were "pus filled"  But then they said that they didn't culture anything from them.  Now I'm a nurse...plus I do infection control...come on now!  They now are saying she has some "mystery bacteria" somewhere in her system that they can't detect.  I think they are just trying to justify the 8000 it has cost me so far.....But she's playing now, happy and being a puppy again so today is good.....I just keep waiting for the other shoe to fall......she has these episodes every 2-3 weeks....I'll keep everyone updated!
Peggy

[ggreg]

I just posted about my older dog having what you all's dogs have, pancreatitis.  She's up and down, scaring me.  Anyhow, just wanted to point you guys there.
GG (ggreg)