Tummy Issues, Elevated Lipase.....& more

[terryannj]

My Pomeranian who will be 5 in January has had problems with tummy that the vet can't seem to pin point. He has gurgling almost every day after eating, especially at night. Occasional vomiting...sudden after eating, maybe once every few weeks. He sometimes just starts to look uncomfortable, moving head up and down and licking lips as if experiencing eminent regurgitation (tho he does not vomit on those occasions), but it is more like nausea and he is rampant at those times to devour grass or anything he can -- if permitteed, he will frantically run around licking the carpet or blanket or anything as if trying to sooth something. He has had (only) early morning pain episodes for several years, sometimes going for months in between episodes, but until recently I attributed those to a known narrowing in vertabrae. I have noticed that sometimes these episodes are accompanied by gurgling. When in pain like this, he keeps turning to his right and "pointing" backwards toward his mid area, like he is telling me where it is. The vertabrae narrowing is mid-back. But the gurgling at those times is suspicious of something else. One week when the morning pain episodes were very frequent (4-5 times in one week), took him to the vet and blood test showed lipase was over 1400. Other values were normal, and Bile acid test came back normal. Blood tests several times since then show lipase hovering around 700. Xray did not show any obvious problems. At wit's end and my little boy is my everything. Can anyone help us? I have him on home made very low fat diet, and tummy symptoms are relieved by pepcid. He has also taken carafate, not sure if that has done anything. But pepcid always helps.

[Jaybay]

I just answered your PM, so be sure to check your Inbox.  :-)

No, pepcid should help a bit with the nausea, but not pain.  If the pain really IS coming from the pancreas, that calls for heavy-duty narcotics as a treatment.  I had pancreatitis myself years ago, and words can't describe the mind-numbing pain of that condition.

[terryannj]

Jaybay, if Dusty was having a pancreatitus pain attack, would pepcid help it? Pepcid always helps it seems, and eating a little bit helps too.

[Jaybay]

With the elevated lipase, I have to wonder if he's got chronic pancreatitis.  Your next step might be an ultrasound to see if the pancreas is swollen or has a pseudo-cyst or even a tumor.

My older dog had the same symptoms off and on during the last three years of his life.  In the end, his pancreas had had enough and the acute attack of pancreatitis killed him.

You're doing everything right for that condition by keeping to a low-fat diet and treating the nausea.  I would also suggest that you ask your vet about pain medication because pancreatitis is incredibly painful.  A stronger nausea medication like reglan or phenergan may be a good call as well.