Pancreatitis

[AussieGirl]

Ruby has been a bit "off" the past few days, not eating properly, she was sick a couple of times (but nothing too bad that had me freaking out) and just didn't seem "right" - you know when there is nothing really obvious but you can tell there is something going on, she was super clingy, wouldn't go far from me and would try to literally climb on my lap and get in my face when getting a pat or rub.......just some behaviour that was not my girl. Anyway I took her to the vet and tried to explain that she was off her food a bit, had vomited a few times (over a few days) and just seemed off, they took her temp and saw it was raised and said it may be an infection, partial obstruction or it could be pancreatitis (but they weren't sure as her poops had been normal) they offered to either try some antibiotics and to come back if there was no improvement and do some blood work or to do the blood work straight away, so I told them to go ahead and do the bloods right away (why wait a few days I'd rather know straight away what the heck was going on) and it showed she had pancreatitis . I had read a little about it before but still asked what the causes may be (I like to double and triple check info to make sure what I know is correct) and sure enough they told me what I already knew - could be from meds (Ruby has had no meds), high fat diets, sudden change in diet (certain foods don't agree with some dogs) etc etc.....well when I was taking her to the vet DH has turned to me and said to me that he hoped the sausages he had fed her (I should say snuck her as I had no clue) hadn't upset her so I asked the vet and she smiled and said she felt that was probably the culpret as her diet had not changed in any other way. Poor DH feels terrible - he felt he was giving her a special treat and he said she did enjoy it. So Ruby is being kept for 48 hours at the vet on an IV - it is so quiet and strange in the house and I keep going to do things for her - like I almost told a skin kid off for not shutting the bin lid because Ruby may get in it. It also means that we have to be super carful with her diet for the rest of her life and I will have to remove ALL fat from her meals (take skin off chicken etc). All going well we can pick her up on Thursday afternoon so keep your fingers crossed it all goes smoothly and her body recovers from the 48 hour fast, and the meds she will then have to take clear it up.

Anyone else ever experience pancreatitis and could give me some useful tips?

[KeeperBoy]

Poor baby! How scary.

We don't have any experience there, but hopefully a strict diet will keep things under control for her.

[bruinsBoxers]

Poor Ruby .
I have heard of dogs that get one attack of pancreatitis , recover then are fine for the rest of their lives with no change in their normal diet .

[purplelori]

Oh Poor Ruby---and mom too! It is so worrysome when they are ill. Hope the treatment is fast and painless and she will soon be her old self!

[Ruby Red]

Oh no, poor Ruby, poor you. I don't have any experiance to offer but when I interviewed Benny's owners and went through his health check form, they said he had had pancreatitis when he was younger but [touch wood] he hasn't had another one since. I do hope this is just a one-off attack. Wishing her better soon. Big hugs from me and boxer kisses from my Ruby.

[Doreen]

Awwww.... I feel so bad.... I know how horrible it is to have to leave your baby at the vet.... nothing worse than leaving the office without him/her. She will be fine soon and back home.

[AussieGirl]

Aww gee thanks you guys . I phoned the vet first thing this morning and she said she was a very cheerful girl this morning (I can just picture her butt going mad and her talking/woo wooing to them when they arrived this morning lol) and she hadn't been sick throughout the night and if all stays well they will try her with a "lite" food in the morning - icky Science Diet, I think they are going to try to talk me into feeding it to her, already had the lecture of - she needs at least one pre prepared meal (she was refering to kibble) because she needs carbs and nutrients from fruit and veg blah blah blah .

Originally Posted by bruinsBoxers

I have heard of dogs that get one attack of pancreatitis , recover then are fine for the rest of their lives with no change in their normal diet .

I really do hope this is the case for us.

Originally Posted by Ruby Red

I don't have any experiance to offer but when I interviewed Benny's owners and went through his health check form, they said he had had pancreatitis when he was younger but [touch wood] he hasn't had another one since. I do hope this is just a one-off attack. Wishing her better soon. Big hugs from me and boxer kisses from my Ruby.

Gee hope Ruby is as lucky as Benny, I didn't even have to tell DH no more "special treats" he said he is not going to feed her anymore.......but I think he kinda meant EVER including her meals - it really gave him a scare and I have spoken to the kids and done the whole "see, this is why I always tell you not to feed her people food" lol.

Originally Posted by Doreen

Awwww.... I feel so bad.... I know how horrible it is to have to leave your baby at the vet.... nothing worse than leaving the office without him/her. She will be fine soon and back home.

Miss her so much that I went to three pet supply shops today and spoilt the little miss, she has a new water bowl, food bowl, pink mat for her bowls to sit on and catch the drips (though I'm wondering if it will be a pain to clean ??), new collar as her old one was looking faded and a nice new squeeky plush toy for her to destuff when she is feeling up to it.

[AussieGirl]

Okay I have been looking up some info on pancreatitis and I am going to start giving her some Vitamin C and Vitamin E when she gets home as

Vitamins C and E are antioxidants that can reduce the frequency and severity of dog pancreatitits flare-ups. The vitamins can also speed up recovery from the condition.

my question to those that give these is what strength and dosage do you give (unfortunately brand recommendations will be useless to me as I prob can't get it over here which is why I ask for strength and dosages )

[KeeperBoy]

I believe our holistic vet said the dosages for most humans are based on a 120 pound person (ha!) and so I give Keepers just under half a human dose. I only give him E 4 times a week and C whenever I remember.

[bruinsBoxers]

I give Edy vit C & E daily .
vit C 1000mg and Vit E 400iu .
I get the people vitamins .