My Loki has Pancreatitis (sorry kinda long)

[otakupunk]

Hi everyone it's been a long time since I've posted on here.... Loki, my 2 year old boxer, got sick the day before yesterday. He has dairrhea and and can't hold down any food so I took him to the vet and the did a lot of tests and found his lipase level to be over 4000. The vet said with Loki's history he believes it to be pancreatitis and Loki is going to have to be on a perscription diet the rest of his life (the food they put him on is called W/D). He gets no food until later tonight and if he gets sick at all today i have to rush him back to the vet and they want to keep him there on IV's. The vet seems really worried about this and is going to call me today to check on him and he also wants me to call again by the end of the week and also more blood work in 10 days. (T_T)

I have a couple of questions for anyone else who has gone through this. The way the vet explained it to me is this can be fatal if it gets any worse, can anyone tell me about the life expectancy and quality of life for him if I can get it under controll with this perscription diet?

Also even if it is under control do they tend to have reaccuring bouts with it? The vet said he had a dog that was set off by eating a single potato chip and I am extremely worried about future costs. As selfish as it may seem, I am a just college student and maxed out my credit card with last nights visit and if this is going to keep happening I am afraid I am not going to be able to afford to care for my buddy.

 

[lafsalot]

So sorry to hear that your Loki has pancreatitis. Since your pooch was not hospitalized, I am assuming that it is a mild case which has a good prognosis. When our Mya succumbed to the illness, she had a more severe case, yet survived unscathed. However, she later developed a chronic form of pancreatitis only because she was on prednisone for brain swelling and pemphigus. It is very important that your dog adhere to a strict low fat diet. Your vet was right, even one potato chip can set them back! Good luck, and do keep us posted - Cathy

 

[Cami]

There are actually 2 forms of pancreatitis. One is chronic, thats lasts forever and the other is acute, just a one time attack. The acute one time attack can last for months. Both are managable with much diligence.

My hubby has pancreatitis (chronic) that is triggered by a few different things. Cami (boxer) had a "hopefully" acute attack in September diagnosed with elevated lipase levels, vomiting, loss of appetite and she was very lethargic. I also had a cat that had pancreatitis among other things.

Stress can be a trigger as well as high fat foods or meals in larger quantities. In humans alcohol is a big NO-NO for pancreatitis sufferers.

I don't know Loki's history but just the vomiting alone could have made the lipase level increase. It is a measure of the pancreas but it also shows that there has been recent vomiting. The blood "rights" itself pretty quickly and I would assume that the next blood test that you have will show a much lower number. The pancreas releases digestive enzymes in addition to insulin and as soon as one starts to eat or even senses food these digestive enzymes are released. If no food is present (as with vomiting) the enzymes start to digest the actual pancreas itself if this continues long term. It can also lead to diabetes because of the insulin connection.

The first thing to do is to get Loki eating something low in fat and BLAND. The fats also need to be of high quality. There are way better foods available than the Science Diet A/D. This might be a great time to investigate home cooking (barf diet). Offer smaller meals more frequently. Try to make sure that if you are eating (or even cooking) that he is eating a meal or receiving a healthy treat. The smell of food will trigger the pancreas to start releasing the digestive enzymes. He must have something in his tummy for the enzymes to digest.

Per my hubby, "pancreatitis sucks, it's painful during an attack, causes an overly bloated feeling, heartburn, indegestion, and gas". When he has an attack, he literally has to be off of food for 1-2 days with only chicken broth, jello or similar. Last year he lost nearly 40lbs in less than 3 months. At 6'4 and only 206lbs to start off with he was already quite slim. When he got to 164lbs he looked and felt awful.

I hope that some of this helped. It is managable but has to be managed forever as it is alot harder to get better once sick than it is to stay healthy and avoid attacks.

I am sure that with lots of love and planning that Loki will be fine. Good-Luck!

 

[craZ4HERKIE]

I don't have any advice to offer...I am sending lots of Carolina vibes that Loki is off to a speedy recovery!I know how it is to have a furbaby that isn't well...and not have much money to do anything about it!I can definitely feel you there...but where there's a will there's a way.Perhaps if this is a going to be a chronic condition with Loki, the vet may work out payment schedules with you in order to offset some of the expense all at once...and to save the life of your credit card!Give Loki lots of hugs and kisses for me..and Herkie sends beans and slobbery kisses your way!Please keep us posted!

 

[sinbad'smom]

pancreatitis (long)

i have alot of experience with this. sinbad has chronic pancreatitis. he got it before he was a year old.since your vet did not put him on an iv it is not as bad as it could have been. sinbad had to several times stay at the vets on a iv overnite and a few days at a time, the longest was 5 days straight because they cant have anything to eat or drink at all.that time he was throwing up black stuff at the vets. just make sure your baby doesnt get any people food. sinbad has to stay on the special diet food i get at the vets. he is currently on w/d dry and i/d canned.i buy the special treats from the vets also.it is serious but you can keep it in control very easy.feel free any time to ask me questions you can pm me if you like,i can give you my phone # if you need to talk or ask questions.i know it is scary i have been there. they would do blood work every little bit to check his levels. we determined that his levels are just going to stay a little higher than normal because it was so chronic.you did the right thing taking your baby in so quick. sinbad was just throwing up i thought more than was normal no change in activies the vets could not belive how sick he was with it with the way he was acting.his levels were alot higher than 4000 so you caught it early.... dora

 

[Angie K]

I just wanted to tell you my experience: My female 2yrs 4months old had pancreatitis in July of this year. It lasted about 1 month. She was throwing up every meal and sometimes in between. Her levels were not good when they did the blood work and our vet determined pancreatitis. The vet gave us one week of a prescription to calm her intestines down to help her keep food down. We also were instructed to put her on a diet of Boiled Chicken and Rice ONLY. No extras treats etc. We started with small amounts of the food three times a day then went to her normal 2x a day and increased the chicken and rice little by little. She had lost at least 5lbs through this and for her its alot because her normal weight is only 45/50. The vet said if this didn't work and it got worse we would fast her for 48hours. then start. But thank god it worked. After about 2wks of Chik N Rice we started adding a small amount of Kibble (Nutro Natural Choice for Sensitive Stomach) to her meals. So far so good. She hasn't had any more episodes. Good Luck and sending Healing Vibes your way.

 

[chewysmom]

I just found out yesterday that my dog has pancreatitis as well. The vet said that it is treatable, and that many dogs overcome it. He's been on an IV and off food for awhile, and is unknown how long he will have to stay at the vet's. Unfortuneately, Chewy also has something wrong with his kidney's, which is more severe than the pancreatitis, and is worrying me, and costing me a fortune. I, too, don't know how I will pay for this, but I just want him to get the best health care possible.

I will pray for your dog.

 

[Cindy Creel]

My prayers are with you both. I hope he gets better soon.

 

[Poohsmom]

The kids and I are sending you and Loki lots of positive healing vibes and sloppy boxer kisses. Hope things start looking up really,really soon.

Sue and the kids,Pooh,Bownser,Dozer & Cissy

 

[momstaxi]

I don't know much about pancreatitis in dogs but i sure hope your baby feels better soon
Michele