Pancreatitis

[Touzy]

Well this is odd.. the kids told me that Shaemus threw up this morning.
I didn't think too much of it ... it happens.. but after our morning walk which wasn't as bouncy as usual - again attributing it to the cold... Shae started acting strange.. he started doing all the things that Bo did the day before he died. If I was standing by a kitchen counter he wedged in and leaned on me. I sat down with him and my 70 pound year and half old puppy climbed into my lap and put his head on my shoulder. This is all just a little off and I decided to check in with the vet.
Blood work.... Pancreatitis.....
so.. for now No food or water - little bowls of gatorade and i have to take him back in tomorrow morning for a recheck.
He is feeling better and very very confused as to why I won't give him food or water...
I looked over the sites that were listed on other threads... and I'm thinking that he got into garbage.. which he loves to do now and then.... We do not give him "people" food.... but he did have a rawhide the other day. ?? Could that be a problem?? Some of the links said this was a female thing or a middle age dog thing.. I sure hope this is a one time thing.... He seems fine right now.. not clingy or whiney.. just kind of mad.

Are there any more links besides these I should read?
thank you for the help in advance.

Some pancreatitis links :
http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/s...cle.cfm?id=399
http://www.peteducation.com/article....&articleid=335
http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/depancrea.html
http://www.judithstock.com/Speaking_...s_in_dogs.html

 

[zandz]

My last boxer had pancreatitis. He was pretty bad off for a while and had to stay at the vet for about 7 or 8 days, can't remember for sure. He bounced back and was totally fine, though. He had many other health problems but the pancreatitis was not a long term problem at all. Was this the first rawhide Shaemus has gotten? I don't know if that can cause it, but I would be suspicious of anything new he had eaten recently. I hope he recovers quickly!

 

[lafsalot]

Hard to say what the specific cause is for your furbaby's bout of pancreatitis. I am not sure about dogs, but reflux of the duodenal contents into the pancreatic duct and both viral and bacterial infections can cause pancreatitis in humans. Hence, I am more inclined to think that your furbaby's recent "garbage meal" and/or possible ingestion of a piece of rawhide, may be the cause/contributing factor.

There have been numerous reports published about the dangers of rawhide - they are not only a choking hazard, but can also cause severe blockages and digestive upsets. The FDA also issued a warning to both owners and their pets after several people reportly got bacterial infections (ie salmonella) after handling the wet treats.

At any rate, sounds like your furbaby is bouncing back. Hope she continues to improve ~ Cathy


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[Touzy]

Bloodwork came back and Shaemus is fine.
Guess it was a one time thing, but you bet
I am keeping a close eye on him whenever he
is in the kitchen.
The Dr. did an initial blood test that said things
were high. The next day same test, same result
so he did a more intense blood test and we had
to wait.. but all is fine.

 

[MxRxSth]

Happy to hear that Shaemus is better and that they second panel of bloodwork came back normal!

Thanks for the update!