Diet for a Dog With Advancing Pancreatitis

Dogs with an advanced state of pancreatitis have to be careful about what they eat. Poor diets can contribute to the disease and worsen your pet's suffering. If your dog has advanced pancreatitis, it will likely need to spend several days at the hospital. Once it is back in your care, feeding it properly is one of the most important things you can do to combat the disease.

  1. Prescription Foods

    • One of the major causes of pancreatitis is obesity, and helping your dog lose weight is key to helping it recover. Once your dog has been treated by a vet, you should receive a prescription for special foods. These foods are only available through your vet. You may need to inquire about prescription drugs that will help ease some of the symptoms of your dog's condition, such as abdominal pain.

    Liquid Food

    • In advanced cases of pancreatitis, your dog may have to eat liquid food for several days after your visit to the vet. This is because solid foods may stimulate the release of enzymes and provoke the return of pancreatitis. Finding liquid foods in pet stores may be difficult. You can ask your veterinarian for suggestions, and you may have to manually blend some low-fat foods for your pet until it recovers. Gradually introduce more and more solid foods as time goes by.

    Low Fat

    • Dogs with pancreatitis should avoid eating foods that tax their stomachs. Owners should strive to feed their dogs low-fat diets with no more than 10 percent fat content. Look at the label on containers, and try feeding it some alternative foods, such as fish, potatoes, rice, chicken and vegetarian kibble. You should always avoid high-fat foods such as pig ears and rawhides, and do not feed your dog scraps from the table.

    Over the Counter Foods

    • You may need to return to brand name dog foods, but not every option is appropriate. Besides looking at labels, you should be careful to find "batch tested" food, which has been quality tested to ensure the product matches the nutritional label. Companies such as Purina, Hills and Royal Canin are reliable and practice batch testing. If you are unsure about any foods, try contacting your vet.