Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas due to feeding of high fat foods. It is often referred to as killing your dog with kindness, as people think high fat treats will show the dog they love him but in reality it sets off a painful condition. There are several low fat diets available, some you can make at home that will provide for the dog with out aggravating the condition.
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Acute Onset
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Pancreatitis usually affects older and obese dogs who do not get enough exercise, but all dogs are susceptible. The pancreas makes digestive enzymes that break down food matter. When pancreatitis set in, these enzymes leak out destroying the surrounding tissue. This results in a very painful abdomen and a depressed often nauseous animal. At the first signs of this, stop feeding your dog and seek medical attention for your pet. Often strong pain killers, intravenous fluids and withholding food for several days is necessary to overcome the attack.
Once the vet has deemed your dog fit to go home you will often have specific feeding instructions from the vet. Care must be taken to continue calming the angered pancreas and nourish the dog without setting off another attack. Typically this is done with small frequent amounts of low fat, bland food, like boiled chicken and white rice. The amounts will depend on the size of your dog and his body weight.
Often the vet will recommend keeping the dog on this diet, two to three feedings a day, until your dog has shrunk to his recommended weight. Owners that allow their pet to reach such an unhealthy weight that triggers an attack often equate table scraps with love. This is the worst thing you can do for a dog. Human food is typically very high in fat and can overload the pancreas' ability to produce enough enzymes to break it down. Do not feed your dog people food while he is recovering from a bout of pancreatitis.
Management
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Once you know your dog has had pancreatitis, this should be a consideration in food selection for the rest of your dog's life. To prevent further episodes, your dog needs to trim down to her fighting weight. Get her as lean as you can--you should easily be able to feel but not see her ribs. If you have to go digging for them it means she could lose a few pounds. To do this, any low fat dog food, fed in moderation, will work.
If your dog has other issues like allergies, choose a low fat limited ingredient diet. Sometimes you will have to try several varieties to find one your dog will eat as after eating the delicious fatty food that got her into trouble to start with, she may not like the low fat foods that have a higher fiber content. Some dogs do well staying on the boiled chicken and rice diet. Most important though is to resist the temptation of feeding table scraps. Find low fat treats that are sold at most pet stores instead.
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