Pat Miller of Greenville, South Carolina, has been a dog owner most of her life. But she'd never heard of pancreatitis until her miniature schnauzer, Penelope, was diagnosed with the serious ailment. "Now it just comes on so quick," Miller said. "I can leave and she'll be fine, but when I come home, she's crying and won't get up and her stomach has blown up like a balloon. Her stomach will be as hard as it can be."
Pancreatitis is a painful inflammation of the pancreas, a large gland behind the stomach that aids digestion, according to Dr. Peggy Champion, a longtime practicing veterinarian and head of the veterinary technology department at Tri County Technical College in Pendleton, South Carolina. "Pancreatitis is an extremely serious disease," Champion said. "It's extremely rare in cats, and it's not what I'd call common in dogs, but it's certainly seen in dogs more often than cats."
For dog owners concerned about the symptoms and causes of pancreatitis in dogs, there are warning signs and prevention methods to follow.
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Causes of Pancreatitis
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Champion said no one understands for certain what causes pancreatitis, but veterinarians are confident that fatty foods can trigger a flare-up of the disease. She said some breeds---labrador retrievers and schnauzers, in particular---are prone to pancreatitis. "We do know that after giving a dog pork, many different breeds will end up with pancreatitis," she said. "Someone who fed their dog a lot of ham at Christmas or tossed them a pork chop or something like that---any kind of really rich food---can trigger it."
Miller said she believes her dog's breed made her prone to the illness. Schnauzers, she said, are also prone to developing seizures, from which her dog, Penelope, also suffers. "Penelope started out with seizures first, then the pancreatitis started about six months later," Miller said. "The Phenobarbital she takes for her seizures can affect the medicine she takes for her pancreatitis. This poor puppy---we have to give her four or five types of medication every day. When she has an attack, I have to figure out, is it a seizure, is it the pancreatitis, or a combination of both?"
Champion said pancreatitis is largely a preventable disease in most dogs. "What we always tell our clients is don't let your animal get fat, don't overfeed them, make sure they get proper exercise, feed only low-fat treats and don't feed table food at all---period," she said. She warned that certain medications can also cause the illness to flare up and recommended speaking with your veterinarian immediately if any of the following symptoms appear.
Symptoms
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Symptoms of pancreatitis include depression, nausea, diarrhea and a bloated, hard stomach that is painful to the touch for the animal. According to the Humane Society of the United States, other symptoms can include a "hunched up" posture, and yellow, greasy stool, all along with a fever. Miller said her dog looked like she had swallowed a ball before she was diagnosed with the illness, and it was obvious her dog was in great pain.
Treatments
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Champion said veterinarians must hospitalize pets with pancreatitis in order to give them intravenous fluids and control their food intake. "You have to remember, a lot of times when people go into the hospital with anything wrong with their pancreas, they die," Champion said. "For us, we can usually get cats and dogs back on a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet and get them on their feet again, but the treatment can be very expensive."
Your veterinarian's main goal with treatment will be to rest the pancreas, she said. If symptoms are severe, you will be advised to begin by withholding food, water, and oral medications for at least 24 hours. Over a week's time, the dog will be introduced to its new special diet, which may or may not last a lifetime.
Long-Term Prospects
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Champion said dogs can recover from pancreatitis and live normal lives, but dogs that are prone to it can experience recurrences frequently. Those dogs must eat a strict reduced-fat diet and can never be fed anything outside that diet again.
For More Information
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If you feel your dog has symptoms of pancreatitis, contact your veterinarian immediately. You can also contact the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at (888) 426-4435 to determine if you have fed your pet something toxic or that can attribute to developing pancreatitis, but there is a fee associated with each phone call to the hotline.
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