What’s the topic for today?
Pancreatitis in dogs and the risk of fatty festive foods.
What exactly is pancreatitis?
Basically, it’s inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas contains lots of enzymes for digesting the food we eat, but in pancreatitis, these enzymes start to digest the pancreas itself.
Why do these enzymes suddenly start to digest the pancreas?
The enzymes in the pancreas are usually inactive and only become activated once they are secreted into the intestines. In pancreatitis, however, these enzymes become activated whilst they are still in the pancreas and start to digest it.
What causes pancreatitis?
We don’t know for sure, but it’s related to several risk factors, including obesity and fatty foods. Skinny dogs on low-fat foods can get pancreatitis, but they are at a lower risk.
Ah, so with Christmas coming up, people need to be cautious about feeding fatty leftovers.
Fatty leftovers should be avoided all year round, really, but I think people are more likely to give fatty treats at Christmas time. Its ok to give table scraps that you yourself would eat, but if it’s all the fatty bits covered in gravy and maybe even butter, then don’t be tempted to load them all into the dog’s bowl.
How serious is pancreatitis?
It’s very serious. It can be life-threatening. It can affect the whole body. It can cause liver damage and kidney failure, and heart failure.
Is it treatable?
There is no specific treatment. We treat the symptoms and try to keep them alive until the pancreas has a chance to settle down again. They may need to be hospitalised for a few days on intravenous fluids, pain relief and anti-emetics.
Is there any permanent damage caused?
If it’s a mild case, then probably not, but certainly in severe cases, the dog may be left with permanent kidney damage and sometimes may end up with diabetes and need daily insulin injections for life.
How do people know if their dog has pancreatitis? What are the symptoms?
It will look like a severe tummy upset with vomiting and severe abdominal pain. They often drink lots of water too and are off their food. They are all pretty non-specific signs, really and blood tests are needed to make the diagnosis.
Can anything be done to prevent pancreatitis?
We don’t fully understand what causes it, and so the only advice we can give is to avoid very fatty meals. Certainly, dogs that have had pancreatitis will need a special low-fat diet for the rest of their lives to prevent it from recurring.
So go easy on the Christmas leftovers for your dog this year
Yes, that’s the take-home message for today.
Do cats get pancreatitis?
Yes, they do, but it’s quite rare and it’s usually due to a specific disease in cats rather than diet, so it’s not quite the same as in dogs.