Pancreatitis in dogs.

Dr. Marie replied:

I'm sorry to hear that your little dog has been diagnosed with pancreatitis. Some dogs with pancreatitis can have very mild symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea but others can be extremely sick.

The diagnosis certainly sounds correct. When I read your description of how uncomfortable he was and how he had such severe belly pain the first thing I thought of was pancreatitis. It sounds like the blood tests confirmed this. Most dogs with pancreatitis will have an increase in amylase and lipase (although not always) and usually an increase in something called PLI.

For mild cases of pancreatitis, subcutaneous fluids and the instructions to feed small bland meals frequently can be enough to cure the dog. However, some dogs need more intensive treatment such as staying in the hospital on intravenous fluids and being given injectable pain medication.

If Luiciuos Borinus is starting to eat and drink then this is a great sign. If he is doing so without vomiting then I would be very hopeful for a complete recovery. I would keep doing what you are doing and this should be sufficient.

Regarding the cause of pancreatitis, often it is unknown. Sometimes pancreatitis can be caused by eating something really fatty such as a stick of butter. One of the worst cases of pancreatitis I ever saw was a dog who had eaten bird suet which is basically lard covered in bird seed. However, I have seen dogs get pancreatitis without any knowledge of them eating anything fatty.

As such, you can usually prevent pancreatitis by not giving your dog anything extra fatty. If a dog gets repeated bouts of pancreatitis and we don't have a history of eating fatty food then we may put the dog on a bland diet permanently. But, I wouldn't do this if this is the first time he has had pancreatitis.

I wouldn't recommend any extra supplements.

Regarding tests, the most accurate test that we routinely run now is one called a PLI test. *Most* emergency clinics will have the capability to run this test in their clinic but sometimes the test needs to be sent to an external lab and we don't get results until a day or two later.

You will definitely know if this condition gets worse. If his appetite stops and the vomiting continues then he needs to go back to the hospital again. The cases that are lethal are rare. I have had patients die of pancreatitis but the vast majority of dogs recover and never have a problem with it again. The lethal cases were horribly sick from the start and never did make a recovery. If your little guy is eating again then he is very unlikely to get sick again. Just be sure to continue with the bland food until he is completely recovered and even for a few days longer.

I hope that helps and I hope he continues to recover!

Dr. Marie.


Do you have a pet website? Interested in learning more about SEO for Wix?

---

Check out our dog age calculator and cat age calculator.

Dr. Marie replied:

Recovery really does vary. I've seen dogs be 100% better in 24 hours. Others can take a week or more.

If he has no symptoms I personally wouldn't recommend followup tests. If he was still vomiting occasionally I might consider repeating a PLI test but if he's totally better there really is no reason to do so.

Hope he is feeling better today!