Advice: Sick dog with pancreatitis / anyone have dog recover after being sick for 1-2 weeks and not eating??

[seraphin29]

My almost 10 y.o lab/Shepard mix has been sick for 2 weeks now. No idea how she got pancreatitis but that is what bloodwork from vet is showing.

Initially she was vomiting for a week prior to just stopped eating meals and drinking very little. Went to vet after a few days of no food/water and she is currently receiving sub dermal fluids, daily antiemetic, gabapentin. The best 3 day stretch came when received an opioid and drank water very well but could still only eat very little. Only thing she would take was freeze dried beef liver treats. Does not want wet food, eggs, chicken.

Recently she has had an increase in drooling/nausea and vomiting 1x daily the last 3 days. She is not super lethargic and still walks around the house follows us and able and excited to go on short walks. Only food she is getting is forced oral medication with chicken baby food daily. I’m hoping this will not give her food aversion. She takes it down without vomiting right away but I do have to open her mouth.

Looking for any tips or positive stories. Follow up with Vet tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[israelp]

@seraphin29 It’s not the same but I had a cat who got acute pancreatitis from switching diets too quickly (we had to leave my apartment and accidentally left her food behind so she had to eat the cat food my parents had).

It was rough but she recovered after some bloodwork, a ultrasound, some anti nausea meds, pain killers and bland diet for a a week or so. I would ask about anti nausea meds to help her eat and maybe ask what the next course of action is. In our case, our vet said that if her bloodwork didn’t come back fine after she got well again, she would have to go on a special diet to prevent another pancreatic episode.

That was a few years ago and she bounced back up quickly and no special diet was needed, thankfully.

 

[seraphin29]

@israelp Thanks! Glad your cat was okay..I’m thinking a switch in dog food is what did it as well but it was not immediate. She ate it just fine for 2-3 months.

The dog food was similar no grain to the other food she had for years but I’m sure processing and other vegetables were enough of a difference to upset her stomach.

She’s been on anti nausea for a week plus but finally got some injectable to give her at home to be sure it’s getting in her system.

 

[israelp]

@seraphin29 Yeah, I wonder What kind of food is yours on currently? I’ve heard some people have actually had issues with grain free dog food causing health issues and stomach upset. I would ask what they reccomends as it is worrying that his condition isn’t really improving.

 

[seraphin29]

@israelp She been on Nature’s recipe brand fish/sweet potatoes since she was 1 year old. She had loose stool issues with other brands and food with grain so that’s why we kept her on this brand/grain free. Was fine on that food for years but think her body got too used to it and should not have changed brands especially since she’s almost 10 now.

 

[seraphin29]

@israelp I asked vet and she did recommend going back to some grains but I will still try to keep it on the low end.

 

[israelp]

@seraphin29 I would maybe consider a sensitive stomach formula like purina pro plan sensitive stomach (if this pancreatitis is a one off and she gets better w/o a needed rx diet)

 

[fredmach]

@seraphin29 My corgi pup had pancreatitis when he was 11 months. He was sick (not holding down water or food) for a few days and then he ended up being hospitalized for 24 hours and then released for care at home. We slowly fed him small amounts of purina pro plan veterinary diets EN (canned) over the course of a few days and did not give him any other foods/ treats. He recovered and is now 2.5 years old! We believe it was fatty foods and stress that caused it, so we are now just hyper alert to what we feed him.

Sending positive vibes and hugs your way! I know how stressful and upsetting this can be.

 

[seraphin29]

@fredmach Thanks for the positive vibes and glad your pup is thriving now! Will definitely be very alert too now as she gets older.

My pup is still not eating by herself but I’m giving her some canned food from the vet in the side of her gums and she seems to take that ok.