Pet Forum / Miscellaneous / Animal Health / November 2005

Gary:

I have had 2 dogs that had pancreatitis, so can only speak anecdotally.
Both of my dogs showed very severe symptoms; vomiting, diarrhea,
listlessness, loss of appetite, dehydration, severe weight loss.  The first
dog, Jake, was in the mid-1970s and went unsuccessfully diagnosed by 3 vets.
Dr. Earl Strimple finally diagnosed him correctly, treated him with bland
diet and antibiotics and Viokase.  This dog stayed on Viokase for the
remainder of his life as his condition was determined to be chronic.  The
second dog, Mitzi,  had the same symptoms a few years later, but I was more
attuned to what was happening with her due to my previous experience.  She
was treated the same, however the Viokase was discontinued after a couple of
months and she never had another episode.  Her episode was considered at the
time to be an acute, but not chronic, case.

Ruth, Greta, Woody & Thelma
"

A good place to look things up is www.merckvetmanual.com

The typical dog with pancreatitis is a middle-aged overweight female, with a
history of getting into the garbage or fatty food recently.  Can be any dog
though.  Usually they are vomiting profusely, very painful on palpation of
the cranial abdomen (front of the belly), and often run a fever.  Vitals can
be normal or very abnormal, depending on how severe the pancreatitis is.

You can diagnose it with bloodwork (increased amylase and lipase, plus
vomiting, plus a painful belly are diagnostic), ultrasound, and sometimes
xrays (they can suggest it, not completely diagnose it).

Treatment consists of IV fluids, NPO (nothing per os -- no food no water
nothing) for 24-48 hrs minimum, IV antibiotics, and antinausea medicine.  No
specific treatment, just supportive care basically.

Hope that helps.

Deborah, DVM