I have an 8 year old boy recently diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis. I have never dealt with this before. We switched his food to lower his fat intake. My Vet said that there isn't any medication that I can use. Is that right? She said it is mainly dealt with through his diet. He seems very happy, not the least bit depressed, but his stools are always loose, and he is very hard to keep weight on. Any suggestions?

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a smiliar dog had this problem

All I can say is you can try different things and hopefully one will work. We tried everything. From raw diet to a expensive powder you sprinkle on the food. But our 10 year old lost his battle. It was about 6 months time. Could'nt get the weight on him. Played ball the day before he died.

To the OP...if you have not already tried a consultation with a board certified internal medicine specialist you might give it a try. Best of luck to you and your dog.

I had a boy who would not eat enough to keep decent weight on him and my vet suspected pancreatitus.
There are a few different supplements you can give for it.
The best one is Rx but are others that are not.


How to Treat Dog Pancreatitis
By Melissa Maroff, eHow Expert in Pets
Rate: (14 Ratings) .Pancreatitis is a common disorder among dogs—and can become life threatening if left untreated—but the good news is it's normally fairly easy to control. Pancreatitis is basically severe inflammation of the pancreas, a gland located in the abdomen that aids in metabolism of sugar and digestion of nutrients. This article will focus on symptoms to look for, possible causes and treatments for canine pancreatitis.
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.Difficulty: ModerateInstructions.Step
1Look for the signs of canine pancreatitis which may include: lack of appetite or “picky” eating, vomiting, gagging, an oily, gray stool or diarrhea (that may contain blood), depression, weakness, excessive or little water drinking and abdominal tenderness.

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2Observe your dog's dietary habits, which can aid your vet in making a diagnosis. For instance, does he eat a lot of table scraps or get into the the garbage? Eating "off limit" foods may bring on pancreatitis.

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3Bring your dog to the vet for a physical examination and blood panel if you suspect pancreatitis. The pancreas enzyme “numbers” will help your vet to make a diagnosis.

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4Feed your dog an easily digestible, low-fat diet if the diagnosis is pancreatitis. Cooked or boiled chicken (no skin or bones) and rice is a safe choice to start out with. To ensure your dog gets additional nutrients many vets recommend mixing in a small amount of Hill’s Prescription Diet w/d or i/d canned formulas. There are other veterinary diets such as Royal Canin that have foods formulated for pancreatic health as well. After feeding the special diet for a week or two (depending on the severity of the pancreatitis) you can gradually work in your dog’s regular food. If it’s chronic pancreatitis your vet may recommend keeping your dog on the prescription dog food, or if you prefer, a low-fat homemade diet. If you choose the prescription dog food diet, you can gradually work in the dry version of the prescription formula and continue to feed canned mixed with dry or switch to solely dry. If your dog is obese your vet may prescribe a special dietary formula.

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5Give your dog small amounts of water frequently, especially if there's vomiting. Fluid therapy may be necessary if your dog becomes dehydrated.

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6Administer any medication prescribed by your vet. If your dog has been vomiting, the vet will likely prescribe an antacid and/or medication such as reglan along with an antibiotic such as cephalexin, and perhaps a pain medication if necessary. Metronidazole is a weaker, secondary antibiotic that may be prescribed and is often an ongoing treatment for dogs with chronic pancreatitis.

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7Return to your vet for repeat blood work and an examination after a round of medication is completed. Your vet may want to do a pancreas-specific blood panel. If the results are still not normal, your vet will likely prescribe further medication and possibly X-rays to detect a cause such as blockage. The vet might also want to do an abdominal ultrasound to eliminate the possibility of a pancreatic tumor (which is considered rare in dogs).

I had a Golden with pancreatitis 20 years ago. After an extended stay at a vet school for treatment and support, he lived over 5 years with the disease and died at nearly 13 from an acute attack brought on by a well-meaning relative who fed him a few meat scraps at Thanksgiving. Back then, I fed Purina Dog Chow, avoided high fat scraps, fed some vegetables as treats. He had lost nearly 20 lbs during the first acute attack but gradually gained it back and lived a basically happy, active life. He had a few minor attacks that he weathered then couldn't shake off the final attack in spite of subQ fluid support for 2 weeks, when I decided to help him to the bridge.

There are meds to help through the acute phase--fluid support, antibiotics if there is secondary infection internally, and Rx foods. But the key is to avoid throwing the dog into an acute attack by being very vigilant about what they eat.

That's my experience, and there certainly may be dogs who just can't put on or maintain weight. I would try a variety of foods to see what the dog can tolerate and what it can gain weight on.