# Questions about pancreatitis...



## grace132 (Nov 5, 2009)

I just picked Murphy up from the vets where he had a full blood work up and his second fecal test in 4 days. He's been having diarrhea issues over the past month, and we're trying to determine exactly what is going on with him.

The vet mentioned pancreatitis, and I've seen it mentioned here a few times, but don't really know much about it. He doesn't seem to have any of the symptoms that I've read about online, but according to my vet, they don't always. He has no tenderness of the abdomen, no bloating, no blood in his stool, no vomiting, etc. All he has is this diarrhea problem. He's good for a few days, and then the diarrhea comes back. According to the vet, they're seeing more and more cases of pancreatitis, and they're not really sure why.

For the first 7 months we had him, he never even had a loose stool. He was always very regular. Then over the last month, he's begun having diarrhea every few days. I haven't changed his food or his routine, so I'm not sure what's going on. He's currently on Eukanuba Puppy Food. Has anyone had an issue with their dog on that food? The vet mentioned that he thought his stool contained undigested food, and that he might have developed some sort of allergy to his food. 

Whatever it is, we need to figure it out. He hasn't been able to go to daycare since this started, as they're concerned he might have something contagious, and rightfully so. If he does, it most likely came from there, since that's really the only real contact he has with other dogs. Now we wait until the test results come in. At least he seems to be feeling fine. His activity level and appetite have remained the same, so I'm hoping whatever it is, it can be treated and resolved. Any advise or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

if it is pancreatitis , I would look at better food. Eukanuba isn't the greatest.


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## Ditto's Mom (Apr 29, 2007)

I agree with Dave Eukanuba is not the best food. You may want to go to www.dogfoodanalysis.com to seek other options.
Good Luck


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Ditto's Mom said:


> I agree with Dave Eukanuba is not the best food. You may want to go to www.dogfoodanalysis.com to seek other options.
> Good Luck


Yes, and if it is pancreatitis I would recommend a consultation with Sabine ( a nutritionist) at http://www.betterdogcare.com/?page=about


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

My little schnauzer died with an acute pancretitus attack last year. She started out vomiting and didn't quit--no diarrhea at all. She wouldn't eat or drink and was in severe pain. My husband has had an acute attack also a few years back. Severe pain. No food was given at all for two weeks. The pancretis can't handle the food. I don't know about the non acute kind; but I do know that it is diagnosed with blood work. The enzymes that they test for are elevated and in the case of an acute attack they are off the charts. I would think that it would work the same for dogs. Good luck and hopefully if is just a food allergy.


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## Annie Clark (Nov 6, 2008)

Nala had pancreatitis, along with liver issues and we switched her to very low fat food (SOJO's a grain that you soak) and lightly cooked turkey and very small low fat treats. She is fine now but still eats pretty low fat.

Good luck!


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## grace132 (Nov 5, 2009)

The plan is to change his food. I just need to determine the best food for him. I'll keep him on the rice and chicken until the blood test results come back, and will decide from there. Thank you for the information about Eukanuba.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

yeah leave the vet tell you about pancratitis but don't ask for their opinion on food. Most of them have a conflict of interest and a lot of them don't even know what a good food is. JMO


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## grace132 (Nov 5, 2009)

Yes, my vet pushes the Science Diet/Hills foods, and I have read some bad things about them. I'm going to do my homework, and will just have to try some different things and see what works best.


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## marb42 (Oct 19, 2008)

I had a similar problem with Marble. He was completely normal for the first year or so. We didn't change anything in his diet or environment, and he suddenly began having chronic diarrhea for months. The vet did all the basic bloodwork and couldn't find anything by examining him. Before doing more invasive tests, my vet decided to put him on Hills Prescription Diet ( z/d Low Allergen Canine). It really helped tremendously. He still gets occasionally diarrhea, and stress seems to make it worse, as I notice it happens more if he boards. You may want to talk to your vet about Hills to see if it could help. You can see more info on it at http://www.hillspet.com/products/prescription-diet/pd-canine-zd-low-allergen-canine-dry.html.


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## grace132 (Nov 5, 2009)

Well, all of Murphy's blood test results are in, as well as two fecal tests, and no parasites or pancreatitis. So, I guess we'll focus on the food. I've purchased some Wellness Puppy food and will see how that goes. I've been transitioning him to it for a few days now, and so far, he's not loving it. He tends to pick around it. I think I'll give him a few weeks and see how he does before looking to change again.


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