Epi4Dogs

Hi all
Apologies if this is not the right place but I'm desperate for some help for my Jack Russell, Bobby. I adopted him 3 years ago and he's a rescue so we've guessed his age about 7. He is a very happy boy but last week, after a day of fun and playing, he vomited badly. I took him to the vet immediately where he was diagnosed with pancreatitis. He wasn't responding to treatment and was moved to the main vetinary hospital here in Dublin. He's been on an IV of pain meds, antibiotics etc. He is still in intensive care but is slowly improving.

I was shocked and terrified by the speed at which this happened. He seemed totally fine. I've been doing research to see how I can prevent this happening again, and I came across this site. Bob has low B12 according to the vet, a bloated tummy and is always hungry although doesn't lose weight. He never gets human food and eats low fat kibble and carrots.

I will ask my vet about this condition and show him the site but I wanted to ask if anyone has experience managing a dog after severe pancreatitis like this and if so, if there's any advice. He is my little boy and I would be lost without him so I'm massively stressed!
Thanks so much.

Hi Sara and welcome to you and Bobby. I am sorry Bobby got pancreatitis it is a very painful condition. Low fat diet plus long term pain management is required to keep him comfy.

My jack russell was 13 when we came to this site in 2012 and his pancreatitis turned chronic, which means his pLi result never lowered back to normal values.

My vet recommended porcine enzymes to help his pancreas rest so I ordered Dianes enzymes from this site and all his food from then on was incubated with enzymes.

Mickey ate 4 times a day, 1/4 cup Royal Canin low fat gastrointestinal kibble incubated with 1/4 teaspoon enzymes mixed in and a tad room temperature water. Mix well and let set 20 minutes. Stir and serve .

He had the best poops when he was on enzymes and at one point he had mucous covered poop that required Tylan antibiotic to clear up.

He was on a low dose Tramadol for pain management daily.

Jill

Thank you Jill for your comprehensive reply, I really appreciate it. I'm going to ask the vet about this plan. He seems to think Bobby's is chronic too but maybe this diet will help. Thank you again!

Sometimes low calorie pet foods are really high in fibre, which may be causing his bloat.

Omg I can't even imagine how you feel...

Newbie here, but still glad to hear that Bobby is getting better. Pancreatitis can be scary, but it sounds like you're doing a great job taking care of him.