[Erin R]

I have a seven year old Schnauzer/Poodle mix that has been diagnosed with Pancreatitis. This is our second bout with it, though it wasn’t diagnosed the first time. The ER vet that signed her out to me today told me that i could start feeding her small meals of a bland diet for the next day or two, and then slowly reintroduce her normal food.

I would like to buy some canned bland food for her but everything i find has grains in it (she doesn’t tolerate corn or rice very well – it makes her very itchy). I could do boiled chicken, i guess, but i was wondering if anyone here could suggest a canned food that i could also use.

Also wondering if her regular food (Nature’s Recipe Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Pumpkin) is okay for me to keep giving her. I looked into the Gastro health prescription foods that where recommended and they all have corn, grain, or worse. I was told that since this is her second bout, to keep her diet low fat.

Any suggestions?

[Melissaandcrew]

While its generally recommended to keep the fat in the lower ranges(10-12 percent) each tolerance level is different for different dogs. Schanuzers, btw, are notorious for having pancreatitis problems. Do you know what caused it? Different food? Treat maybe? Pigs ear? Its hard to find a bland canned diet that does not contain rice-most of them do. If she can’t have it, then I guess boiled chicken is your option, perhaps with some sweet potato. My schnauzers typically stay in the 16 percent fat max for dry, and one used to only be able to tolerate about 14%.

[Susan]

Hi Erin, I use to boil chicken breast & boil pumkin for breakfast but now I buy Tuna in spring water, I drain the water & put in container then add boiled pumkin mix thru, Tuna is very low in fat, when I stopped Patches boiled chicken he lost 1/2 a kilo, I also feed the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal fat % is min-11% max-11.98%, he’s doing real well on his Wellness Simple, I also soak his kibble in water for about 1min, this softens the kibble for easier digestion, the Wellness is an easy to digest kibble, I found if a kibble has potato it’s very hard for Patch to digest, I dont give any treat biscuits cause I cant find any good healthy low fat ones, so I give a little banana, water melon..Oh I give a small foil tin food its Kanagroo 1.5% fat that’s the lowest I found…has no rice or Potato..

[Erin R]

We haven’t introduced anything new to her, food wise, and i don’t give her pig ears or bones or rawhide or anything edible like that. The only thing she OCCASIONALLY gets with her kibble is chicken, beef, boiled egg, etc. I’ve never given her wet food. I have been sprinkling shredded cheese on her breakfast (i’ve been doing that for a while now) so she would eat before i go into work… but i guess cheese isn’t good for pancreatitis so she won’t be getting that any more!

But she was in to the vet about two weeks ago for a mild back sprain. Then when she recovered from that, her annual vaccinations. So i guess that was pretty stressful and could have upset her stomach? Thats the only thing we can think of, anyway, plus maybe the cheese and her being part Schnauzer.

Her current food is 15% fat, should i try to find a lower fat kibble? I am hesitant to talk to the vet about food/diet because i’ve only ever been suggested things like Science Diet, Royal Canin, and foods with grains/corn despite telling them of grain/corn allergy. She does have a follow up appointment on Friday so i guess i can ask, then, but i want other opinions and maybe some suggestions on foods to look into.

Thanks!

PS – i never knew that Schnauzers where prone to pancreatitis. Now i do.

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi Erin- I just googled the dry food you feed, and on line it says it is only 12% fat..which is very low and should be fine. When giving beef or chicken, if not feeding raw. be sure to BOIL it, then drain well./.use 95% lean beef. My crew has less problems with beef when it is fed raw, but that is them. Eggs should be hard boiled, and my schnauzers get 1/2 of large egg each. no more than 2 twice a week. Anything more, and stomach issues. I do give them low fat shredded cheese on occasion, but more often I give them a dash of low fat kefir, or low fat/fat free yogurt. If it were my dog, I would feed a bland diet for a week, and then start the dry back..slowly over a week. . No “additives/toppers” for a few weeks. I am betting the cheese just built up her triglycerides and it was a matter of time.

[Susan]

Hi Erin, you said her current food is 15% fat is that min% or max% if its min% then add another 1-2% on top making it around 17% fat, very high for a dog with pancreatitis…I normally email the company to find out the max fat% if it isnt written on the bag… there’s a good group on Yahoo called “dogpancreatitis” they have alot of good info in that group…Ive read that wet food is better for pancreatitis then kibble, so if ur girl doesnt get diarrhea form wet foods i’d use wet instead of kibbles, here’s a link to all the wet Wellness foods, they have a Senior complete health its 3% fat also they have their grainfree Core weight management is 3.5% fat..there’s a few to look at http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog&ft=

[Susan]

I just had a look at some of the Wellness wet foods & if you scroll right down the bottom they have a new line called “Petite Entrees” the fat is 2% fat for the first 2 meals with chicken the others with beef or lamb were 5% fat ..its their small breed range.

[DogFoodie]

Erin, just know that the Wellness Petite Entrees still have started minimums of about 12% fat for the mini filets and just over 22% fat for the casseroles once you convert the fat to a dry matter basis.

[Erin R]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far! I’m going to be discussing diet with the vet when we go in on friday, as well. I’m hoping to stick to kibble because every time we tried wet food with her it did give her the runs (well, it made her poo really soft and more frequent) – would moistening the kibble work the same?

She’s already not allowed most human foods – i’ve never given her table scraps, they’re too unhealthy. Boiled chicken/beef, boiled egg, and until now some cheese have been it. Now i guess no more cheese and strict monitoring of the egg!

I also found two foods at my local Petco – Merrick Grain Free Healthy Weight (min 8% fat) and Wellness Core Reduced Fat Grain Free (max 10% fat). Would either of those work? Her current food is min 15% according to Petco site. So maybe too high?

[Susan]

Hi Erin, Patch cant have wet tin food as he also gets sloppy poo but since I found the Kangaroo at 1.5% fat he’s Ok, so it must of been the highter fat in the other tin foods they were around 4-5% in fat that must of made his poos sloppy..
When I soak Patches kibble in his bowl I drain the water then put the kibble on a paper towel & touch dry & all the kibbles are just soft with a little crunch still & no its the same & doesnt give sloppy poos,
When I first got Patch he was always having sloppy poo then good poos & for about 9 months, we thought it was the fiber, it was flaxseed, then he had a Pancreas flare & it was the higher fat giving him the sloppy poos, so now I make sure I stick around 10% fat for kibbles & 1.5% fat for wet tin foods..
I’d try the Merrick G/F Healthy weight cause the max fat is 11% the protein is 32% min, fiber is 5% but if you have trouble with Merrick it will probably be the protein being to high at 32%
With Pancreatitis some dogs cant have a high protein diet either, thats why Ive never try the Wellness core in the begining cause the protein was 33% & the fiber is 8.5% too high, Patch cant have a high protein, nothing over 24% …also there’s the ‘Holistic Select’ senior at 10% fat & 26% protein, I did try this but I had to take Patch off chicken as vet thought he was allergic to chicken, that’s why he’s on the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal with no chicken fat,
I think that’s why dogs do well on the Vet prescription diets as they are made for illnesses & lower in fat protein & fiber, needed for some dogs with Pancreatitis, you’ll just have to see how ur girl goes, when I joined the dogpancreatitis group on Yahoo I started to learn heaps then I understood why Patch was still having his flares, I was trying to keep his protein high, I’d add a boiled egg to his meal, then he wasnt his usual happy self playing, after eating, I didnt realise that the yoke was too high in fat & protein.. but ur girl will probably be OK, not as bad….

[Melissaandcrew]

Interesting..in the 30 something mini schnauzers I have owned, I have never had protein be an issue with this breed. Typically, higher protein foods are higher fat(or at least back in the day) Even my girl Meg who had horrible flareups routinely had no issues with the protein-she would eat 34% without issue.

[Susan]

Hi Melissa, Miniature Schnauzers tend toward developing Hyperlipidemia an excess of circulating fats in the blood…
One study indicated that 57% of dogs who were followed up 6months later after an acute pancreatitis attack either continued to exhibit inflammation of the organ or had decreased acinar cell function, even though they had no panceatitis symptoms…
Alot of dogs that have acute pancreatitis can go back to their normal diet but dogs with chronic pancreatitis have to stay on a low fat, low protein diet & dogs with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) need a low fiber diet as well…next time I come across the link about low protein diet for dogs with Chrinic pancreatitis I’ll post it..
Maybe if you reduced Megs protein a little, Meg mighten of had so many flare ups…You have been very lucky…

[Erin R]

Her current food protein level is i think 25% so 30%+ seems to be a big leap to me. Maybe that’s not such a good idea? Hmm. The only low fat grain free foods i can find seem to have high protein levels.

I did find Innova Weight Management with 22% Protein and 10% fat, and Blue Buffalo Small Breed Health Weight with 25% Protein and 9% Fat. They both have meats as the first two ingredients but Innova has Whole Grain Barley, Whole Grain Brown Rice, and Whole Grain Oats as the 3-5 ingredients. And Blue has Whole Ground Barley, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Oatmeal, and Rice Bran as the 3-6 ingredients.

Blue seems to have more grain, but it’s ground if that makes a difference? I just don’t know. I guess i’ll discuss it with the vet and see what they say.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Erin:
I have a bag of Natures Recipe chic, sp, & pumpkin in my pantry. The fat is 12% minimum and protein is 27% minimum so you would have to contact the company to see what the maximums are.

Below are links to lists of low fat dog foods. These brands/recipes are not necessarily for dogs with pancreatitis. One list pertains to low fat & low sodium foods. I know you are not looking for low sodium foods, but they might be a starting place to find brands to look into further.

/best-dog-foods/suggested-low-fat-dog-food/

/forums/topic/dry-dog-food-with-low-salt-and-low-fat/

[Bobby dog]

Never mind about my Natures Recipe info, it was for the kibble, not wet food. 🙂

[Erin R]

So we just got back from our follow up and the vet and i decided that since she hasn’t pooped since she came home we’re going to put her on Hills i/d low fat GI restore to try and get her stomach back to normal digestion. No worrying about the corn or grains, unless she gets very itchy or worse when i start feeding. But corn is far down on the list so who knows, she might be fine on it!

As far as kibble diet, i did find Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance® Fat Dogs® low calorie dry formula. 26% protein, 7.5% fat – minimums – and no corn or rice. That might be the way to go for us. A lot of the Natural Balance foods seem to have around 10% minimum fat and their protein isn’t in the 30% range, so i think that’ll be the brand i wind up going with.

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions!

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi Sue-

I think you have misunderstood my post. As a mini schnauzer owner of well over 25 yrs, I am well aware of schnauzers, pancreatitis, and hyperlipidemia. I have never had a schnauzer who has needed restricted protein due to either of those conditions. I am not sure what you are referencing(study perhaps) that says dogs with chronic pancreatitis require lower protein, and I wholeheartedly disagree with that. Fat must be watched for schnauzers in general, and yes, its more important with those that have had a previous flare up, but levels of ANYTHING tolerated vary widely from dog to dog.

My dogs routinely live to be 16 plus years of age, so no, I have not “gotten lucky”. Its skill and knowledge, and access to state of the art vet care that they live so long. Its pretty ballsy to comment about someone else’s dog’s medical condition and what “might have occurred” without knowing the full facts of the dog. In Meg’s case, she had lupus as well as pancreatitis, which flared up when company would let her get ANYTHING even slightly fatty/greasy-ie meat trimmings, chips etc. One small item of forbidden food, and it was off and running. And yet, all blood work was COMPLETELY normal in between. Please do not think to lecture me on how I possibly could have prevented my deceased dogs medical condition. For the record, she died of LYMPHOMA with a 2 yr quality filled life after diagnosis which is typically unheard of.

Erin-I would not feed a food so low as 22 percent protein. Owning so many of our own schnauzers over the years, as well as dealing with pancreatitis dogs in the vet hospital I worked at, as well as running a rescue specializing in schnauzers, I can only tell you what works for us and the dogs in our care. IF protein were an issue, all my dogs would now be dead as they eat primarily a raw diet, as well as kibble that are all over 33% protein. My oldest are 14,14,15 and 16 yrs. All alive, healthy with perfectly normal blood work confirmed with recent testing. Take all the info every one offers, consult your vet and make a decision that you are comfortable with since you know your dog best. Good luck!

[Melissaandcrew]

Btw Erin-Check out Dogaware.com for the articles on pancreatitis. Interestingly enough, it states that research has shown that LOW PROTEIN diets can PREDISPOSE dogs to pancreatitis. I love the dog aware site-lots of info on diets for many health conditions, feeding raw etc.

[Melissaandcrew]

Never had a conversation about jerky treats with you-feel free to post a link to this liver jerky conversation we had.

[DogFoodie]

Melissa,

You did post in the thread that Sue mentioned; however, your posts were very specifically in response to the original poster and your conversation was regarding phenobarbital and weight gain. No mention of jerky treats whatsoever.

/forums/topic/eats-little-food-gains-lots-weight/

[Melissaandcrew]

Lol. Yes I knew the conversation being referenced and I knew I had made no such comments..imaginary conversation..i was just waiting to see how a link to an imaginary conversation was going to be provided!

[DogFoodie]

I figured you already knew! : )

[Melissaandcrew]

You are the best. Appreciate it!

[Erin R]

So i think my choices are as follows: Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance® Fat Dogs® or Wellness Small Breed Healthy Weight. The NB food has 26% Protein and 7.5% fat and Wellness has 28% protein and 9% fat. I’m leaning towards the Wellness, even though it has rice, only because i don’t think i NEED to go down to 7.5% fat at this point…. that seems like such a drop. Any thoughts?

She’s doing great in the mean time! Everything seems to be back to normal (and I mean EVERYTHING – my mom and i just disgusted my dad out by talking about her poops lol.) I know i’ve got a way to go to get her back on regular kibble and monitoring her diet and stomach, but it’s a start. Thanks everyone for the advice!

[Amy S]

Hi Melissa,
I know this is an old thread. I see you are an experience miniature schnauzer owner and signed up to hopefully learn a little from you about diet because I’m pulling my hair out. I’ve been feeding raw for 2 1/2 years, basically since I rescued Lilly. First I started with chicken thighs and i would also buy organic pieces of beef from whole foods that were for beef stew, then I started using a co-op. For about 4-5 months I’ve been using Darwin’s Natural Pet Products. Just recently I’ve noticed a difference in her. Some days she is herself. Following me around, happy, and, consistently begging when I’m eating. Then the next she is lethargic and won’t even move when I’m eating (very odd for her) but on all of these days, she still eats. She is 22 pounds and i would say about 5 years old. Not positive of her age because she was a rescue. Now I very concerned that maybe she is getting too much fat and it’s effecting her pancreas. I thought I would be able to message you privately. Could you possibly e-mail me? [email protected]
Thanks,
Amy

[Pauline D]

My 8 yo male yorkie was diagnosed a few days ago with pancreatitis. The ID food they vet gave me he does not like and gives him the runs and omg so bad gas. I gave him some mushy rice and boiled some 96% lean ground beef which he eats but now I think he’s constipated. He’s always had constipation issues on and off and I would give him a wee bit of pepto and he would go and was ok after that. Now I don’t know if he can pepto and I heathink bc I gave him mostly meat and less rice which I know is binding, it has contributed to the constipation. I also have his sister from the same litter and she is not affected. They are both allergic to poultry so I don’t know what to give to eat. Help!

[anonymous]

If the dog has had a bout of diarrhea, it may take a day or two before he starts having regular bowel movements again. His body has to regroup and make up for the fluid loss.
I would skip the Pepto, consult your vet if you still have concerns.

[Susan]

Hi Pauline, google Low Fat Dog recipes & make sure you’re balancing diet properly & are adding omega 3, my boy can’t have fish or salmon oils, he gets acid reflux so I give him 3 raw almonds as a treat daily, I also give him about 5 small apple pieces he chews, around 11am as a treat, I don’t boil rice as rice gives Patch diarrhea, I boil sweet potato & freeze, I peel & cut about 1/3 cup size of the sweet potatoes & boil & I buy lean pork mince & I make 1 cup size rissoles, I add, 1 whisked egg, cut up fresh parsley from the garden I add about 1 teaspoon parsley, finally cut up broccoli about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup, grate 1 carrot & mix all together with about 2lb of the lean grounded mince you pick, then I make into 1 cup size rissoles, I don’t make them round, I make them as long as your middle finger & flatten a bit looks like a fat sausage & put them on foil on a baking tray & bake in oven after cooking for 15mins, drain any excess water fat & turn over the rissoles bake till cooked, when cooked I cool, wrap in glad wrap individually, then freeze them & take out of freezer the day before & thaw in fridge for the next day, I also take out a piece of sweet potato, cut rissole mash the sweet potato mix together & warm in microwave, I add 1/4 teaspoon of “Natural Animal Solution” “DigestaVite Plus it balances the meal, I was adding Almond & Flax baking meal to the rissole mix but Patch was getting his acid reflux so I stopped adding the Flax & Almond meal…
Instead of giving the Pepto I use 1 teaspoon 5ml liquid Mylanta for Patches acid reflux the Mylanta seems to work & make him feel better then the Pepto… Pepto is banned in Australia for humans we can only buy for horses..
All Hills Vet Diets have chicken, that’s probably why he got diarrhea always read ingredients, the only Hills formulas that don’t have chicken is the Hills, d/d Venison & Potato & Salmon & potatoes but fat is too high 15.5% there’s the Z/d, but the Z/d gives Patch bad acid reflux Hills use Soya Oil, its best to cook their meals…
another good meal to give twice a week is tin tuna in spring water or tin salmon in spring water, drain the water & add boiled potato & some boiled pumkin or add the sweet potato..

[Andrew J]

My wife and I have a 8.5 year old female yorkie. She has had quite the past month. 4 weeks ago she was diagnosed with bladder stones and had them surgically removed 2 days later. Her recovery went well and we thought we were in the clear. The vet informed us that going forward that she would need to be on Royal canine Urinary SO. She seemed to take to the food and we moved forward. However, last Sunday night she started to vomit non-stop and could not control her bladder. We were back at the vet and the blood results came back showing she was having a case of pancreatitis. She was hospitalized for 2 days and was sent back home with us. They instructed to us that going forward that she would need to be on the Royal canine Gastrointestinal. During her 2 days at the vet for IV’s she did not eat. We have had her back now for 3 days and yesterday morning she had some of the Royal canine Gastro but since then she has not eaten. We have tried rice and her old old low fat food (not the Urinary SO) and we have had no luck. At this point we seem to have to administer water to her through a syringe as she is reluctant to drink by herself. Does anyone have any ideas on food that she would be interested in. She has always been a very picky eater. Secondly, has anyone’s pup gone through several days of just drinking water before finally coming back to food. Any insight would be appreciated.

[anonymous]

I am wondering if she is nauseous? Is she on medication? Did you call the vet and see what he thinks?
I have spoon fed sick dogs chicken/rice baby food, and even though it’s not considered a good food, they seem to like Mighty Dog, the smooth chicken type, it comes in small cans.
I am glad she is drinking water, yes, some dogs have a tougher recovery (after surgery) than others.
But, I would not hesitate to consult with her vet, especially if she goes 72 hours without solid food.
If all else fails, I have never seen a dog refuse a little boiled chicken, or, I know it’s bad, but, supermarket rotisserie chicken (just a bite)….. to jump start the appetite.
It also depends on whether the pancreatitis is acute or chronic? Have the vet clarify how careful you have to be with her diet. Sometimes, it is more important to just find something they will eat, as they recover.

[Acroyali]

Andrew, if she’s not eating OR drinking on her own I’d consider it a possible emergency, especially due to her size and health history in the past few weeks. Pancreatitis can be nasty business and difficult to get fully under control.
When the weather is warmer, the Huskies want to go off their food and Parmesan cheese is our go-to pick for an appetite stimulant. I have no idea why it works 99% of the time, but it does. Just a pinch.
Best of luck.

[Andrew J]

Seeing yesterday morning she was eating her new Royal Canine Gastro we were not really worried. But its been almost 27 hours since she has eaten. There has been no vomiting. She is currently on 3 medications. She is currently taking Codine Phosphate 3 times a day (for pain), Amoxicillin & Clavulanate Potassium twice a day (for antibiotics), and Cerenia Maopitant Citrate once a day (for anti-vomiting). I’m not sure if these meds are causing for her to be avoidant of food but we will be contact the vet in the morning.

[anonymous]

Yes, and ask the vet if you can add a little (plain homemade) chicken broth to her prescription kibble. Those are some strong meds, I wouldn’t be surprised if they might be contributing to her lethargy……discuss with vet, maybe he will make changes.
Antibiotics sometimes don’t agree, sometimes the vet will switch to another antibiotic that has less side effects for your dog (if that’s the issue)

PS: One of my dogs couldn’t tolerate Clavulanate Potassium and had to be switched to something different.

[Susan]

Hi Andrew, animals are very smart & know when to rest their stomach/pancreas, so they stop eating, as long as she is drinking water she will be OK but I don’t know about giving medications without food??, I wouldn’t give no meds unless she has eaten then push the pill down her throat, empty stomach & meds will make her feel more ill….Have you tried some BBQ chicken buy 1/4 chicken from shop, get the breast section, not the leg section don’t give any chicken skin, just the white chicken breast….
My boy has IBD & gets bad pain in stomach & Pancreas, he stops eating & rests his stomach & pancreas for 1-2 days, vet said its OK but I do not give any medications & he gets put on electrolytes in his water to get him thru the 2 days without any food…..
My boy was also on the Royal Canine S/O wet & dry food, wet tin for dinner & dry kibble for breakfast when I first rescued him but he was only on the R/C S/O for 6 weeks to dissolve his crystals, then after ultra scan was done all the crystals were dissolved & vet said now put him back on his regular diet & stop the R/C S/O he doesn’t need to R/C S/O no more.. the fat is high in the R/C S/O…
I’d be contacting animal nutritionist to give you a few balanced recipes for your girls health problems, vets are not great when it comes to diets & what to feed your dog, most vets just recommend to feed the crappy vet diets that have awful ingredients in them especially the Intestinal vet diets, when ill dogs need a diet that’s easy to break down, the Intestinal vet diets are the worst for their ingredients with whole corn, maize gluten meal, & chicken by-product meat, I didn’t know this in the beginning, when my boy was diagnosed with IBD & he got worse, now I home cook for my boy just 1-2 of his meals, he has 4 small meals a day…..
Go & buy some lean turkey mince, we have 99% fat free in Australia, whisk 1 egg & mix in with the grounded turkey mince & make little bite size balls (rissoles) & get a baking tray line with foil & bake the turkey balls in the oven, also boil some sweet potato cut into small pieces, cool the sweet potato pieces when cooked & cool the turkey balls & freeze them, just make sure you line in between the sweet potato pieces with cling wrap in the container so the sweet potato pieces & turkey balls don’t stick. Mash a 1-2 pieces of sweet potato & a few turkey balls together & she’ll eat, make sure after thawing balls from freezer to warm in micro wave..
also look for a low fat wet tin food the fat has to be 3% max. I wouldn’t be feeding your girl any dry kibble…

[anonymous]

I have found prescription dog foods to be very helpful, in conjunction with other treatments recommended by a veterinarian. Sometimes the meds and food have to be tweaked a bit, that’s all.
Clear communication with your vet is the way to go (imo)
I have found this site helpful, if you are interested in science-based veterinary medicine, http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=nutrition

[Susan R]

Please help! I have a Bichon with pancreatitis, he is not vomiting now or have direaha ,
But he is so lethargic that he will not play and wants to sleep all the time. He has constant rumbling in his stomach. You can tell he feels so bad! He is on Royal Canine HP.
HE EATS IT BUT SHORTLY after eating he wants to sleep all day. He is only 4 years old.
What dog food has been successful in treating pancreatitis. Wet kept him at hospital clinic for 3 days. IV fluids and antibotic for infection . His stools look like tar. He has blood in his stools.
But when blood work was done at first vet visit, amamalze was off the chart. After 3 days of fluids they were back to normal. Please , any suggestions?

[anonymous]

Go back to the vet. Find a vet that you trust and work closely with him. You may need the expertise of an Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist.
This is not a do it yourself, the right dog food will not fix this. Prescription dog food in conjunction with other recommendations by the treating vet may help.
The dog may need some additional testing for diagnostic purposes, something else may be wrong.
The internet is not the place to go for medical advice, you could possibly do more harm by listening and taking advice given by people that mean well….but they are not health care professionals nor have they examined your dog.
Depending on how severe the dog’s symptoms are, I may consider taking him to the emergency vet , today.

[Susan]

Hi Susan R,
How is your dog doing?? stop feeding the Royal Canine HP food, my boy did the same thing while eating the R/C HP formula when I first rescued him age 4yrs old, he was put on R/C HP for his skin & sloppy poos, but he couldn’t digest the R/C HP kibble properly & the fat was way too high for him causing acid reflux & bad pancreas pain, the R/C HP is high in omega oils, it’s for skin problems, a few vets don’t know how to use these vet diets properly & cause a vet diet has worked for a few of their other dog patients the vet recommends it for another dog & that poor dog might have another underlying health problem & the vet diet is not the right diet for that dog….

are you on Face Book? join this group put in the search bar- “Canine Pancreatitis Support” Group there’s help & support in this group from experience dog owners that have been thru what you’re going thru also look in the “Files” on your left click on the “Low Fat Foods” link scroll down & look at the wet tin foods, the fat has been converted to dry mater on your right.. your dog needs to rest his Pancreas, low fiber is a must so, no weight management diets they are low in fat BUT too high in fiber for Pancreatitis.. Hills vet diet has their I/d Low Fat Restore Rice Chicken Stew formula the fat & fiber is low, stick with wet foods, kibble is too hard to digest & is high in carbs too much work for the pancreas…

[a c]

I have been feeding my 10 yeas old schnauzer who has pancreatitis history 2/3 of Horizon Amicus Weight Management and 1/3 of Purina Smartblend Healthy Weght(this one is recommended by my vet). She is doing ok with it.

However, Horizon Amicus Weight Management has 400kcal/cup which it’s pretty high. She has gain some weight. I would like to try a different low fat food with less calories. Any suggestions?

[Susan]

Hi ac,
have you looked at feeding 1 meal a low fat wet canned food & the other meal dry kibble that has the higher protein % & lowest fat & lowest fiber % look which dry kibble has lowest carbs, or stop feeding the dry kibble & feed canned foods, the weight will come off.

There’s “4Health” Sensitive Care, Weight Management dry, Fat-8%max, Kcals-279per cup. https://www.tractorsupply.com/landing-pages_brands_4health-special-care.html

Canned Foods, the fat has been converted to dry matter.

Weruva canned Cirque de La Mer- Fat- 9.9% .
Natures Recipe G/F Chicken recipe in broth fat-11.11%
” ” Chicken & Wild Salmon recipe in brooth fat-11.11%
Pure Essentials G/F Salmon Recipe in Broth-fat-11.76%
Simply Nourish G/F Chicken & Beef Stew-fat-11.76%
” ” Chicken & Venison Stew- fat-11.76%

[a c]

Thank you, Susan. I can use more wet can food. I already used Natural Receipe wet foods as topper per your earlier recommendation. 😀

Both kibbles I used are low fat. Horizon Amicus Senior and Weight management. Protein 33% Fat 11.67% minimum and 13.33% maximum Fiber 4.25% calorie 400. Purina One Smartblend Healthy Weight. Protein 31% Fat 11% minimum 13.6% maximum Fiber 6.25% calorie 320. All in dry matter.

The lower of protein and fat means higher carbohydrates which means fillers. Many of the best low fat dry dog foods recommended by this site have carbohydrates between 50-61% with the exception of Premium Edge Healthy Wright with 38% carbs 49% protein and 13% fat in dry matter.

I guess I can also broil some chicken or turkey breast.

[margie m]

My silky terrier ate “something” at the park and stirred up the pancreatitis. My vet has her on ground turkey and rice and meds to get it quiet but told me I needed a dog food that is 8 % fat. The ten percent recommended above is too much for her. She is also allergic to a few things so its been hard to find a suitable commercial kibble that will do.

I have ordered Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient HEALTHY WEIGHT, Salmon and pea. The bag says no less than 8% fat so I contacted the maker and they said it has 9.39 % in fed amount of fats. So I am going to mix up some ground turkey or ground beef, add some cooked squash, sweet potato. I can add a small amount of that mixture each day to her dry kibble that I soak in some broth. The extra that I add will lower the overall fat content and should make it more appealing.

She will not eat the prescription dog foods and I was not impressed by Hill’s low fat I.D. contents anyway.

[Susan]

Hi Margie,
Did you try the Hills I/d Low Fat Rice, Vegetable, Chicken Stew, wet small can food?? the ingredients are OK & are easy digestable ingredients…. the dry Hills I/d Low Fat kibble wasnt the best…
There’s also “Royal Canine Low Fat Intestinal” Wet Can no chicken, its pork & smells pretty good but the omega oils are very high, my boy gets acid reflux from vet diet wet can foods.
https://www.hillspet.com.au/dog-food/pd-id-low-fat-canine-rice-vegetable-and-chicken-stew-canned

I feed Wellness Simple Turkey & Potato to my boy who has IBD, Wellness is a pretty good brand, Patch normally reacts to dry foods after he eats same food for 2-3 months, he hasnt reacted to Wellness Core Large Breed or Wellness Simple Turkey,
also “Canidae Pure Meadow Senior” is very good, has everything for aging dogs, its 10.80% max fat…
There’s “Artemis Fresh Mix” Weight Management/Senior its 6%- fat, 3-4% fiber but it has grains, my boy was doing sloppy Mr whippy poos on Artemis, I’m pretty sure he cant eat barley, it causes sloppy yellow poos…
There’s also “Annamaet Lean” kibble alot of dogs who have Pancreatitis do well on Annamaet Lean…
Have you joined “Canine Pancreatitis Support group” look in their “Files” Pancreas Low Fat dog foods pdf.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1435920120029740/

[margie m]

Thank you for the suggestions but she us allergic to Chicken so Hills is out. I have ordered and it should arrive soon, the Wellness Simple healthy weight I mentioned above. No poultry and its lower in fat than the Canidae you mentioned. I think adding a wee bit of fat free homemade food to the Wellness will lower the 9.39 and make it more tasty.
Thus far the restricted ground turkey and rice mix and medications are improving her situation.

I know she has pancreatitis situation and try very hard to keep it quiet and then she goes and gobbles some odd thing at the park.

[marilyn s]

I have a 12.5 year old mini poodle who just had a severe case of pancreatitis. She is now on a low fat diet, 1 scrambled egg, Royal Canin GI kibble, and boiled white chicken. Before this, I was giving her a Crananidin pill and Hills CD dry food and chicken. Does anyone know if i can still give her the Crananidin pill? I called the company and they weren’t helpful. Thanks.

[Frenky C]

My friend’s dog also started showing pancreatitis symptoms at some point, doc couldn’t tell the cause but as far as I remember he suggested diet consisting of chicken, organ meat and vegetables. Hope this helps.

[Madeline G]

Hi Guys,

My dog is recovering from his first episode of acute pancreatitis. He was in the ER about a week, on IV fluids, NG feeding tube, pain meds, antibiotics. Now he is still on a few antibiotics. My vet recommended the RC low-fat gastrointestinal health canned food, and my dog refuses to eat it. I can tell he is hungry and has an appetite though because he scavenges for food. 2 days went by and he refused to eat it so my vet recommended boiling chicken and rice. The first time I made it he ate the small portion I gave him and seemed to enjoy it. Now, he refuses to eat that too! All he wants is just plane chicken. What do I do and how am I supposed to feed this picky dog?!

[marilyn s]

HI,

My 12.5 old mini poodle had a severe case of pancreatitis and was in hospital for 3 days. She is on a diet of boiled chicken, rice, scrambled egg, and Royal Canin Gastrointestinal….low fat high protein diet. I just found out she has poor kidney function and needs to be on a low protein diet for that…so I need to somehow combine these 2 issues. Does anyone have a suggestion. The vet said the pancreatitis was the more important issue.

Thanks,

[Author]

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