Pancreatitis in dogs

Successful treatment of any disease depends on early recognition of symptoms, proper diagnosis and subsequent prevention. The more carefully the owner treats his four-legged pet, the lower the chance of complications of the disease. One of the serious diseases is pancreatitis in a dog. If the dog’s health is not taken in time, dangerous consequences are possible that threaten his life.

Causes of Pancreatitis in Dogs

Pancreatitis always occurs for one reason, it is common, both for dogs and for people - these are problems in the pancreas due to its inflammation.

An inflamed organ cannot fulfill its functions completely, therefore pancreatic insufficiency arises, characterized by low production of enzymes. Enzymes perform a vital function in the body, they digest all the food that enters the digestive tract.

The mechanism of digestion of food received in dogs has the following scheme - at first the food is chewed, in the mouth, salivary enzymes help it break down into smaller particles, after which it enters the stomach. The last stage is the ingestion of food into the duodenum, where enzymes act on it, only after this is the absorption of nutrients.

Pancreatic inflammation is possible due to several reasons:

• Most often, the main reason is the dog’s malnutrition . The dog’s body is set up to digest raw meat; for this purpose, special enzymes are developed that can digest raw meat. The main food mistakes are feeding sausages, overcooked foods, sweets, spicy foods and salted foods, canned goods. Against this background, a pancreas malfunction occurs. Enzymes aimed at digesting raw products simply have nothing to digest, although they will continue to be produced.
• Pancreatitis occurs due to harmful microbes that enter the body. You need to monitor the food that the dog eats. Products must be fresh, without rot. It is forbidden to feed the dog from dirty surfaces, for example, from the ground. It is necessary to ensure that the four-legged pet does not eat slop. Microorganisms that enter the dog’s body along with food can cause inflammation of the pancreas and subsequent infectious disease.
• Vitamins and minerals “tune” the animal’s body to work properly, it is important that the dog’s daily diet is saturated and balanced.
• A number of diseases “hit” the dog’s pancreas, these include ulcers, liver and kidney diseases, gall bladder problems, and diabetes mellitus .
• Scientists agreed that pancreatitis has a genetic background . Yorkshire terriers , boxers , cocker spaniel , pygmy poodle and others are especially susceptible to this disease.

Symptoms of pancreatitis in dogs

Pancreatitis occurs in two forms. The acute course of the disease occurs unexpectedly, characterized by pronounced symptoms, severe pain. In this case, it is difficult not to notice that the dog is suffering. Without emergency assistance in case of exacerbation of pancreatitis can not do.

Symptoms include:

• Refusal of an animal from eating , in some cases the dog may refuse to drink.
• The dog is tormented by severe bouts of vomiting, they can intensify if the pet tries to eat something.
• Disorders of the stool, namely diarrhea , are characteristic.
• Against the background of diarrhea and vomiting, the dog dramatically loses weight.
• There is dehydration of the body, you can check this by examining the mucous membrane of the mouth, it will be dry.
• The dog experiences itchy skin.
• Elevated body temperature is characteristic, especially often this is fixed in the case when acute pancreatitis occurs due to the activity of harmful microorganisms and bacteria.

Chronic pancreatitis lasts a long time, the symptoms of the disease are quite blurred, in some cases they are completely absent. Because of this, complications of the disease can occur, because all this time there is a slow destruction of the pancreas.

Symptoms include:

• Gradual weight loss for no apparent reason, because the dog’s appetite is good, there are no problems with stools, vomiting attacks do not bother.
• Dog's coat does not look healthy, loses its former shine, may begin to fall out.
• Feces of an animal can slightly change its structure - become too dense or, conversely, creamy.
• Periodically, the dog is disturbed by bloating, in some cases, the owner may notice this on his own while probing the abdominal cavity. The front wall of the abdomen can also be tense, solid.
• From time to time, the mood and general condition of the dog changes dramatically for no apparent reason. A dog may look unhappy for periods, refuse to walk, sleep more than usual.

Any of these symptoms is a reason to visit a veterinary clinic, where an initial assessment of the condition of the dog and a full diagnosis will be carried out.

Identification and treatment of pancreatitis in dogs

If pancreatitis is suspected, the main task of the owner is to consult a veterinarian. Before the diagnosis, the dog is allowed to feed only on a special medical diet , the dog is given drinking water and digested cereals on the water without additives. In the event that the animal suffers from bouts of vomiting and diarrhea even on such a diet, food is completely excluded, only water remains in the diet.

Trying to cure a dog yourself is prohibited, medicines and folk remedies can exacerbate the situation. In case of an acute attack of pancreatitis, you can not delay the time, you need to call a veterinarian immediately. The life of a pet can be at stake, because the body can not cope with the load, a huge amount of toxins are released into the blood, poisoning the vital organs - heart, liver, kidneys and others.

The veterinarian will use the following diagnostic methods:

• A survey of the owner of the dog about the presence of certain symptoms.
• Examination of the dog, palpation of the abdominal cavity.
• Ultrasound
• X-ray
• General tests of urine and blood.
• Gastroscopy.
• Biopsy.

The list of tests and studies may vary, depending on the course of the disease.

Further treatment of the pet will depend on the form of pancreatitis and the cause of its occurrence.

If the dog suffers from vomiting and diarrhea, then the doctor, first of all, will prescribe drugs aimed at normalizing stool and restoring the water-salt balance. With such signs, dehydration is often recorded in dogs.

If the dog is tormented by pain, antispasmodics and analgesics are prescribed. The veterinarian can prescribe intramuscular injections with Butorphanol or administer a solution of No-shpa, Eufillina.

An important task of the doctor is to reduce the production of hydrochloric acid in the pancreas in a short time, Famotidine or Omeprazole is prescribed for this.

After the doctor conducts the primary emergency treatment of the consequences of pancreatitis, you need to focus all your efforts on combating the causes that caused inflammation of the pancreas. For example, if the cause is an infection that has entered the dog’s body, antibiotic therapy is given. In the event that diabetes is to blame, insulin treatment is prescribed.

In some cases, surgery is required. Operations are usually prescribed for chronic pancreatitis, when irreversible changes have already occurred. Surgically remove pancreatic cysts, ulcers, clean ducts.

How to prevent the development of the disease

A properly arranged and established diet will help reduce the risks of pancreatitis.

If the dog uses natural food, then it is necessary that there is enough raw meat in the diet, then the enzymes produced by the pancreas will be “busy" with their work.

In this case, the dog is forbidden to feed food that is suitable for people. All veterinary experts say that salty, fatty, spicy, sweet food is not suitable for the nutrition of four-legged friends, because their digestive system is arranged differently, it differs from the human one.

In the daily diet of the dog should be enough healthy substances, the amount of protein should be at least 30% of the diet. You can purchase dry food , where proteins, fats and carbohydrates are in balance, the necessary vitamins and minerals are present.

It is important to monitor your pet, the dog should not eat extraneous food from the wrong hands, eat up leftovers from garbage cans or floors. Such food has no guarantee of quality; it can be stale or infected.

If the dog has a predisposition to pancreatitis, then you should consult a veterinarian who can prescribe drugs that take courses as a disease prevention. The principle of their action is based on strengthening the pancreas and normalizing the production of enzymes.

The owner must treat his dog carefully, devote enough time to it, periodically visit the veterinarian. In this case, it will be much easier to see the first symptoms of pancreatitis, which means that the disease will do much less harm to the animal.