The pancreas sits next to the intestines and stomach and is responsible for aiding in digestion of fat.  When animals get an extremely fatty meal, sometimes the pancreas gets overloaded, secretes too much digestive enzymes, and pancreatitis results.  This is where the pancreas gets swollen and inflamed, becomes very painful, and undergoes autodigestion (essentially the enzymes that are normally used for breaking down food spill out of the cells into the pancreas, and the pancreas literally digests itself).  Symptoms of pancreatitis include:

• Vomiting or nausea (licking lips, excessive salivation, burping)
  
• Abdominal pain (hunched posture)
  
• Diarrhea, often times bloody
  
• Decreased or no appetite
• Lethargic or depressed attitude

These pets are very sick, and need immediate hospitalization and care in order to give them the best chance of recovery.  If you have a vomiting dog that is acting ill, please do not wait to get them seen. Pancreatitis can be diagnosed by a simple blood test in the clinic, and treatment includes aggressive intravenous fluids, pain medication, anti-nausea medication, antibiotics, and in severe cases blood or plasma transfusions.  Secondary problems that can happen from pancreatitis include kidney failure, abscesses in the pancreas that require surgery, liver failure, seizures, and death.  Additional tests that will need to be run include full bloodwork to screen for these other secondary problems, and an abdominal ultrasound to rule out a pancreatic abscess.  Abdominal x-rays may also be recommended to rule out other problems such as intestinal obstruction. Hospitalization and treatment for pancreatitis often reaches $1000-1500, and pets can have chronic flare-ups throughout the rest of their life if they have enough damage to their pancreas. 

How do you avoid pancreatitis?  Simple - NO TABLE SCRAPS!  This is the main reason we discourage owners from giving any people food other than baby carrots or fresh green beans.  Also keeping trash cans pet-proof or where indoor pets do not have access to them will help prevent these problems as well.   Preventing pancreatitis is MUCH easier than treating it when it occurs.  Below is a list of foods we have seen that commonly cause pancreatitis:

• Turkey
• Dressing
• Ham/Pork
• Hamburger
• Hot Dogs
• Cake or Icing
• Anything else that is high in fat

Chronic Pancreatitis
We are finding out more every day about the dangers of chronic pancreatitis in both dogs and cats.  We will recommend switching to a low fat prescription food after your pet has a bout of acute pancreatitis in the hopes of preventing the chronic form.  Chronic pancreatitis can present as recurrent episodes of nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, reluctance to eat, or mild to severe abdominal pain.  Dogs and cats with chronic pancreatitis are at risk for other digestive issues as well as diabetes mellitus because cells in the pancreas are responsible for producing insulin.  With chronic pancreatitis, insulin is not produced and diabetes can occur.