Pancreatitis: More Than Just A Tummy Ache

Although  not considered one of the ‘at risk’ breeds for Pancreatitis, we’ve seen  a few greyhounds suffer from the condition.  One case, which will stay  with us forever, was a beautiful hound who started showing symptoms a  few months after adoption…what started as a mild case soon turned into a  chronic one, and it became so severe that she lost her life to it  despite the owner doing everything right.

She  went from being a perfectly healthy hound, to flying over the rainbow  bridge in a matter of months.  While this was an extreme case, it is  thankfully a rare one.

Pancreatitis  is a very serious, and painful, condition, but it does not always  result in long-term issues.  Some dogs will recover from an acute bout  of pancreatitis in a few days, or a week, without mishap.  However,  chronic cases can be ongoing.  Even one instance of the condition can  cause long-term issues, leading to flare ups of the condition and  secondary illnesses that can be managed but never cured.  And, as we  have experienced, you can do everything right and have all the correct  management in place, but there are no guarantees with chronic  pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis, as  you can imagine, is a condition that affects the pancreas.  A fairly  unthought-of organ that sits near the stomach and helps with digestion.   No one really pays much attention to the pancreas until it becomes  inflamed and starts digesting itself.  Often resulting in wild abdominal  pain, vomiting and diarrhoea.  Symptoms can vary massively from your  hound being ‘a bit off’ to full organ failure…though lethargy, loss of  appetite and gastro upset are the primary indicators.

In  most cases, pancreatitis occurs for no apparent reason.  It just  happens.  Though there are often some common occurrences such as  overweight dogs, or those given high fat diets.  There are also certain  medications or metabolic conditions such as diabetes that can bring  about the condition.
It is suggested that even dogs on balanced diets, if given high fat treats or a high fat meal, can trigger it.

Thankfully, diagnosing pancreatitis is very straight forward.

If  after examining your hound and discussing their recent history, and  diet, should a vet have an inkling that the pancreas might be to blame  they can do a blood test.  Don’t worry, it’s not a send away and wait  several days kind of blood test!  It’s an in house ‘snap  test’…basically, they're like one of those little kits that they have at  the airport to test you for drugs where it changes colour to confirm  whether you're packing.

It takes  minutes to get an answer, and while they can never 100% guarantee the  accuracy, they’re pretty darn close.  So you’ll get an answer very  quickly and your vet will be able to put the correct management plan in  place to help your hound.

If there is some doubt, they can also do an ultrasound to visualise the pancreas to assess it for swelling and abnormalities.

The  treatment for pancreatitis very much depends on the severity of the  condition.  For example, mild cases may be given some anti-sickness  medication and anti-inflammatory pain killers and be sent on their way  to be monitored at home.  While severe cases may need hospitalisation,  pain management and IV fluids, with ongoing monitoring and management  once home.

Such management is  largely based on diet, exercise, weight management and regular check-ups  at the vet.  Low-fat diets are essential for dogs with a history of  pancreatitis, and that means no more titbits off the table!  You need to  be very strict in feeding a hound that is prone to flare ups as they  can be so painful for them.

If  you’re hound is healthy and you’re reading this thinking, how do we stop  this from happening in the first place?  Well, there is no sure-fire  way to prevent pancreatitis, as there is often no reason for it to  happen.  A good first step is ensuring your hound is kept at a healthy  weight, with regular exercise and a balanced diet.

Though  it is important to note that the symptoms of pancreatitis are vague,  and largely overlap with numerous other conditions.  You don’t need to  panic should your hound ever get a bit of an upset belly, but you should  bear in mind that a hound that presents with sickness and diarrhoea for  more than two or three days should be seen by the vet.