Low Fat Prescription Diet for Dogs with Pancreatitis
In dogs, dietary fat is associated with the development of pancreatitis and can stimulate the secretion of a hormone that induces the pancreas to secrete its digestive hormones. Therefore, start feeding low-fat foods slowly.
Obviously some changes are needed in my diet, something we’ve always resisted because I am on a very healthy, limited ingredient diet already that is low in fat. After my first diagnosis we began feeding me a food recommended to contain between 10-15% fat with 12% or less the best.
We agreed to try Hill’s Prescription Diet i/d Digestive Care Original Low Fat Canned Dog Food, (Amazon affiliate link) but keeping me on my regular kibble for now. One of the reasons why I haven’t been placed on a prescription diet is due to my food allergies. In case of any allergies to the food the vet refilled my Apoquel prescription, recommending me to take it daily. I’m also to take the anti-nausea medication Cerenia for eight days, once in the morning at least 40 minutes before my breakfast, to allow it to coat my stomach.
I loved the new canned food, and it’s actually cheaper than the limited ingredient canned food I eat. Everything went pretty well for a while. The main problem remembering to give me my medication early enough before my breakfast. This meant reversing our morning routine, breakfast first, followed by our walk. But a few mornings after forgetting to give me my pill before my walk, I got it after the walk while trying not to feed me, which is difficult because I am expecting my breakfast. But, one morning I got my pill and breakfast at almost the same time, so of course I threw up my breakfast. New schedules are hard but we limped on through the eight days with no more problems. Two days after completing my meds, I threw up my breakfast at least two hours after I ate, which is not a good sign.
At first the we considered just calling for a refill on the Cerenia, but thankfully our vet’s office is open this time, so off we go. By now we’re really worried that I’m not getting better, resulting in hospitalization. My exam went well but it was obvious I had a very upset stomach. The food I threw up was completely digested so she prescribed eight more days of the Cerenia as that helps food move from the stomach through the digestive track. I also got another injection since she could tell I still had an upset stomach and it just takes this long for my system to start digesting my food normally. I got to have dinner that night but later and a small amount. We also received instructions to go on three small meals a day.
We don’t have studies in dogs that directly answer the question of when and how to best start feeding dogs with pancreatitis, but many veterinarians are switching to an “as soon as possible” mind set. We should still not be feeding dogs that are actively vomiting (there’s no point if they can’t keep it down), but the effective antiemetic medications that are now available (e.g., maropitant) often allow us to get control of a dog’s vomiting within 24 hours of hospitalization. It is at this time that food should be reintroduced.
In dogs, dietary fat is known to be associated with the development of pancreatitis and can stimulate the secretion of a hormone that induces the pancreas to secrete its digestive hormones. Therefore, low fat foods are recommended. Refeeding should always begin slowly. A common recommendation is to start with one-quarter of the dog’s resting energy requirement divided into four meals throughout the day. In other words, the dog would get four meals consisting of about 1/16 of what it would normally eat spread over 24 hours. As long as the dog continues to improve, the amount of food offered could increase by one-quarter every day so that at the end of four days, the patient is taking in his or her full resting energy requirement.
Our understanding regarding how best to feed (or not feed) dogs with pancreatitis has undergone significant changes over the last few years. Back when I was in veterinary school in the 1990s, we learned that dogs with pancreatitis should be fasted for 24-48 hours. This protocol was based on a reasonable assumption — food passing through the intestinal tract would stimulate the pancreas to secrete digestive enzymes, thereby increasing pancreatic inflammation.
But now, research in people and dogs is revealing the harmful effects that prolonged fasting can have on the structure and function of the gastrointestinal tract, including its important role in the immune system. The cells that line the intestinal tract depend on absorbing energy and nutrients that pass by after a meal. When a dog does not eat, the lining of the intestinal tract changes: the villi (fingerlike projections that increase the intestine’s absorptive surface) shrink, local immune tissue is reduced, the intestinal wall becomes “leaky,” promoting the absorption of bacteria and toxins, and inflammation increases, both within the digestive tract and systemically. Also, there is some evidence that when the pancreas is inflamed it does not secrete digestive enzymes in response to the presence of food in the same way that a healthy pancreas does, which casts even more doubt on the practice of prolonged fasting.
Because we want dogs with pancreatitis to benefit from as much nutrition as possible even when taking in small amounts of food, a highly digestible diet is preferred. Foods should be low in fiber and made from high-quality ingredients. Several pet food manufacturers make low fat, highly digestible diets for dogs. Most veterinarians carry at least one food like this in their clinics to feed to hospitalized patients and to send home with dogs as they continue to recover. A short-term alternative is to feed a mixture of boiled white meat chicken and white rice, but if a home cooked diet is needed for more than just a few days, a veterinary nutritionist should design a nutritionally complete diet that will meet all of the dog’s needs.
Recommended fat content for pancreatitis dogs
Now that we have waded through the technicalities of reading labels, let’s talk about the ideal fat content for dogs with pancreatitis. Most veterinarians will recommend diets that have low to moderate fat contents. “Low” fat content typically means having a crude fat content of 8% or less. And a “moderate” fat content means the diet may have up to 15% fat on a dry matter basis.
Veterinarians often recommend feeding a diet made by a company that uses the latest research in pet nutrition and employs a number of board certified veterinary nutritionists. These veterinary specialists received extra years of training outside of veterinary school, which makes them uniquely qualified to create good quality diets.
Companies like Royal Canin, Hill’s Science Diet, Purina, Iams, and Eukanuba all fit that bill. They have boarded veterinary nutritionists on their staff, make sound recommendations for their formulas, and implement excellent quality control measures. The first three companies carry a line of prescription diets that are excellent for dogs with pancreatitis. They include:
These three diets have the lowest amounts of fat across all prescription diets available.
However, in some cases, your vet may recommend a diet with a more moderate fat content instead. Purina Pro Plan’s HA diet and Royal Canin’s Selected Protein diets can fit this description and may be a good choice for dogs with food allergies. There may also be situations, such as when a dog has kidney disease in dogs and pancreatitis, where the vet might recommend feeding your dog a different diet than what I have listed.
How to comfort a dog with pancreatitis
Pancreatitis in dogs is one of those conditions that owners must be informed about before it strikes because the warning signs may not always be obvious at first, the symptoms might be mistaken for something less serious, and yet it’s potentially life-threatening. The medical definition of pancreatitis is simple: “inflammation of the pancreas.” But like all serious conditions, there is more to it than that.
Because it is dangerous, a suspected case of pancreatitis needs to be addressed by a veterinarian as quickly as possible and not dealt with by “DIY” treatments. As with all medical issues, even the best online resource is not a replacement for the medical guidance from your vet.
Before looking at the details of pancreatitis, let’s take away the “ititis” and explain the small but vital organ itself:
The pancreas is responsible for releasing enzymes that aid in digestion. When the organ is working normally, the enzymes become active only when they reach the small intestine. In a dog with pancreatitis, however, the enzymes activate when they’re released, inflaming and causing damage to the pancreas and its surrounding tissue and other organs. According to the Whole Dog Journal, the enzymes can actually begin to digest the pancreas itself, which causes extreme pain to your dog.