Pet Pancreatitis: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention

1 Symptoms

Signs are lethargy, poor appetite, rising temperature, vomiting and diarrhea, and abdominal pain. But these alone make it hard to diagnose, since many cat and dog diseases share them — so take the pet to a vet promptly for diagnosis.

2 Treatment

Pancreatitis is extremely painful and not easy to treat, but owners should not give up; it can be cured.

Treatment follows the principle of treating the symptoms. Because signs and complications vary, treatment is tailored to the specific symptoms and complications while following general principles, for example:

1. Correct the pet’s risk factors, such as bad eating habits and stopping drugs that can trigger pancreatitis.

2. Keep acid-base and electrolyte balance.

3. Relieve pain.

4. Stop vomiting.

5. Treat bacterial complications.

6. Treat other major diseases.

7. Restore normal eating as soon as possible.

3 Prevention

1. Never let pets overeat — a common cause of acute pancreatitis. Also, drugs and toxins, pancreatic-duct obstruction, duodenal reflux, and other triggers can cause it.

2. Do not let a pet take in large amounts of high-protein, high-fat food in a short time; this rapidly stimulates heavy pancreatic secretion and raises duct pressure, and the excess cannot enter the duodenum quickly, so it may flow back into the pancreatic tissue and cause self-digestion.

3. Note: because schnauzers have a genetic defect, their rate of this disease is far higher than other breeds — feed them low-fat, low-protein specialty food and no excess meat.