Why High-Carbohydrate Food Triggers Pancreatitis in Dogs

1 How High-Carb Food Causes Pancreatitis

1. Amylase is a digestive enzyme in the saliva of omnivores and herbivores that breaks down plant carbohydrates, and it is released by the pancreas. When a pet eats, food is digested in the stomach and gut, then reaches the duodenum, where the pancreas releases more amylase to break all the carbohydrates into sugar. But most pet foods are high in carbohydrates, while a pet’s pancreas can only handle a little — especially the natural carbohydrates in meat, which are harder to digest. The amylase runs short and burdens the pancreas, leading to inflammation.

2. The dog pancreas must also work to secrete insulin to keep blood sugar balanced. For cooked, processed meat, chewing does not release the enzymes of raw meat, so the pancreas must release more ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease, adding further pressure and causing inflammation.

3. Pancreatitis directly causes vitamin E deficiency. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that clears excess body fat. But during pancreatic inflammation the body needs even more vitamin E for cleanup, while many pet foods lose about 30% of their vitamin E after six months of storage. This is a downside of many pet foods: eating more creates a vicious cycle that worsens pancreatic problems.

2 What a Dog With Pancreatitis Should Eat

Some think a dog with pancreatitis should eat low-protein food — wrong, because less protein means more carbohydrates, burdening the pancreas or causing obesity.

A dog with pancreatitis should avoid foods that over-stimulate the pancreas and eat fresh, easily digested food. An acute case must fast first to ease the burden, then eat small, frequent meals of fresh, low-fat, high-protein, low-carbohydrate wet food.