My Rottweiler has pancreatitis and lupus. How can I help her?

Dietary management is key for reducing the severity of both IBD and pancreatitis but it is not always easy to find a food which suits both conditions. A restricted, low fat diet such as royal canin gastrointestinal low fat or hills i/d low fat can be very helpful in such cases. Depending on the degree of the heart disease, your vet may wish to prescribe heart medication or continue to monitor closely for any changes

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Roxy! It is possible she is having a flare up of pancreatitis, but she is 9 years old so we need to be mindful of other things as well. She could be painful in her neck or back or have a different metabolic condition (liver, kidney problem or diabetes). I think starting the omerprazole as prescribed by your Vet is fine. For my patients with pancreatitis I do a low fat diet for life. If she is not eating and still acting abnormal when your Vet opens I would have her seen. Pancreatitis makes them nauseous and is painful. I treat with pain medications, antibiotics and antinausea medications. The omeprazole is just an antacid and will not help much for the nausea and pain. I hope this helps and I wish Roxy a speedy recovery!

I am very sorry you are dealing with these issues and differing medical approaches to Zoe's care. The short answer is that pancreatitis is a disease which can be approached in many ways, and none of the advise given is wrong. Only different opinions. I personally prefer hills ID low fat for pancreatitis or boiled boneless chicken breast and steamed rice. Pain relief medication, medication for diarrhoea and also anti-nausea medication are all very helpful medications to treat pancreatitis. Pancreatitis can be a chronic disease and dogs need a change to their diet for a week, months, to even for life. It depends how well Zoe's pancreas heals in the next few weeks. I personally have never had to surgically treat a pancreatitis case, and find medical control the best course of action. The cases I have seen usually present with acute signs which require a short hospital stay to stablize. The dogs then go home with some degree of chronic pancreatitis which may or may not present with flare-ups and return visits to the hospital. I hope this is helpful and that Zoe feels better soon.

Schnauzers as a breed can have trouble with pancreatitis. Some times this is linked to hyperlipidemia (elevated fat in the blood). This disease can be diagnosed typically on a blood panel. If so, a different diet may be recommended for this disease along with medications. Options for diet otherwise would typically be a low fat prescription diet or seeing a nutritionist or holistic vet for diet planning. Home cooked diets can be great, you just need to make sure someone plans a balanced diet and a diet that is targeted for that disease process. Otherwise the diet may not be balanced and could cause issues with nutritional deficiencies. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Roxie. I'm sorry to hear that she is having these struggles. While she could have both simultaneously, pancreatitis and congestive heart failure are separate issues. Congestive heart failure is diagnosed by x-rays of hear chest which will identify fluid in the lungs. She could also have fluid pooling I her abdomen secondary to her heart failure. Pancreatitis can typically be diagnosed by a blood test known as cPL. If she is not improving, she should have both of these tests done to guide treatment. I hope this information helps!

Carpeofen is not recommended with pancreatitis as it can make the condition worse, in some severe cases steroids can be prescribed. i would recommend adding a few medications to what she is getting: Cerenia, Famotidine, Omeprazole. these 3 can help significantly. i would also recommend switching from Amoxicillin to Metronidazole. she of course needs to be on a special prescription low fat diet such as Royal Canin gastrointestinal low fat.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! So sorry to hear that Tasha is not feeling well. If she is on medications that were prescribed by your veterinarian for treatment of pancreatitis, then yes she should continue to receive her medications as long as she is eating. Pancreatitis is generally a painful condition so it is recommended to ensure that she receives pain control medications while her pancreas improves. Keeping my fingers crossed for a speedy recovery!