Will my senior diabetic dog with pancreatitis be in a lot of pain?

I'm so sorry to hear about Nena! Pancreatitis is sometimes a tough disease to deal with. Buprenorphine is actually one of my favorite pain medications for pancreatitis patients and is generally a good choice. However, like all opiate-type medications, it can cause dysphoria which is characterized by vocalizing, not seeming to know where she is, or howling at "nothing". This can happen with frequent dosing or if a patient is a little more sensitive to this drug than the average pet. Just to be safe, double check the dose you are giving and call your vet if there is any concern. Consider giving half of your prescribed dose to see if she seems better or worse. In addition to buprenorphine, I often prescribe a medication like cerenia (maropitant) which is an anti-nusea medication that also has good pain relieving effects for the abdominal organs. If Nena is not on cerenia already, call and ask your vet if it would be appropriate for her. Usually with a few days of pain and nausea control and the fluids, most pancreatitis cases do improve - though I've seen a few that required more intensive care for 4-6 days. Hang in there! You are doing a great job. Don't be afraid to call your vet's office too if you have concerns or just want to discuss treatment further. Best of luck to you and Nena!

You will need to take your dog back to the vet for a recheck. The veterinarian should prescribe pain medicine for your dog. If he has not had an ultrasound exam yet, this may be the time to have one, in order to check out whether he has an abscess or tumor on his pancreas. By now he should not be in pain anymore, especially since his body functions have returned to normal (no vomiting, no diarrhea, and eating and drinking.).

It sounds like Little Bear may be constipated. If he is eating and keeping most of it down, he should have at least 1 bowel movement per day. I recommend that he go to the vet to asses his constipation and receive appropriate treatment. Ongoing nausea is also common while healing from pancreatitis, so this is something else you may want to discuss with your vet. Often mild antinausea medications or antacids are all that is needed to give comfort for mild nausea.

With pancreatitis, it is typically caused by them eating something that they were not supposed too. Usually from human food. I agree that changing Shadow's diet to a bland diet and keeping him on antibiotics (not long term) will be beneficial for him. Pancreatitis can be serious and is usually painful. Most dogs do very well on exactly what your vet is doing while more severe cases require intensive treatment and hospitalization. Here is some information on Pacreatitis. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/pancreatitis-in-dogs I hope Shadow feels better soon and thank you for using PetCoach.

I think it depends on how stable she is, what her overall quality of life is aside from this sudden new issue. (Here is some helpful information about quality of life: https://www.lapoflove.com/Quality-of-Life ). It also depends on her prognosis after surgery, which your vet can help you determine. I think surgery and euthanasia are both reasonable in this situation, but the can't tell you which would be better from your description. I hope that helps and I'm sorry your family is going through this.

First, I am so sorry for your loss of Poppy. Pancreatitis can be a very painful and often devastating disease within aggressive and immediate treatment. Unfortunately the loss of fluids from vomiting and diarrhea can result in shock. I am hopeful that the anti spasm medication the vet gave would have provided her some pain relief before she passed. Again, I am so sorry for your loss.

Please contact the original prescribing clinic fir advice on previous dosage, we are mot in a position to prescribe medication on a public forum. Pancreatitis is an inflammatory condition so pain relief, fluids and antinausea medications are vital, oral medication is ok if vomiting can be controlled, if nit injectable and intravenous treatment is required. An ultra low fat diet is very important long term to reduce the severity and long term complications and scarring