My senior dog has pancreatitis. Should we operate or let her go?

It really depends on how severe the pancreatitis is to say what the prognosis would be. With her being weak and older she would benefit most from intense treatment. You really have to look at her quality of life when deciding on how aggressive you want to treat. I would discuss this with your veterinarian what would be the best option for Aiko. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. Without the bloodwork, I can not address her overall condition to say whether surgery is appropriate or not. I would highly recommend that x-rays of her lungs be done to see if there is any evidence that the mass on her liver has metastasized to her lungs. If this has happened, then I would not put her through surgery. An ultrasound of her abdomen would also be very useful in looking at the liver, gall bladder & kidneys, & would give much more information about what is going on. In the meantime, I would start her on insulin to try & regulate the elevated blood sugar. Talk to your vet to see what the next best steps for Layla are. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. It is difficult to say for sure what the problem is since I do not have the lab work in front of me. If she is having symptoms of pancreatitis she most likely needs medications to help relieve these symptoms along with initiating a low fat diet. I would also want to know why she is now developing pancreatitis and at her age, I would strongly recommend an abdominal ultrasound if she is not improving. Prescription diets like Hills low fat I/D might be the best for her long term. If you have not initiated a bland diet, please follow my guide below. If there is no improvement or she worsens, you should take her back to your veterinarian for a recheck, further diagnostics and treatment. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.

Oh no, I'm so sorry that Santeri is so sick! I work for a home euthanasia service, so I face this question all the time with my clients. I suggest making a list of five things Santeri loved to do. If he's not doing at least two of them, then his quality of life has decreased to a point where humane euthanasia should be considered. It's always a hard decision to make, but if he has a poor quality of life, letting him go peacefully would be a great kindness. If you'd like to discuss this further, I'd be happy to consult with you. Just click the "consult online" button under my answer. Otherwise, I hope my answer helps and I'm sorry you are facing this issue :-(

I’m assuming she is defecating frequently and not urinating. If so you might want to see if your vet wants to add in any medications for diarrhea/colitis. Sometimes an antibiotic for bacterial overgrowth can be helpful. If you have already exhausted treatment options or if your vet is not optimistic about Bella’s recovery then it may be time to discuss euthanasia.

I am so sorry that Bear is so sick at the moment! Yes, pancreatitis is extremely painful, but the pain may be able to be managed with pain medication. The best person to speak to about this is your vet, and you can discuss pain management with you for him. I hope this helps answer your question, I'm sorry you both are going through this!

I am so sorry to hear about Snowflake and that she has been so sick lately. My biggest concern would be whether or not the pancreatitis that isn’t improving could be related to the uterine tumor. I am definitely concerned that if the uterine tumor is malignant that it could have spread to other areas. I would definitely talk with your vet in the morning about the risks of surgery versus do they think removing the uterine tumor will help her feel better. Also, I think it would be okay to wait until tomorrow morning unless you think she is in distress or she has gotten worse. If she is breathing heavily and her gums are not pink then I would be concerned and take her to the emergency clinic. I don’t know all the details of the case so I cannot say for sure, but the fact that her pancreatitis isn’t improving concerns me and her overall prognosis is poor. I hope this helps to guide you in her treatment. I am sorry you all are having to go through this. Hugs to you and Snowflake.