Pancreatitis

My husband and I adopted a Greyhound puppy from Independence Animal Shelter in 1991. At the time, we didn't know we had adopted a greyhound; Ed thought she was a Whippet! At 4 months she was almost the size of a Whippet.

CoCo, our 4 year old greyhound, became sick the middle of December, 1995. She started vomiting one morning, and continued throughout the day. That evening, I took her to our Vet. He prescribed medication for her, but told me if the vomiting continued through the night, we were likely dealing with Pancreatitis. The medication did not work, and I had her in first thing the next morning. He told me that he would have to keep her. He said she would be placed on an I.V. to hydrate her, but the only real treatment for Pancreatitis was withholding food and water so the pancreas could rest. He asked me if we had varied her food at all. I told him that we had fed her a small amount of Braunschweiger in her dinner the night before she became ill. He told me that Pancreatitis can be brought on by a high fatty meal. He said that he sees many cases around Thanksgiving and Christmas because people feed their pets left-over table scraps or other treats that are loaded with fat. CoCo became sick on a Wednesday, and he kept her through the weekend. Ed and I went to see her every day. It broke our hearts to see her there; she had never been away from us.

By Monday night, her condition seemed improved, and we were allowed to take her home. Our Vet said to start giving her small amounts of water and very low fat food, such as rice and chicken. At first, she would not accept anything, but after a while, she drank and ate a little. Within half an hour she was vomiting again. Her temperature began to climb, so I tried reaching our Vet at home. His line was busy, and we felt the situation was urgent, so we drove to his home with CoCo in the car. After conveying CoCo's situation, we met him at his clinic. He started I.V.'s again, and we stayed there until they were empty. His wife, who was assisting him, noticed, by the color of CoCo's inner lips and gums, that she was becoming jaundiced. This meant the inflammation had spread to her liver.

We took her home that evening, and she slept between us. I took her back the next morning. Early that afternoon the doctor called, and said that he had given her a sedative. She would not rest, and was standing and panting heavily. This could only mean that she was in pain. It was abundantly clear, at this point, what had to be done. We had decided early on not to allow her to suffer needlessly. That evening, after work, we went to the clinic to say good-bye. CoCo was our youngest, and by all appearances, our healthiest dog. The idea of her becoming sick, and worse, losing her, had not had time to sink in. We were simply numb. She spent her last breaths with the two of us knelt beside her. Even our Vet wept. Ed and I had lost both our fathers to lung cancer five years before, and losing CoCo seemed only moderately less devastating.

I have wanted to write an article for the newsletter since this time to warn people of the dangers of feeding people food to your dogs. We knew that giving our dogs table scraps might not be healthy for them but, we had no idea that anything like this could happen. (Bill & Cher also lost their first greyhound, Abbey, to Pancreatitis.) Of course, certain foods, such as rice and vegetables are very acceptable food for your Greyhounds. Also, adding these foods and other things, such as tomato juice and plain yogurt, to your Greyhounds' food will sometimes get a finicky Greyhound to eat and gain weight if needed. These types of food are certainly "safe" and are even good for your dog.

The pancreas is a gland in the abdominal cavity that produces enzymes which aid in digestion, and hormones such as insulin which regulate the metabolism of sugar. When the pancreas becomes diseased or injured the resulting condition is known as pancreatitis. Disorders or the pancreas are common in dogs and cats. An unhealthy pancreas will literally begin to digest itself causing severe illness and pain to your pet.

Feeding a high fatty meal to your pet can cause the pancreas to go into overdrive. Obese animals seem more prone to developing pancreatitis. This is probably due to the high level of fat that is already present in the blood. Though CoCo was far from being obese, she was on steroids for allergies, and our veterinarian believed this may have contributed to her becoming ill. Also, it is a little known fact that feeding your dog popcorn can cause pancreatitis. The stomach cannot digest the popcorn kernels. They become embedded in the lining of the stomach, irritating it, which in turn overworks the pancreas.

If your greyhound develops pancreatitis, the symptoms to look for are:

• vomiting
• abdominal pain, varying from mild to intense (manifested as restlessness, panting, trembling, hunched up abdomen, praying position of relief, seeking of cool surfaces, and pain on palpation)
• diarrhea, sometimes with blood
• fever, due to inflammation not necessarily infection
• weakness or, in severe cases, acute collapse from shock

If your greyhound exhibits any of these symptoms they should be taken to your veterinarian immediately. The best way to prevent this from ever happening is to avoid giving your greyhound any type of table scraps or people food. You can bet we don't.

We hope, by telling our story, that we can help prevent this from ever happening to you and the greyhound you love.