Under normal circumstances, the pancreas secretes digestive juices into the intestine to digest fat and protein, and the digestive enzymes are inactive when entering the intestine.
Acute pancreatitis in dogs is due to Various factors lead to the early activation of these enzymes, resulting in inflammation of the pancreas.
It can be simply understood as a disease in which the pancreas digests itself, resulting in severe inflammation and a series of systemic symptoms.
What causes pancreatitis?
Currently the exact mechanism of pancreatitis in dogs is not fully understood, but many factors are known to induce pancreatitis in dogs, such as eating greasy food or humans Food, obesity, poisoning, drugs, infectious diseases (toxoplasma gondii, virus),
endocrine diseases, surgery, infections (such as pyometra, gastrointestinal perforation, peritonitis, etc.);
Among them, it is most common clinically after eating rare food or greasy food.
Some specific breeds are predisposing, such as terriers more prone to acute pancreatitis, and cocker spaniels more prone to chronic pancreatitis;
Schnauzers may be born with hypertriglyceridemia and are more prone to pancreatitis. VIP, Bichon, etc. are also high-risk breeds.
The incidence is higher in overweight and adult dogs, but pancreatitis can occur in dogs of any age.
Dogs with pancreatitis often have abdominal pain, and the prayer position suggests anterior abdominal pain in dogs.
Can a dog die from pancreatitis?
Moderate to severe acute pancreatitis is a highly fatal disease with a mortality rate of more than 40%.
The main clinical manifestations are anorexia, vomiting, fatigue, abdominal pain, and dehydration
Severe cases may have bloody stools, fever, dyspnea, jaundice and shock,
and mild cases may not have all of the above symptoms, or the symptoms are relatively mild.
Recurrent acute pancreatitis can develop into chronic pancreatitis, and the probability of subsequent diabetes or pancreatic exocrine insufficiency is significantly increased.
Schnauzer/VIP/Bichon are all high-risk breeds
How to diagnose and treat?
The methods of diagnosing pancreatitis mainly include hematological examination (CPL) and abdominal B-ultrasound examination, combined with clinical history and symptoms, comprehensive diagnosis.
Current accuracy is generally above 80%, but may be only 50% for chronic pancreatitis.
At present, there are more advanced test boards that can be tested.
In some cases of pancreatitis, B-ultrasound diagnosis is more sensitive than hematological CPL screening.
The advanced SNAP cPL Canine Pancreatitis Rapid Test is used to test the level of pancreatic lipase in pets.
Product description on its official website: The same accurate results as the reference laboratory ELISA technology: Sensitivity up to 93%, specificity up to 78%; specially designed to measure lipase levels in canine pancreas, only 10 minutes Results can be obtained
The most important thing is the treatment
The treatment of pancreatitis It is mainly symptomatic treatment. It is especially important to give antiemetic and pain relief. At the same time, fluid infusion corrects dehydration and the body’s metabolic balance.
The general treatment period is 3-7 days. If combined with or secondary to other diseases, the course of disease may be longer and the risk of death may be higher.
How can pancreatitis be prevented?
The most important way to prevent pancreatitis in dogs is diet control.
It is recommended to eat less oily food, preferably low-fat prescription food
Control weight and avoid obesity
Reduce or avoid feeding human food or special food
Do not feed medicines indiscriminately, such as tetracycline, cold medicine, etc.
Final regular physical examination , as directed
