It didn’t take me long to make a decision to write a blog on pancreatitis as I realize it’s one of the most commonly misunderstood conditions. Out of curiosity I decided to do a little survey on Facebook to see what your opinion was and it confirmed that after the topic of general puppy care, pancreatitis is the second most questioned topic.

From my point of view, pancreatitis in other words, the inflammation of the pancreas, is  a result of multiple factors but I have seen a very clear pattern. It is a very common disease in conventional veterinary practice, especially in dogs where processed foods are recommended. Before I start talking about the possible causes and how to prevent this serious and often life-threatening disease, I would like to mention a few important facts about pancreas and the digestive tract of dogs.

The function of pancreas

The pancreas is a digestive gland that produces insulin that regulates the blood sugar as well as the digestive enzymes necessary for digesting food. Pancreatic function and enzyme production is kind of amazing.  The pancreatic enzymes get activated only when they’re released from the pancreas, otherwise they would digest the pancreas itself.

Canines are clearly designed for digesting meat, bones, organs and some plant material, however, nature never intended dogs to eat heavily processed grain-based diet. When processed food is fed is that the pancreas gets simply overworked and it becomes inflamed. The inflammation itself can activate the digestive enzymes before they’re released in the intestines which can result in triggering the process of “self digestion”. The enzymes from the inflamed pancreas can also leak out in the abdominal cavity and damage the abdominal lining and other organs which adds to a serious and often life-threatening situation.
What I’d like to do first is to talk about the signs of pancreatitis, the most frequent causes, what to do, what to avoid and first of all how to prevent this awful condition from happening.

Symptoms of pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is the most serious form and the onset happens relatively suddenly. Your dog would usually stop eating, start vomiting, diarrhea may or may not be present and there is usually a sign of lethargy, dehydration and the abdomen may appear hard-core firmer and sensitive to touch especially in the front portion of the abdomen. Pancreas is closely related to the stomach and is in the same area.

Chronic pancreatitis often presents with no symptoms. The only symptom of it is a slight elevation of pancreatic enzymes and I often see that  animals on a natural diet have a naturally higher pancreatic enzyme elevation no signs of  pancreatitis. These  dogs seem to be   fine and I would say that this is a prime example of a common problem. Our veterinary labs use reference values that are made for animals eating processed food and less knowledge of animals being fed raw diet which is a much healthier enzymatic system including pancreas production.

Diagnosis of pancreatitis

The best way to confirm your dogs diagnosis is by a blood test which consists of CBC, Chemistry panel and pancreas specific enzyme tests such as lipase and canine specific lipase which is the best way of confirming final diagnosis. An ultrasound examination for x-rays may be helpful to confirm the diagnosis and also rule out other causes of vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and lethargy.

Causes of pancreatitis

1. Since I started using and recommending raw and natural non-processed food the incidence of pancreatitis in my practice dropped sharply and I can’t even remember when I have seen the last case of true pancreatitis in a dog on a raw diet. I have seen some dogs with slightly elevated pancreatic enzymes but as I said this may be simply related to their pancreas producing more of the enzymes because it is healthy and strong and not because of pancreatitis.From my perspective processed food is the most common reason why pancreatitis happens.
2. Another cause that is very rarely recognized relates to spinal injury or energy congestion at the thoracic lumbar junction. That point relates to energetically feeding the stomach and pancreas. When that segment is injured or congested, the pancreas gets weakened and I frequently see a tendency to pancreatitis. This is not common conventional knowledge. To determine that there is a problem in the stomach–pancreas association point, all you need to do is to feel along the region of the spine where the last rib begins and see if there is any sensitivity, increased heat or pain. This area can not only be a produced posing factor for pancreatitis but also gastric dilation–volvulus, the bloat.
3. Other possible causes of pancreatitis may be your dog getting into garbage or feasting on a large amount of aggravating food. While some people say that high-fat diet causes pancreatitis, I see carbohydrates and mainly grain being more common causes.
4. Nutrient and mineral depletion in the body is frequently underestimated and at times of soil and general food depletion. Minerals and especially micro elements play an essential role in enzyme production. To find out more about the role of different minerals in the body, you can click on the link here.

Treatment of pancreatitis

The truth is that no matter how much we think we know about pancreatitis, there may be other important causes that we simply do not know about and my general recommendation is to eliminate what the body doesn’t need, add what the body does need and deal with rebalancing the body’s energy through homeopathy, physiotherapy, intramuscular needle stimulation or IMS, chiropractic treatment and other holistic modalities.

The general treatment approach depends on how severe the condition is and I usually recommend doing the following:

1. Proper physical examination
2. Blood test
3. Intravenous fluid support if there is a sign of dehydration or if we suspect that peritonitis, the inflammation of the abdominal lining is present.
4. Checking the thoracic lumbar junction for any signs of congestion in correcting this through IMS -intramuscular needle stimulation or chiropractic treatment
5. Fasting is very important and I recommend fasting for at least 48 hours. The goal is to rest the pancreas and most dogs can fast for much longer than a couple of days.
6. I usually provide the following combination of supplements that appear to be very effective in most cases; nondairy based probiotics, a turmeric-based anti-inflammatory Zyflamend and a cleansing and balancing supplement called Chlorophyll complex (available only by email request). These supplements cleanse the body, reduce inflammation and also provide the necessary bacterial flora for the body in case of diarrhea.
7. As a veterinarian trained in homeopathy I also use homeopathic remedies. If you’re interested in learning more about principles of homeopathy click here.
8. I very much recommend massaging the spine in the thoracic–lumbar junction because it does promote the energy flow to the pancreas.
9. Most textbooks recommend the withdrawing of water completely, however I learned that if the pancreatitis cases are moderate, the steps above should be sufficient and water deprivation and IV fluid therapy is not needed. Your vet may state that the situation is critical that you can’t go wrong with IV therapy. However if you do agree on such treatment you should insist that a picture video patch is supervised 24/7 because there are still clinics that leave hospitalized patients unattended at night which from my point if he is unacceptable.

What not to do

I mentioned before but the most important part of treating any disease is to eliminate what doesn’t belong in the body and provide the body with what it needs. From my perspective pancreatitis is not caused by antibiotic deficiency and if we look at it from the body’s point of view antibiotics are toxic substances that kill bacteria when  necessary but they are also toxic to the body itself. At times of pancreatitis, any additional toxic burden can be detrimental to the treatment outcome and  I  haven’t found antibiotics useful because pancreatitis is not caused by bacteria. Some people advocate that antibiotics have to be used to prevent secondary sepsis, bacterial spread. I find antibiotics most often detrimental to the outcome of pancreatitis because our goal should be to cleanse, support and not intoxicate.

I also find this to be the case of other drugs that prevent vomiting or suppress inflammation like steroids and Metacam. I find these drugs seriously violating the body’s own efforts of healing and they put the natural defenses to sleep. It is not any different than taking a sleeping pill at the time our house catches on fire.

This is not to discount the fact that most conventional practitioners try to do their best and I usually say that any effort to help is good unless we learn that certain treatment actually harms our patients. I can’t say this with certainty but I  feel that many dogs with pancreatitis could be saved if they weren’t poisoned in the course of treatment.

Pancreatitis prevention

This is the most important part of this blog. If you forget everything else, please remember that most cases of pancreatitis can be prevented by following these few simple steps.

1. Natural raw or cooked non-processed food appears to be the best for preventing pancreatitis. If you do feed processed food, you’re naturally increasing the likelihood of this disease and also the stomach bloat. In case of pancreatitis,  I also recommend  feeding NO beef, buffalo, lamb,  duck and  generally rich and more fatty meals . Beef, bison and buffalo especially have higher tendency to cause inflammation in the body.  I generally recommend feeding less of these meats even in healthy dogs.
2. Supplement your dog’s diet with essential supplements and remember that most supplements are made the same way. Over the years I have learned that synthetically made supplements are never as good as the natural alternatives made of whole food and herbs. Here are the supplements that I give to my dog Skai.
3. Make sure that your dog is regularly checked by an experienced animal chiropractor, physiotherapist or practitioner that uses IMS–intramuscular needle stimulation. I also recommend regular massage for any dog because it does promote the energy flow to the vital organs.
4. The last point comes without saying. Your dog needs to be happy and get out for frequent walks. And I mean real walks, not standing in the park and throwing a ball, which in fact can be also damaging and can cause back problems.

I hope that this article will be the answer to many questions that many of my readers have asked me on a regular basis and most of all that it will save you the trouble and hopefully  many canine lives. All I am asking of you is to pass it on if you find it helpful.

With gratitude,

After many tests, 3 oxalate crystals were found in a sample of urine. An x-ray and an ultrasound showed no signs of stones. He is currently on antibiotics and has started a prescription diet (which he doesn’t seem thrilled about). Is he destined for a life on a prescription diet? Is there something else we can do to prevent new crystals from forming? Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Dear Kelley,

there may be many reasons for blood appearing in the urine. To name the most important ones: bladder infection, irritation and inflammation due to crystals, processed food and diet intolerance, kidney disease or change the anatomy of the bladder wall – a polyp, growth.  If your  dog is not neutered, he may have prostate problems.  There are some  cases  where the urinary  tract is  weakened  due to muscle spasm or injury  in the  region of 2 – 3 Lumbar vertebra  -  the renal  association  point. 

It appears that you started with the right examinations – kidney or bladder stones are not present, crystals are not present  in high numbers and as far as I understand, it appears that there are no signs of a growth or a polyp in the bladder.

My suggestion would be to concentrate on switching to natural diet  and dietary supplement. This itself may be enough for the crystals disappear.  these  supplements  should  be individually  suited to your dogs’ body type and disposition.  In reality, no processed food is ideal for anyone , dogs , cats or people. Ideal diet should be suited to your dogs, fit your lifestyle and your budget.

In summary, the options that you have a dietary plan, homeopathic treatment and supplements If you would like to learn more about holistic treatments , I would recommend reading the following materials.

http://www.peterdobias.com/beta/holistic-health

http://www.peterdobias.com/beta/homeopathy

If your dog is not neutered,  a prostate  examination is also  important. 

Give your dogs a hug for me. Good for them that they do not want  to  eat  the processed  food.  I think they  are quite in tune with what  they  need.  

Sincerely,

Peter Dobias, DVM