Pancreatitis in dogs

What Is Pancreatitis - Pancreatitis Symptom

All about Pancreatitis in Dogs - Best tips and information from Dr. Per Schonbeck about pancreas problems in your dog.

On this page you find answers to questions like:

• What is pancreatitis?
• Best dog food in canine pancreatitis
• All about pancreatitis symptoms
• My dog is no better - what should I do?

Pancreas - Basics About The Gland

Pancreas is a gland and placed just after the stomach. It lies in a fine curve made of the intestines. Having a small duct entering the duodenum. That's the intestine just after the stomach.

It has to major functions

The first endocrine pancreatic function

Insulin is important in the control and regulation of the blood sugar. If the pancreas cells stop producing insulin, your dog gets diabetes mellitus.

You can get much more dog diabetes information just by reading dog diabetes page.

The second major pancreas function has to do with digestion.

Pancreas produces important enzymes breaking down fat and protein molecules from the food.

This is the exocrine function of pancreas.

All the enzymes are produced in the acini of the gland, and enters the intestine through the pancreatic duct.

Pancreatitis In Dogs

Two different kinds of this disease - one acute, and one more chronic form.

Acute Pancreatitis

The acute pancreatitis is related to the exocrine function. For some reason the gland start to produce far too many digestive enzymes and begins to digest itself.

This type of canine pancreatitis is to some extend both breed and diet related. Here you will find much more about the causes of pancreatitis

Sometime is goes really fast and the condition is life threatening. The gland almost has a "meltdown". This is often called a necrotizing pancreatitis.

As you see it can get really serious. It's important for you to know what to look for.

Acute pancreatitis Symptoms:

Pain and discomfort is some of the signs to look after. To get in dept knowledge of acute symptoms and perhaps safe life, you can find this in my pancreatitis symptoms page.

Chronic Pancreatitis In Dogs

Is also a digestion related disease. But, often without the inflammation part, as in the former. Therefore, chronic pancreas diseases are not so violent and sudden.

Often we call this one exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, because there is a lack of enzymes from the pancreas. Often this is an inherited problem, or it could be the end stage result of long standing low grade inflammation in pancreas.

Less enzymes, and less fat and protein is digested. Undigested fatty acids in the gut causes diarrhea. Diarrhea always is an important symptom in this disease.

Chronic pancreatitis treatment is important as risks of vitamin deficiency is very high.

Mostly water soluble vitamins as Vitamin K and Vitamin B can become deficient. Both are off cause important, but vitamin B 12 especially.

Failure of getting success in the treatment is linked to cobalamin deficiency(Vitamin B 12).

Pancreatitis Diet

As the pancreatic gland is an important part of the whole digestive system, diet issues is important.

You can greatly decreases risk of getting the acute inflammation by some relative simple steps. Likewise make it less likely to get further painful attacks, if your dog have had problems already.

Here you get the most important nutritional pancreatitis diet facts.