What is Pancreatitis?
The pancreas helps dogs digest thie food by producing enzymes that break down sugars, fats, starches and proteins. When your dog has pancreatitis then the pancreas has becomes inflamed.
What should you feed dogs with pancreatitis?
The aim of nutrition for dogs with pancreatitis is to give the pancreas a rest, allowing it time to recover.
Eating high levels of fat and protein will cause the pancreas to start working to produce digestive enzymes. So to allow the pancreas to rest you need to feed less fat and protein.
The recommendation is for a diet with 10% - 15% fat on a dry matter basis. Dry matter basis is the percentage of a nutrient ignoring the moisture content – so what the percentage would be with all of the moisture removed.
The recommended protein level in a diet for dogs with pancreatitis is 15% - 30% on a dry matter basis.
Because they will be getting less protein, it is important that the protien they get is high quality and easily digestible and with the right balance of amino acids, like that found in fish.
Pancreatitis can create a cycle of inflammation. EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids from marine sources can help with this inflammation by supporting the body’s natural anti-inflammatory process.
Concurrent conditions
Sometimes dogs with have both pancreatitis and another condition. This will have an effect on the their nutritional needs.
CONCURRENT CONDITION | ADDITIONAL NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS IN ADDITION TO LOW FAT |
Hyperlipidaemia: |
Even lower dietary fat level at under 10% DM and/or high level of omega-3 fatty acids |
Obesity: |
Also need low energy density to help control weight |
Diabetes mellitus: |
Also need low carbohydrate or high-fibre diet with complex carbohydrates |
Exocrine pancreas insufficiency: |
Also needs highly digestible diets |
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) |
Also needs highly digestible, hypoallergenic diets, preferably with increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids |
Food sensitivity |
Also needs hypoallergenic diet |
SPECIFIC is the range of nutrition from Dechra Veterinary Products and has a range of diets, available through your vet, designed to provide the right the nutritional profile to support dogs and cats with medical conditions. The diets available for the support of dogs with pancreatitis are these
DIETS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PANCREATITIS |
|||
|
Dry Diet | Wet Diet |
Characteristics |
Adult |
|
|
Fat levels: – 10% - 15% (dry matter) |
Puppy |
|
|
If your dog has pancreatitis and another condition then these are the diets that can help
DIETS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF BOTH PANCREATITIS AND CONCURRENT CONDITIONS IN DOGS |
|||
|
Dry Diet | Wet Diet |
Characteristics |
Hyperlipidaemia |
|
|
*Fat level below 10% DM |
Obesity |
|
|
Fat level below 10% DM |
Diabetes Mellitus |
|
*Protein level above 30% but low fat and carbohydrate levels make this suitable for dogs with pancreatitis and concurrent **fat level below 10% DM |
|
Exocrine pancreas insufficiency |
|
|
High digestibility |
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) |
|
Highly digestible, hypoallergenic diets with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids | |
Food sensitivity |
|
|
Hypoallergenic diets |