My old girl has Chronic Pancreatitis

[Borusa]

My beautiful old girl Rosie, who is 12, had some blood test last  Friday which proved she was suffering from chronic pancreatitis.
As per instructions I starved her for 24 hours and the fed her on a little chicken several times a day afterwards. However as the days have progressed she is still not wanting to eat from her bowl and up until today she was eating her food (some chicken and brown bread) only by hand during our short walks. Today even the chicken was not really wanted although she did have some, grudgingly. However she showed great interest in the treats being dispensed to my other two cockers during the walk. She drinks plenty and holds down what food she has and loves carrying her ball on our walks. She shows no interest in the low fat tinned food I have or for tuna or white fish!! We have been back to the vets yesterday who gave her an anti inflamitory in case she has tooth ache(??) but he suggest she may just be displaying a behavioural problem and being choosy She has lost about a kg  in weight(which she could afford to and is now about 17.3kg).
We are to return on MOnday when he may give an appetite stimulant Am I expecting too much too soon? She has eaten a little so I hope that it's just me expecting her to eat more too soon. I appreciate that she will now have to  eat a low fat diet throughout the rest of her life. However, she always got chicken and rice before, as well as tuna and loved it so why she turns her nose up know is beyond me yet still craves stuff from the treat cupboard!! .
Thanks in advance for any advice. I love her so much and just want to do what's best.

[JennyBee]

It took Brodie a good few days to get back to eating. It could be she is still in some pain - it takes a long time for the pancreatic levels to return to normal. Brodie wasn't allowed anything but her dog food, which was the low fat gastro intestinal Hills food given by the vet. She wasn't even allowed a carrot until her levels went back to normal and that took weeks. Are you trying to feed her small meals several times a day?

The food the vet gives isn't exactly palatable . There is a NatureDiet variety of wet food (the fish one) with 2% fat, compared to the 1.7% fat of the Hills wet food Brodie was on. You could ask your vet if that would be suitable.

I hope she starts eating soon, it is such a horrible illness

[Borusa]

I am feeding her chicken with tuna or rice or pasta. Depending on what she will have. This is as per vets instructions. She wont look at the tinned food the vet gave me. She'll hardly look at the boiled chicken either and will only take it after I roll her ball for her out on her walks! She's always been an unfussy dog and enjoyed her food too.Vet said try a tea biscuit and she will take a little bit (now and again!) Should I try some Chappie which I can get today?

[Mudmagnets]

Could she eat some boiled white fish with rice?

Sorry to hear she is not well

[JennyBee]

Chappie was one of the foods the vet mentioned for Brodie once her levels were back to normal and I wanted her off that food, but it doesn't suit her - if I remember right it has 5% fat in it.

Bear in mind that it can take very little to set off another bout - the equivalent of a couple of chips can be enough.

It does sound to me that she's still in a bit of pain, hopefully that'll settle down soon

[Borusa]

Thank you for your very kind wishes. My Rosie is having a good old snooze right now.
We tried her with white fish and she turned up her nose. In fact getting her to eat anything out of her bowl is impossible nigh on. However I am sure she would eat a treat from the cupboard if I let her (which I won't. Promise) She does most of her eating on walks, albeit grudgingly , and I am afraid not to do this in case she ends up with nothing as the vet says it is important for her to eat little and often.
I' ll lay off the Chappie  until I am sure how she has progressed. She is also very slow but can become very sprightly very quickly. She jumps into the car with no problems and climbs the stairs. I am at a loss to understand whats going on as the vet maintains she is not in any apparant pain as he certainly gave her agood going over and prod about last night. This type of eating has got more pronounced in the last few days. Would  I be wise to just  take her off her food during walks in the hope she will go to her bowl later?That way I run the risk of her having nothing

[JennyBee]

Brodie had to have antacids for quite a while as she burped a lot after her bout . Perhaps your girl has some acid reflux or something? If she is eating on her walks then I'd probably continue - as long as she is getting food down her somehow. Others may have other advice on that though. If it continues then hopefully the vet giving an appetite stimulant will help.

I found Brodie's appetite totally changed after her illness - before she was incredibly fussy and would happily starve herself; now you'd think I never feed her the way she acts . It is a big illness, hopefully Rosie just needs a little time to get back to normal

[Archie bean]

My last cocker Dickon was a sufferer and was very similar after his first bout. The vet suggested that he was associating his meals with later being in pain. He would eat chicken from my hand but not from his bowl. I hand fed him and also put chicken on a different plate and in a different place, gradually moving it to his normal eating position and into his bowl. It's a few years ago now but I seem to remember it took quite a few days before he was eating anything like normally.mhe was put on chappie mixed with RC Gastro intestinal low fat. He was a different dog on this and, despite it not being made of the bet ingredients, it really turned him around and he stayed on it until he died (of anal glad cancer aged 11) I would keep persevering with giving the chicken as treats so that she is getting some food.

[JennyBee]

That's it, it was Royal Canin Brodie was on, not Hills. I have a terrible memory

[Borusa]

Thanks again everyone. Bit of a disappointing walk as she was really refusing the chicken and tuna she had taken yesterday. Managed to get some in to her but she was not really enthusiastic except for me throwing and rolling her ball. She really wanted the little pieces of meat strip I had for my two boys. so is it fussiness or what? When we got back she had a big drink in the garden  and on the way in smacked her lips and her tail went under and she shook a littl,e I thought she was going to be sick but it passed. Fed my two boys, again no interest from Rosie, but as I took my fleece off a bit of meat strip fell (only a corner as they don't get much) out and she pounced on it!!
My nerves are wrecked!

[JennyBee]

I guess it must be hard when you have more than one dog and she can see all the goodies they are eating! You could maybe try making her a simple chicken broth to see if it will stimulate her appetite? Probably not since she's refusing chicken . It may also be worth phoning the vet for some reassurance, and definitely if she is sick again.

Not sure if you are on Facebook but there is a group on there for raising funds for pancreatitis - a lot of knowledgable owners who may have some advice for you. I'll post the link in case you are on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/158819027604702/

[Borusa]

Thank you. I'll have a look. When my partner came in from work she was so excited to see him and wanted a treat but turned down the piece of chicken offered. Wanted another piece of strip instead! She hasn't been sick again. I think I might starve her for 24 hours instead of trying to force feed her.

[Helly D]

Could she have raw chicken? If she's after the meat strips she may like the chicken if it isn't cooked.

[Borusa]

She's never had raw meat. So I really don't know.

[Clover]

I do hope she feels much better soon.