Pancreatitis

[Janken]

The vet thinks that our 6 year old blue roan boy Freddie may have mild chronic pancreatitis and has taken blood for specific tests.  He presented as though he had hurt his back as he did not want to jump into the car or onto the furniture (not really allowed but .......).  I just wondered whether anybody else on here has had problems with this as Tim our vet says it is an extremely common problem in cockers.  In himself he is absolutely fine - no vomiting, no diarrhoea, eating well and wanting to go out for his walks.  He is already on a low fat diet (Chappie) and Tim is perfectly happy with that.

[daviest]

Sorry to hear your boy is poorly.  My Phoebe had this a couple of years ago.  She is now five.  She was almost doing hand stands she was so tender underneath.  She was given antibiotics and anti inflammatory medicine for a few weeks and a prescription diet for about a year.  We think hers was started by one of those cooked bones.  Too much fat!  She no longer can tolerate too much fat or fibre.  She now eats James wellbeloved and a bit of cooked chicken.  Even some of the shop brought treats (jumbones) and even raw carrots can set it off.   Your boy should be fine after medication but ongoing you will probably have to watch what he eats... and with cocker's that is not always easy!!! 

[Janken]

Glad to hear that Phoebe is doing well now.  Freddie is fine on the anti-inflammatories and, of course, we don't yet know definitely if it is pancreatitis.  The only treats he gets are either his kibble or Winalot Shapes.  Jumbones etc. upset our springer's stomach so I don't get them.

[catcmartin]

Our Charlie 9y/o cocker had a severe bout of pancreatitis 3 years ago.  He has been on a low fat diet ever since.  We feed burns food which is low in fat and protien even lower than the Hills prescription I/D he was on initially from the vet.  We are always carefull to read treats fat content to make sure he doesnt get too much fat.  We get his blood checked every year to make sure that diet is controling this
Cathy

[Janken]

Had some good news today - Tim the vet phoned to say that Freddie does not have pancreatitis which is a great relief as I lost my springer Amy to pancreatitis and hepatitis last November.  However, he does have a problem with his back which is going to be investigated by x-ray and if necessary an MRI scan.  Thank goodness for pet insurance!

[catcmartin]

Our charlie also has problems with his back diagnosed as IVDD  (Intervertebral Degenerative disk disease) which I have since discovered cockers are one of a few breeds which are pre-disposed to.  He was paralysed in his back legs 2 years ago when 2 of the disks in his spine exploded.  We 2 thanked god for Pet Insurance then as he needed spinal surgery done by a neuro surgeon at Glasgow University Vet School, which ended up costing £2,500.   After a lot of rehab and physio we got him mobile again, he still has a weakness in his back legs and doesnt do stairs or is not allowed to jump on and off the furniture any more, he is easily tired.  But he and we have made adjustments to cope with this and he is still our boy. 
Cathy

[Janken]

I haven't been on here for ages and a lot has happened in the interim, very little of it good!  To be cocker specific, our little Freddie had an MRI  scan which confirmed that his then problems were disk related but everything crossed he has been fine since.  However, 3 weeks ago he was obviously in pain and very uncomfortable.  At first our vet thought it was his back problem again but unfortunately it has been confirmed that he does now have pancreatitis.  He is now on a very low fat diet (Chappie) which seems to be agreeing with him and he is now fine!

[lisalh]

Aw sorry to hear Freedie been ill, my Fred also was diagnosed with the same thing when he was a pup and he was very very ill for some time, luckily enough he is bright as a button now and we have gradually reintroduced a variety of treats and he is now off his meds completely and abs thriving.  It did take some time finding the food that suited him and I am very vigilant when other people are around that might give him food/treats but touch wood he has been off his meds for a couple of months now and there has been no re-occurence of the problems.  Please let me know how your Freddie is getting on xx

[catcmartin]

Our Charlie now 11y/o developed pancreatitis about 4 years ago.  After a weekend spent at the vets and months of special food, blood tests to check his blood levels and reduced exercise until he built up his stamina again he has been fine ever since.  Having said that I am paranoid about making sure everything thing he gets to eat is low in fat.  So no one accept us are allowed to give him any treats.  He is fed on Burns food which is lower in fat than the Hills Prescription I/D food he was originally on and which cost a small fortune as the vet added his whack on before selling it to us.  He is doing great and although he still gets the odd piece of toast he hasnt said anything about it being dry as he doesnt get any butter or cheese on his just dry toast. LOL.