Pancreatitis in dogs is a serious issue one that is never to be taken lightly as it can have life-altering effects. One of the main ways to keep your pet safe is to ensure you aren’t feeding them the wrong things.
Let’s look at 8 things you can do to help prevent your dog from getting pancreatitis
1. Watch the fat content
As a general rule to help prevent your dog from getting pancreatitis, you should limit their intake of table food and fat. Dogs that have had pancreatitis should eat food and treats with less than 15% fat.
2. Ditch the table food
Many times dogs that are overfed seasoned, fatty, table foods, have gotten into the garbage, or are constantly eating things found outside on the ground are the ones that come in for pancreatitis treatment.
3. Weight matters
There has been some research to show that excessive weight can be one of the factors for dogs developing pancreatitis. Ensuring that your dog is a healthy weight and size is beneficial in many ways including decreasing their chances of acquiring pancreatitis.
4.Decrease medications
Pancreatitis has been shown to be triggered by certain medications like steroids. If your dog is on steroids, work with your vet to determine the exact cause of the reason your dog has to take steroids. If you can treat the cause wean your dog off of long-term steroids this would be a plus.
5. Treat diseases
If your dog has diabetes or hypothyroidism, pancreatitis has been shown to develop as a result of hormonal imbalances related to these medical conditions. While rare, it is possible, if you suspect your dog has diabetes or hypothyroidism your vet can run tests to determine if your dog has a disease.
6. Use a seatbelt
Surprisingly, blunt trauma to the pancreas is one of the reasons dogs can develop pancreatitis and while you can’t always protect your dog from running into things or getting injured you can do your best to prevent it from happening. Make sure your dog wears a seatbelt when in the car to prevent too much movement and the possibility of falling
7. Know your breed
While there isn’t much you can do to stop your dog from developing pancreatitis if they are genetically predisposed to the disease you should know if your dog is one of the breeds. There are some dogs that develop hyperlipidemia like Miniature Schnauzers, Cocker Spaniels, Dachshunds, Miniature Poodles, and Terriers.
Also, older dogs seem to be more prone to developing pancreatitis as well.
8. Keep the garbage closed
Dogs that get into the garbage can develop pancreatitis, so make sure to keep it closed and sealed or where your dog can not reach it
While pancreatitis is a very serious issue we don’t want you to have to live in fear of your dog falling ill with the disease. Ensuring that your dog is at a healthy weight, they are generally healthy, and are eating quality meals may help to prevent your dog from a
