Springer Spaniel Problem

[gray24b]

Hi

My 2 year old working Springer Spaniel nearly died with pancreatitis, luckily he is now recovering after very caring time in a vets practice (it’s a very slow process).Could anybody shed any light on to how this happened? It quotes on the internet/web `An attack may be triggered by eating table scraps or a fatty meal` but I know that he has not been feed any table scraps or fatty food so any ideas and help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Graham

 

[jimbo123p]

Lost a cocker to it. Fat was the trigger. Once she recovered she was always prone to relapses. The first time she was eating clearings from a roe carcass. She ate more Than her share. Last time she went down we had her put down because we could never know just how much pain she was in. The vet said it may be in remission most of the time but would always be there. Check the fat content in your dog food. Make sure nobody feeds it titbits. And the best of luck. Jim

 

[Buchan]

Glad to hear he is on the mend Graham. My gut reaction is "no one knows" so I looked it up and indeed, most actual causes are unknown. Fat certainly seems to be a trigger and checking for thyroid function is often a good plan. As jimbo says, he'll be prone to attacks for the rest of his life. Normal food should be OK, just avoid the fat and avoid too much gorging of any kind. Good Luck

 

[gray24b]

Thanks Jimbo
I will check the fat content in our dog food (never throughtof that). Does this mean that I will have to be on the lookout ever time I take him out for a walk or working during the game season.

Regards
Graham

 

[Selous]

Low fat diet often is important in the long term, doesn't need to be expensive as Chappie is low fat and to be honest a very good diet

 

[gray24b]

Had a look this morning at the fat content on the tinned dog food(tesco own brand) I use which showed 4% , as I only feed him 1/2 a tin a day plus working dog biscuit mix.
Do you think that 2% per day is to much??

Regards

Graham

 

[Selous]

I have had a look and the prescription low fat diets seem to be around the 2% mark. Your assumption is that the biscuit doesnt contain fat which it may do. Have also just checked the composition of Chappie and its 7% (!!)

 

[gray24b]

Many thanks for your input srvet, I have checked the fat content in the working dog biscuit packaging which indicates 9.5% per 15kgs bag.
This would indicate a very low fat content per daily meal.

Regards

Graham

 

[garyb]

Very nearly lost my Cocker to this last week, with no obvious change in diet or binge eating between meals...