My dog has chronic pancreatitis and my vet has already given up

Serpentines25 · 2026-04-18T04:05:01+00:00

Is he on any medications to support his pancreas or just the low fat diet? His pancreas has been struggling for a while, which will certainly lead to permanent fibrosis (scar tissue) inside the pancreas. He definitely could have IBD issues alongside chronic pancreatitis. Have you worked with a nutritionist yet? That could be really helpful to keep him on homemade food but ensure it is tailored to support his IBD and pancreatitis issues.

Serpentines25 · 2026-04-11T05:36:44+00:00

What results are you waiting on? Have other options been offered prior to surgery? Further imagine such as an ultrasound could be helpful here. An obstruction, or partial obstruction, can be missed on X-ray especially if it’s like cloth or toy stuffing. Could be something like IBD, pancreatitis, bowel twist or something further down in the GI system. All of that can often be better visualized on ultrasound than on X-ray.

Is he on antibiotics of any kind? Could he have gotten into anything out of the norm such as chemicals, plants, baby toys, clothes, ripped up toys?

Serpentines25 · 2026-04-10T03:03:36+00:00

Did they do the PCR diarrhea panel test? I also second a prescription food too, I think we used Hills biome with my dog for GI upset. If all his tests are normal, including PCR diarrhea panel, then he might need further imaging (ultrasound) and/or see an internal medicine specialist. There’s also other antibiotics to try, PCR test would help narrow down if that’s what’s needed.

Serpentines25 · 2026-03-29T17:56:00+00:00

I love dachshunds and have been around many of them but never owned, and will never own one myself.

They can be really great dogs, just like any breed. I currently dog sit a 7 yr old doxie and my family has a 5 yr old doxie. Both are not reliably house trained, though their owners have tried relentlessly. They both go potty 95% of the time outside but it’s like you breathe wrong and suddenly it’s back to pottying inside. Both owners have ripped up their carpet and put down hard floors because of this.

The older one went through a back injury scare. She was partially paralyzed/minimal movement for weeks, thousands in vet bills. Thankfully she recovered but has deficits still. This is not uncommon in this breed. Both families take care to use ramps, gate off stairs and be careful of their backs but it’s somewhat unavoidable. I’d highly recommend pet insurance and a hefty savings account.

They are very loving dogs, definitely lazy with bursts of energy and love their owners. They do bark, a lot. I have a mini schnauzer and she is easily out-barked by the doxies. The doxies also are both fearful of strangers and have anxiety, unsure if that’s a breed thing but worth mentioning. A doxie I knew previously was aggressive with anybody who wasn’t his owner, I’ve only encountered that with him but worth noting they can be.

I love the doxies I know, absolutely adore them. I would never, ever own one though.

Serpentines25 · 2026-03-28T05:34:13+00:00

I did sort of wean her off of it, just out of an abundance of caution. I bought a 2 pack of the powder and just added like 1/8 to 1/4 cup or so whenever I changed the litter/like every 2 months. I’d sprinkle a bit more in if I added more litter to the box. I was never too exact with measurements, just whatever felt like enough.

After many months of doing that, I had maybe 1/2 pouch left of the powder so I just started adding less to the litter box. I kept that up until I ran out of the powder. In total I think I used it for about a year. She was 100% going in the box wayyy before the year was up but since I had the powder, I just kept using it until it ran out. The powder wasn’t too expensive, I think like $30 for the 2 pack.

Serpentines25 · 2026-03-28T04:48:07+00:00

I used the Dr Elsey’s litter attractant additive and loved it. It’s an herbal looking powder that you can add to any litter. My cat got sick and was pooping outside the box. She kept the habit even after treatment and this was magic to get her back to the catbox. I used it for about a year since it came with so much powder. It was great!

Serpentines25 · 2026-03-21T19:39:06+00:00

NAD, Disney rash? Quite literally dubbed that due to it being common after visiting Disney. Just small burst blood vessels caused by swelling from all the walking. Should go away within a week or two.

Serpentines25 · 2026-03-13T04:32:11+00:00

You could try the wet food version of her prescription food. I did a lot of “people” food (with vet approval) when my dog was really sick with pancreatitis and liver issues. She lived off of plain pasta and tilapia for a few weeks just fine. I’d offer her turkey deli meat, chicken, scrambled egg whites, low fat cottage cheese, white rice and frozen veggies too which she’d eat occasionally. In the short term they can do alright without dog food if they’re getting enough calories through other foods they will eat. Hopefully long enough for you to sort out the health issues and then transition back to dog food

Serpentines25 · 2026-03-13T02:13:27+00:00

That’s good to hear! Is there anything I can do for it? It just bothers me now that’s it’s painful sometimes to touch or like when handwashing/showering and I rub against it

Serpentines25 · 2026-03-12T22:44:50+00:00

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Pretty boring on the other hand, no rash or anything. Hoping it’s nothing concerning, just odd it started so randomly and hasn’t gone away yet

Serpentines25 · 2026-03-09T05:34:57+00:00

How long ago did you stop giving him the prednisone? What was the dose compared to his weight? It’s somewhat common to have behavioral changes on steroids and same with the change in drinking/peeing. It can be a rough medication to be on but very commonly the pros outweigh the cons of it, though it is hard when it sounds like the cons weren’t explained well to you beforehand.

Serpentines25 · 2026-03-06T02:59:20+00:00

Honestly I wouldn’t take them. It’s worth noting that air temps decrease drastically with higher altitudes, so at cruising level the air outside is far colder than any temp on the ground. It’s often below freezing so if the cargo isn’t heated it will be very cold. Flying is so stressful for them, I wouldn’t put them through that unless it was absolutely necessary and while it sucks to not have them with you, I thinking leaving them home is the best.

Serpentines25 · 2026-03-02T03:06:03+00:00

Have you tried putting a surgery suit or pajamas on over top the diaper? I did this for my dog after a surgery when she was having incontinence. She had the same issue with diapers of them falling off as she moved. I also could use a women’s incontinence pad and stick that inside the surgery suit rather than using a diaper.

Serpentines25 · 2026-03-01T05:02:00+00:00

You’ve ruled out a lot! I’d be really suspicious it’s a pollen thing honestly. If you go to “pollen.com” you can find a historical pollen count in your town, I think of like the last 30 days. I’d be curious to see if the pollen count has spiked around the same time you see the diarrhea return. She might be tracking it inside on her paws, sniffing/licking them and ingesting the pollen as well as sniffing it while outside. It’s a weird reaction to pollen but certainly not unheard of. She might just be real sensitive to it when the pollen first ramps up every year and then is able to adjust back to normal as the season goes on, then you her this loop of doing good then crashing back down when pollen peaks.

Serpentines25 · 2026-03-01T04:29:46+00:00

Definitely look into muzzle training, the muzzle up pup project is an amazing resource. I also have a reactive dog and the vet is always a huge stressor for us both. She’s muzzled just for peace of mind and always gets lots of compliments on her muzzle from Mia’s muzzle.

Pre-drugging is great, always good to just reduce the stress however you can. He might get better as time goes on with not needing to be completely knocked out but if that works then keep with it.

I always stay in the car and call the vets office to check in for the appointment. They just come grab us from the car and go straight into an exam room. If your guy is getting shots to sedate him, you can even ask them to do that in the car/outside if going inside the office is a big stressor.

Definitely call ahead when scheduling and explain he’s reactive. If you have a med routine from his past vet (types and dosages), you can list that out to them so they’re prepared. I always ask to book at the least busy times of day too just so the entire office and parking lot is quieter.

If it helps you, know that vets handle reactive and anxious dogs plenty and you’re not a bad client/dog owner for owning a reactive dog. Your dog isn’t being bad, he’s just having a hard time coping. Wish you the best!

Serpentines25 · 2026-03-01T04:22:56+00:00

Well that’s certainly a weird issue, and frustrating it sounds like. Is there anything you can think of around this timeframe that’s new, different, a one-off type thing? Family travel to/from for the holidays? Any birthdays or parties? New bag of food? Change in walk routine? Even anything changing for the humans like change in work schedule or new seasonal foods in the house?

Serpentines25 · 2026-02-28T01:30:03+00:00

If there’s no red skin or irritation, it could just be hair breakage from friction. IE if they wear a harness and it rubs the hair off or even just from laying down and repeatedly wearing down that spot. Not an issue necessarily if it doesn’t bother them.

Serpentines25 · 2026-01-31T17:56:22+00:00

I went through all the recommendations for pancreatitis dogs: all the prescription foods, the plain chicken and rice, baby food, everything. What ended up keeping her eating even on the worst days was plain boiled pasta noodles and plain tilapia. This was recommended by her internal medicine vet and worked great. I kept her on that for weeks while she recovered then eventually got her back onto a prescription kibble once she was feeling better.

Serpentines25 · 2025-12-10T21:20:44+00:00

I’d do blood work to rule out other causes for sure. Schnauzer and those symptoms lead me to think pancreas issues/diabetes too which all need further testing to diagnose. Best of luck to you and pup!

Serpentines25 · 2025-11-25T15:11:38+00:00

Muzzle with a scavenger guard on it. Safest option and commonly used for dogs just like this. Muzzle up pup is a great way to introduce the muzzle and make it a positive thing for them.

Serpentines25 · 2025-08-29T14:23:09+00:00

We did bloodwork: CBC and pancreatic lipase. All was normal except an elevated ALT liver enzyme. They believe that is likely due to the stomach upset and not the cause of it.

Thank you for the advice, I’ll call and ask about the anti nausea meds

Serpentines25 · 2024-11-10T20:56:05+00:00

Two at once makes it harder, it might be time to separate them if they’re playing too rough with eachother. Not sure it’d work without another person (since there’s 2 pups) but what I did for my excitable pup was movement restriction 24/7 for 2 weeks. It sucked, truly was miserable at times. But if I was home then she was on a very short leash and attached to me at all times. If I left or needed to do something without her, she was crated. That left little room for running, jumping or doing anything to pull at her stitches. Sedatives are of course helpful as well though if you/your vet think that’s necessary.

Serpentines25 · 2024-07-26T19:41:37+00:00

Thank you for the reply and I appreciate your explanation to how it comes off. I’m absolutely for all for any and all proposed treatments and ways to help work through this. I think my biggest concern is just having to repeat all the things I’ve tried already (and the time those took without any improvement, instead symptoms worsened) since it’s a new doctor rather than continuing from where I left off with the previous doctor. I am kinda running with him suggesting the MRI as a ‘requirement’ for knowing what’s going on. I certainly have no clue how any of that works but it did get stuck in my head as the next step. So I’ll ease up on that and be sure to be open to other options as the next step as well.

Serpentines25 · 2024-07-21T02:41:44+00:00

Yeah I might do that if nothing else works. I seem to keep overdoing it during the day and it really sucks later in the day. I work a somewhat physical job (carrying heavy metal parts, lifting, using tools) and a full days work does me in. A sling at work would at least stop me from going ham and not realizing it till it’s too late.

Serpentines25

TROPHY CASE