Dog might have pancreatitis

WelshWoofer

Hi,
On Thursday evening my lovely 8 yr old Bichon starting vomiting constantly and was very distressed (digging, wanting to be outside all of the time, pacing etc). After an hour or two when I realised this was not just a tummy upset I took him to the emergency 24 hour animal hospital and they suggested possible pancreatitis and kept him in for treatment and tests. They let me bring him home last night as he refuses to eat anywhere else (and has always been the same) and I have to take him back this morning for an ultrasound.

Blood tests and an Xray have already been done and the bloods came back fairly normal but the Xray showed a "blurry part" near the stomach/pancreas area. The vet wants to do an ultrasound to be more sure about what may be there.

Thankfully Taff had a quiet night, sleeping for all of it (still groggy from painkillers etc) but has not drunk or eaten since being home. I'm not overly concerned about this yet as he was on a drip until 6.30pm last night but he needs to at least drink soon.

Has anyone else had a dog with similar symptoms or diagnosed pancreatitis?
I'm worried to death and will do whatever it takes to get him well again - he is insured.

Thanks for any replies in advance

rosyw

Poor boy, if it is pancreatitis I know exactly how he will be feeling as I've had it myself, it's not pleasant.
He seems to know what's best for him, don't worry too much about not eating and drinking at the moment, this is actually the best treatment as the pancreas needs time to rest and recover. All you can really do is keep him on painkillers while he needs them as it's a very painful illness, and just keep a good eye on him, phone the vet if you are really worried though. He should be much better in a few days, fingers crossed.

rising_from_the_ashes

Ohhhh Welsh ..... sorry no personal experience of this but just wanted to wish you and Taff the best for the ultrasound today - fingers crossed he's on the mend soon.

WelshWoofer

Dog update - had another ultrasound yesterday and the vet thought his lymph glands and possibly an adrenal gland were enlarged. She's not sure why - could be an infection or could be something more sinsiter. He had more pain relief yesterday and was very quiet and groggy last night but woke me up this morning drinking one of the many bowls of water dotted around the house - progress because he wouldn't even do this previously.
He's also had a tiny bit of cooked chicken breast this morning - again a little step in the right direction. He's done a few wees and one liquid poo which was expected as she could see some fluid in his bowel on the scan yesterday. He seems a bit brighter but that may be the painkillers wearing off.
Fingers crossed, he'll keep improving today. He's on antibiotics and dog Zantac in the hope that if it is an infection it will make his glands go down - if this happens it may not be cancer.

So another day of worry and watching him like a hawk is on the cards.......

rising_from_the_ashes

So pleased to hear he's eaten a little and great news that he's drinking again as it's so easy for them to become dehydrated very quickly.

Keeping everything crossed for him xx

topsales

Hi WelshWoofer.My Bearded Collie had pancreatitis about 4 weeks ago - apparently there is a specific blood test which can be done to be certain. He was really poorly but after antibiotics, painkillers etc was a lot better. However, he now has diabetes - don't know if he already had it but his blood glucose was off the scale last week and he is now having twice daily insulin injections. He has also lost about 20% of his body weight. But he is improving - they are such a worry...