So how is the season so far?

[mimi5]

So what a horrid day we had yesterday We have a 5 year old, black and white cocker called Willow. She is a sweet natured little girl and apart from being obsessed with food.......or anything like food we haven't had any real problems with her health.

 

She had an upset tummy a couple of months back (or so we thought) our vet treated her over a few days and she seemed fine afterwards. Then fri night she was sick lots of times and most worrying was some blood in the sick. So off to our vet first thing he opened. Well, he was very worried and referred us to a specialist veterinary center in Newmarket. The vet straight away suspected pancreatitis and said she would need tests and to be in with them for a few days. The tests confirmed the diagnosis and apparently he says they see it a lot in cockers! I had never heard of it Good job she's insured as the bill is an estimated £600-1,000! She will need a low fat diet and we will have to watch everything that goes in to her mouth

 

So what a shock and we are all missing her.......the house is too quiet! Waiting to here how she is progreesing and hopefully home on mon or tue

 

Has anyone else experienced this????????

[Ain't Nobody Here]

So sorry to hear this, poor little girl . Hope it's manageable and she can be healthy again .

[Patricia W]

Spaniels and Labs are suspected of having a gene which predisposes them to it but do not despair! Holly, our 12 year old spaniel had a serious bout of pancreatitis three Christmases ago. She was on a drip and at the vet's for about 3 days and will always be vulnerable. However, we just watch her diet - not easy with a spaniel! The vet recommended Chappie as the best low fat dog food available, by the way. It's also the cheapest, which is a bonus. So there is light at the end of the tunnel....

[mollyripkim]

I'm so sorry for you all, not nice when they are poorly. My last cocker, amber, also had several attacks of pancreatitis starting from about that age but always recovered and of course we had to watch her diet. That's definitely difficult as she would eat anything. But she lived to 11 years which wasn't great but died of a tumour in her lungs discovered after a bout of pueumonia so unrelated.

I hope Willow makes a good recovery and is back home with you soon.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Guest

[mimi5]

Thanks all for the replies I think we're still a bit shocked really, poor Willow was not at all her waggy tailed happy self when we left her

 

The vet was in touch with her progress earlier and says she is doing well He is hopeful that she may be able to come home tomorrow. I am worried re her diet.......she is a stomach on legs, it really her only bad character trait She will eat ....just about anything

 

Is Chappie a good dog food??? I've been giving her Jameswellbeloved. The vet didn't seem to say to much, I guess we'll get more info when we collect her.

 

I had been considering a raw food diet as it would seem more natural. My best friend who bred Bluebell (Willow's mum) has given her a raw food diet when she is in pup and feeding. Considering natures;menu......anyone used this??

[Lavenders_Blue]

No idea about raw food and pancreatitis, although I am sure it wouldn't be too difficult, especially if you can choose lean meats to feed.

 

Nature's Menu is fine, although a very expensive way of feeding a raw diet. However your best bet is to either find a friendly butcher who can supply you with meat and bones for the dog, or to use one of the many raw delivery suppliers.

 

I read a lot online when I started feeding raw and to be honest it wasn't helpful as many of the online guides and dog forums make it seem like you need a PHD in dog nutrition to be able to feed a raw diet - trust me it's actually very simple. The basic rule of thumb (as a starting point) is that 10% of the diet should be offal (liver, kidney, lung etc etc) 10% bone (that is, 10% as if the bones were stripped bare of meat) and the other 80% should be meat.

 

There is flexibility within this, it's not an exact scientific formula and you don't need to feed this ratio every day, so if you feed lots of bone one day, you can feed a bit more offal the next, and so on. It's just a guide to get you started.

 

Don't be scared of feeding bones, they are fine as long as they are raw and not cooked. You want to feed nice meaty bones such as chicken carcasses and lamb ribs so the dog can have a good chew on them. More or less anything goes in terms of what you can feed. Plenty of variety is great and obviously a good mix of bones, offal and meat. Fish and eggs are good too.

 

If you do decide to take the plunge, there's plenty of experience here, both The Dogmother and lillybettybabs are very experienced raw feeders and know their stuff, so between us we'd all be willing to help you

[Patricia W]

I only know what my vet recommended. Apparently Chappie is made from fish and she reckons is better than any expensive food classified as low fat. Holly has been on it for the last 3 years and (fingers crossed) is well. She too is a stomach on legs so I have to watch her on walks when she is off the lead and in bushes. I mused about getting her a muzzle but we haven't. I have had tugs of war though with left over sunday dinner left in the bushes by some " caring person" for the foxes! We now avoid that route.

[Grandmashazzie]

No experience of pancreatitis but does your ins cover special dietary needs if recommended by vet.My lab the one that isn't insured,was recently diagnosed with liver disease and is on a Royal Canin hepatic formula.I thought the girl at vets said if it had been insured dog it would have been covered.

[mimi5]

Thanks everyone for all the support I'm delighted to find other raw food "feeders"

 

So Willow was able to come home last night. She seems full of beans and the vet was very happy with her progress I was disappointment by her response to my questions re- diet and moving Willow over to a raw food diet at some later point Surprisingly Willow is happy to eat the chappie.........she has always hated fish and turned her nose up to it!!!! She had lost some weight and so I guess she's REALLY hungry!!

 

I am worried about her having more bouts of pancreatitis and I guess we will all have to be on alert with her behaviour and body language. I just wish I had switched her diet over sooner I really wanted to but it was just life and the stuff of getting me bogged down.

 

So Willow will have a check up back at the referrals center vet in 2 weeks and they will check on her progress. Thankfully I'm off work now till 6th jan so I can keep a close eye on my little girl.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I understand it's not uncommon for vets to be against or at the very least wary of a raw food diet. I can't say it's been an issue with my vet, but then that's only because he's never asked me what I feed and I've never mentioned it! If you think it will be the best thing for your dog then I say go for it. Tango looks in tip top condition, she has beautiful clean teeth, a gleaming coat, incredible muscle tone and zero fat... Heck, she's in far better shape than me! She's bulked up by about 1kg since being on a raw diet (she's 11kg now) and it's all muscle. I am sure that a raw diet promotes the dog's body to build muscle rather than lay down fat. The other major benefit of a raw diet will be that the 'waste matter' (trying to be polite here!) produced will be far, far less offensive than if you feed Chappie! Nuff said!