My senior dog has recurring pancreatitis. How can I manage his diet?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Male | unneutered | 13 years and 1 month old
Mybpet is 13 years old this year I had him neutered in March due to numerous infections and an enlarged prostate. Since July of this year he has had pancreatitis twice and aspiration pneumonia recently I took him to the vet and they said he has inflammation around the pancreas to me the same as pancreatitis. I feed him bland chicken and rice ty o get his gabapentin in him now changing food slowly from total canin urinary so without the liver to royal canin low fat dry food. Help
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on October 8th, 2019
Poor Quinton! Pancreatitis can become a chronic issue. Switching the diet to the Low Fat food may help. You will also need to make sure he does not eat ANY human food or get into the garbage. Any treats need to be extremely low fat. Some dogs with chronic pancreatitis benefit from daily antioxidants for dogs. Some may need a daily steroid but most don't. Make sure Quinton drinks lots of water daily. Here is a link about pancreatitis: https://www.petcoach.co/article/pancreatitis-inflammation-in-dogs/ If this trend continues, your vet may want to look for an underlying condition such as Cushing's Disease. I hope this helps and that he starts feeling better quickly.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on November 4th, 2017
Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. From what you are describing, there could be more than pancreatitis going on. I am concerned ed about his age and the chronicity of the diarrhea. If his pancreatitis test (CPL) was abnormal, this doesn't always mean the pancreas is the problem. With his symptoms, I would recommend having an abdominal ultrasound performed. He could have a primary GI inflammatory disease that could be predisposing him to pancreatitis. I think this would be a good place to start for the next diagnostic step to get closer to am answer of what the cause could be. A bland diet such as Hills prescription I/D may be something Nacho needs to be on for life. I would also add in a probiotics such as Purina fortiflora. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions or concerns you may have. I am also available via consultation if needed.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on June 26th, 2019
Yes, the could be related to the pancreas but other conditions such as kidney disease, liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease or cancer can also cause these clinical signs. It sounds like Gemmy is very sick and is getting worse. I recommend to have him examined by the veterinarian quickly. He will need blood work and possibly radiographs to begin figuring out the cause of his illness and what the appropriate treatment may be. Best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on September 15th, 2019
It could be related to his diet or stressful events. I would recommend calling the vet to let them know it is happening again. They may want to re-evaluate Max or just start him on medications. He may benefit from a daily probiotic, food for sensitive GI tracts, or a supplement like Proviable. Other possible causes for off and on diarrhea include intestinal parasites (even if stool exam was normal) or IBD.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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