What is pancreatitis?

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is part of the endocrine and digestive system that is integral for the digestion of food. One of the functions of the pancreas is to produce enzymes which enable food to be digested. When the pancreas is inflamed (pancreatitis), the flow of enzymes into the digestive tract can be distrupted and the digestive enzymes move out of the pancreas and into the abdominal area — this spells trouble!

When the body eats itself!

When the digestive enzymes wrongly move into the abdominal area they will begin breaking down fat and protein in the other organs as well, that should not happen — it causes the pet’s body to begin to digest itself. Clearly then, pancreatitis is a very painful illness that can cause can cause permanent organ damage and death if left untreated. If treated, pancreatitis can be resolved and your vet will put together a life treatment plan to help prevent recurrences. Pancreatitis can be acute or chronic and certain breeds seem more prone than others.

Some of the symptoms of pancreatitis

There are many symptoms which can include:

• Diarrhoea.
• High temperature.
• Vomiting.
• Loss of appetite.
• Weight loss (more common in cats than dogs).
• Dehydration.
• Fatigue.
• Sluggishness.
• Depression.
• Mild to severe abdominal pain (pain can become more severe after eating).
• Increased heart rate.

Some of the causes of pancreatitis

There many causes of pancreatitis. Below is list of the most common causes.

• A high fat diet.
• High levels of calcium
  in the blood.
• Pet obesity.
• Some medicines used to
  treat other conditions.
• The marrow from bones commonly triggers a case of pancreatitis.
• Festive eating – the pet that is usually on a suitable diet who gets into the BBQ sausages, bacon or large amounts of cheese or dessert foods. This is enough to trigger a bout of pancreatitis.