Diabetes Talking

Question:

P.S. Chuck, hoping the best for your dog. What else is your Vet doing for him or has suggested? Has there been any type of diet changes/ restrictions or anything?

Kasper was diagnozed with Pancreatis after swallowing a piece from a birthday present. He was never a big eater before that. It is possible, the vet says, that he had pancreatis before the foriegn body caused him to throw up so much that we brought to the animal hospital. As for what else is being done; Kasper now eats only low fat food (currently Science Diet Lite). Which is probably tough on him because he plays so much every day; he eats about 4 cups per day and is still hungry. FYI he is a lab/husky/chesapeake/newfouland mix, just shy of 70 lbs and taller then the average German Shepard, and very skinny. They have checked his Lipase levels 3 times, each time has been way above normal. They tested his TLI (http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/gilab/TLI.htm) numbers and he falls in the the "low normal" range.

Response:

Viokase and Pancrease (Pancreatin?) are stil used for EPI and for severe Pancreatitis……. — Cyndi – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – "Ruth, what you describe sounds like Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. Are you sure Pancreatitis?" that was the diagnosis at the time and viokase was the supplement that saved him.  but, as I said earlier, this was almost 30 years ago.  hell, i can’t remember Wednesday lol… Ruth Nichols

Response:

— Cyndi – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – "Ruth, what you describe sounds like Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. Are you sure Pancreatitis?" that was the diagnosis at the time and viokase was the supplement that saved him.  but, as I said earlier, this was almost 30 years ago.  hell, i can’t remember Wednesday lol… Ruth Nichols

Response:

Hi, My 2 year old Lab mix has been diagnosed with pancreatis. He is on Reglan

I have had 2 with pancreatis and they were supplemented with Viokase.  Speak with your vet and see if you can use an alternative to the Reglan. — Ruth Nichols

Response:

Hi, My 2 year old Lab mix has been diagnosed with pancreatis. He is on Reglan I have had 2 with pancreatis and they were supplemented with Viokase.

Speak I looked up Viokase, it contains Lipase. Kasper’s Lipase levels are way too high, not too low. Do they ever get real gaseous?

Response:

Do they ever get real gaseous?

one was very gassy/other was not.  this was back in the 1970’s.  it took two months and three vets to finally find one who recognized the real problem. talk about a nightmare.  my male weim went from 92 lbs. to 43 lbs. in that three months. — Ruth Nichols – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

Response:

this was almost 30 years ago.  hell, i can’t remember Wednesday lol…

LMAO, me neither or anybody else I know… sometimes I wonder what they are putting in our drinking water ) Thanks for the reply, I am just curious and always trying to learn more about the medical things so I can be a good Mom. Pancreatitis was a tentative kind of iffy diagnosis at first for one of my dogs but it ended up being that she had ingested a foreign object! that was the diagnosis at the time and viokase was the supplement that saved him.

Oh yes I have seen what you describe. What a difference the Viokase ( and I guess Pancreazyme is similar?) can be in dogs who need them. Glad that you were finally able to get your dog diagnosed. I have known of about a half dozen German Shepards who were just wasting away like your described your dog. What is so sad though, is how damn expensive these enzymes are because they really help but lots of people can’t afford them and/ or the full amount needed to use on a regular basis. Were they that expensive 30 years ago? or is just now we are all victims of this inflated ‘what-the market-will-bear’ pricing bs, I wonder. P.S. Chuck, hoping the best for your dog. What else is your Vet doing for him or has suggested? Has there been any type of diet changes/ restrictions or anything?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – "Ruth, what you describe sounds like Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. Are you sure Pancreatitis?" that was the diagnosis at the time and viokase was the supplement that saved him.  but, as I said earlier, this was almost 30 years ago.  hell, i can’t remember Wednesday lol… Ruth Nichols

Response:

"Ruth, what you describe sounds like Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. Are you sure Pancreatitis?" that was the diagnosis at the time and viokase was the supplement that saved him.  but, as I said earlier, this was almost 30 years ago.  hell, i can’t remember Wednesday lol… Ruth Nichols

Response:

well, interesting enough, I peeked at my UCDavis book after posting my reply… different problems but said that chronic panreatitis dogs are at high risk for developing complications like diabetes mellitus and/ or pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. Well, that explains my neighbor too who had an really bad attack of acute pancreatits and then diagnosed immediately following that with diabetes.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Ruth, what you describe sounds like Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. Are you sure Pancreatitis? Pancreatitis and Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency are different problems that is why I ask. I had thought these were one and the same definition until my Vet explained the differences to me. Hi, My 2 year old Lab mix has been diagnosed with pancreatis. He is on Reglan I have had 2 with pancreatis and they were supplemented with Viokase. Speak I looked up Viokase, it contains Lipase. Kasper’s Lipase levels are way too high, not too low. Do they ever get real gaseous?

Response:

Ruth, what you describe sounds like Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. Are you sure Pancreatitis? Pancreatitis and Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency are different problems that is why I ask. I had thought these were one and the same definition until my Vet explained the differences to me.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, My 2 year old Lab mix has been diagnosed with pancreatis. He is on Reglan I have had 2 with pancreatis and they were supplemented with Viokase. Speak I looked up Viokase, it contains Lipase. Kasper’s Lipase levels are way too high, not too low. Do they ever get real gaseous?

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, My 2 year old Lab mix has been diagnosed with pancreatis. He is on Reglan to control the amount of digestive enzymes produced and the resultant vomiting; at least I think that is what it does. But, my dog still vomits a couple of times a week and goes off food maybe one day week. He simply doesn’t eat anything that day. Often his stomach makes amazing noises on those days. Lots of growls and higher pitched gaseous sounds. What have you all given your dogs when they have such upset stomachs? Anyone else have dogs with pancreatis which does not seem to cause pain but still causes them to vomit? — thanks, Chuck

Expensive but good stuff My experience with pancreatitis is that it’s painful. Perhaps your dog is very stoic? Dogs are very good at hiding stuff. — diddy — POSTING TO THIS NEWSGROUP IS THE ONLY WAY TO REACH ME:  THIS ACCOUNT REJECTS ALL EMAIL.  SPAMMERS CAN HARVEST AWAY AND BE DAMNED!!!

Response:

Hi, My 2 year old Lab mix has been diagnosed with pancreatis. He is on Reglan to control the amount of digestive enzymes produced and the resultant vomiting; at least I think that is what it does. But, my dog still vomits a couple of times a week and goes off food maybe one day week. He simply doesn’t eat anything that day. Often his stomach makes amazing noises on those days. Lots of growls and higher pitched gaseous sounds. What have you all given your dogs when they have such upset stomachs? Anyone else have dogs with pancreatis which does not seem to cause pain but still causes them to vomit? — thanks, Chuck

Response: