Ask the Veterinarian/German Shepherd

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Expert: - 2/9/2010


Question
Hi i had a male german shepherd who was 7.5 yrs old. He has always been fed on Royal Canine food as had a delicate stomach all his life. He is always fully vaccinated and had lived a very active life and had a clean bill of health. 6 weeks ago he started to be sick and losing his balance we immediatley took him the vet who said starve him for 48hrs and said he thinks he has gastrointeritis. He was fine then for 2 weeks. last week the same thing happened so back to the vets who diagnosed him with pancreitis. he stayed in the vets for 3 days on drips etc until they released him with 10days of antibiotics. All blood levels normal, they were content but gave us a new food to use. All good for 1 more week. Last Wed we noticed he was a little lethargic at 0130 he was still ok by 0600 we woke up to him dead!!. The vets still say it was pancreitis but i don't understand how this would have killed him the way it did, quite suddenly. Could you please answer these questions so we can try and understand if this could be the reason or not. I have searched the internet for help but to no avail. we desperately miss him and just need to know we did everything we could and that he didn't suffer. Something doesn't add up but i'm no vet. many thanks in anticipation. Gary

Answer

inflamed pancreas
Gary, I am so sorry for the loss of your dog. This can be so devastating, I know.
Pancreatitis is one of the most common diseases that dog get these days. This is due to so many factors- obesity, bad food, bad feeding practices, inconsistent food ingredients, genetics, etc.

It is an extremely painful disease and acute cases such as your dog's are more common then chronic ones. Small breeds such as Yorkies seem to be pre-disposed to getting pancreatitis and are more prone to chronic cases as a result.

Pancreatitis can kill a dog very quickly. Many factors are set up in the system that create a cascade that the dog simply cannot recover from. As you know, our pancreas is vital to our health and life. Disease of the pancreas of any kind rarely have a good prognosis.

The pancreas becomes extremely inflamed with pancreatitis and almost literally starts to digest itself with the enzymes that it produces.  Rather than me tell you everything about it in here, read this article and it will more fully explain the disease to you.
http://www.petplace.com/article-printer-friendly.aspx?id=15

The problem is that while some dogs recover, many do not. We don't know why some do, some don't. I don't see Shepherds listed as a breed that is prone but I am not sure about that.

While this is a painful reality to face, it appears that you and your vet did everything right and all you could to help him get through this. As long as you fed him the correct food and he wasn't able to sneak into any other food, even cat food, then there was nothing more you could have done for him.

As far as him suffering, Gary, he was in probably less pain since he was on the antibiotics than before he started them.
Rest assured Gary, that he didn't suffer and that you did all you could.
Again, I am so very sorry for your loss. My prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.  

Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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