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Pet Talk
High-fat pet treats
Tis the season of caring and sharing - but if you really care about your pet, you won't share some things with it, especially those high-fat treats that could cause your pet much pain and an extended stay in the animal hospital. "High-fat foods can overload the digestive system and result in pancreatitis," notes Dr. Melanie Landis, a veterinarian in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M.
Pancreatitis occurs when the pancreas becomes inflamed.
The pancreas is a glandular organ located near the liver and duodenum.
It makes insulin (which controls blood sugar levels) and makes digestive enzymes that are secreted into the intestine to aid normal digestion of food and absorption of nutrients.
"Pancreatic inflammation can be severe because the organ contains digestive enzymes that can be activated within the pancreas (instead of the intestine) and produce the swelling and inflammation," says Landis. Pancreatitis can also affect other organs including the liver, she adds.
"Signs of pancreatitis are vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain resulting in lethargy, dehydration and decreased appetite," Landis said.To diagnose pancreatitis, blood work and urinalysis tests are performed to determine enzyme and protein levels and rule out other metabolic diseases.
To treat the illness, Landis says the gastrointestinal tract must have complete rest with no food or water for 48-72 hours. Hospitalization is required so intravenous fluids (to prevent dehydration), medication for vomiting/pain and antibiotics can be administered.
When nothing is taken by mouth, the stimulus for pancreatic secretion decreases and the inflammation subsides."When the pancreatic enzymes return to normal, a bland diet and water may be reintroduced slowly,"notes Landis.
Still thinking about serving gravy on your pet's food? Dr. Landis encourages pet owners not to feed human foods to their pets. "Pets do not need the fatty food or additional calories," she explains.
"Table-treats should not become a part of their diets."
Some small breed dogs may be more prone to pancreatitis.
Miniature Schnauzers are predisposed to elevated blood fat (lipid) and cholesterol levels, notes Landis, and pancreatitis can occur in cats, but is more difficult to diagnose and seems more prevalent in dogs. If it is hard to say no to those longing eyes and you feel you must treat your pet, Landis suggests a small serving of gourmet pet food rather than table food. Feeding your pet appropriate foods can be a caring way to share.
PET TALK is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to editor@cvm.tamu.edu.
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