Vibes for a shelter dog.

One of the dogs at the shelter has developed pancreatitis. Over the weekend she stopped taking treats and then stopped eating entirely. She also refused to come out of her pen. She had been dropping weight steadily for the past two months, no idea why (staff knew about it, but shrugged it off).

She was left tied to the gate in Jan and delivered puppies that same night. All have adopted but her. She is super sweet, but can be aloof with new people and reactive to female dogs. Her name is Audry.

Has anyone else had a dog come down with this? What was the outcome? I've read it can lead to pancreas damage and diabetes.

If it's pancreatitis, typically after supportive care (fluids, medications, low fat food) they bounce back and do just fine. Managing it can be as simple as feeding a low fat diet for the rest of the dog's life.

Without supportive care...I don't know what the outcome would be. Likely not good.

Do you know the name of a good low fat food? The shelter probably couldn't afford it, but its worth a try.

Science Diet I/D low fat is the one vets rx. It has 7.4% fat. So I'd look around at various foods and see what is available. I think shooting for anything less than 10% is ideal. A senior/diet food may have the fat content you need, but you also need to make sure she's still getting enough protien/calories.

I wish all would be well for her.