Canine Pancreatitis

Well, we most definitely had a scare yesterday that is becoming less of one, but is still present, unfortunately.

I was at work yesterday and the husband sleeping, like normal. The husband woke up about 2:30pm to find many(10 or so) puddles of clear, watery vomit around the apartment. Wookie was huddled under my desk. He tried to get Wookie out and he got scared, vomited again and quickly went into the craft room and under my chair in there. He hadn't touched his food or the doggie treat he had been given in the morning - which is completely unlike Wookie, he is definitely a lover of the food. The husband called me at work and told me what happened. I told him to call the vet and come get me that we were taking Wookie in. He called the vet and went to get Wookie and found him huddled in the back of closet. Wookie threw up twice on me while in the car.

On the positive side, the vet and the technician/nurse didn't think it was bad enough for Wookie to stay overnight at the vet. They ran some test and we should find out today, but so far they think the signs point towards a mild case of Canine Pancreatitis. So he was given some drugs and some saline solution with instructions not to eat or drink until this morning. He has a very strict diet for the next couple days, maybe the rest of his life. He has over-boiled rice, so it's basically mush, mixed with pureed sweet potatoes and boiled chicken. Which he doesn't mind, because he thinks it is yummy. They don't know specifically what caused it, but getting occasional pieces of cooked meat can be too much for some dogs . . . this may have been something that has been slowly building in him his whole life or he could just have a life change and something he use to be able to handle, he now cannot.

Whether this is or is not what is wrong, Wookie will no longer be getting "table scraps" of any kind and we will be even more careful about the food and treats we buy him. I had no idea that cooked meats could be so bad for him. Hopefully I can find a way to make a very low-fat, healthy doggy treats for him. Wookie's diet will be very restricted as we want him to be healthy and with us for as long as possible.

We have to watch him to make sure he is not lapsing backwards, but so far everything seems to be improvements, some slower than others, but he was definitely interested in eating again today and has kept his food down. He's getting lots of needed sleep for his little body to heal. He's about 75% back to his normal personality/behavior and will hopefully be 100% soon!