Pancreatitis

Over the festive season it can be very temping to treat our pets with many delicious foods that often originate from leftover dinners or barbeques. Ultimately as much as it may appear harmless at the time, many of these foods (i.e. sausages) contain a high content of fat that cats and dogs have trouble digesting. Pancreatitis "inflammation of the pancreas" is a serious and quite painful condition, which causes leakage of the digestive enzymes whereby the pancreas literally starts to "digest itself". Pancreatitis can be acute (sudden) or chronic (happening over a course of time). Both forms are serious and can be life-threatening, especially acute cases. Pancreatitis is generally more common in dogs then cats, possibly due to their less fussy nature when it comes to food. Pancreatitis can be caused by a number of factors including obesity, concurrent disease (i.e. diabetes), a high fat meal and infection. The most common signs of this condition include vomiting, a painful abdomen (hunched appearance), reduced appetite and diarrhoea. If you think your pet could be suffering from Pancreatitis advise your veterinarian today. To avoid Pancreatitis in your pet never allow others to feed your pet unknowingly, try to avoid feeding your dog or cat high fat foods that are not part of their regular diet and put your pet on a reduced calorie diet if they are overweight.