Pancreatitis In Dogs. Deconstructed

Source: https://www.purinaproclub.com/resources/dog-articles/nutrition/bettering-the-breed/the-role-of-fat-in-canine-nutrition

Therefore, it makes no sense that the majority of commercial pet foods (kibble) are on average 50% carbohydrates as the dog’s pancreas isn’t naturally equipped to handle carbohydrates in such volumes. Combine this with the lack of digestive enzymes and moisture in dry foods, it’s only natural that the pancreas may soon become inflamed.

PET FOOD LABELS

Commercial Kibble

Interestingly enough, pet food manufacturers aren’t required to display carbohydrate content by law, here is an example:

Analytical Constituents

Protein: 21.0%

Fat content: 10.0%

Crude ash: 8.0%

Crude fibres: 3.0%

As you can see there’s no carbohydrate content listed, you have to calculate this for yourself.

Calculation: 100% – 21% – 10% – 8% – 3% = 58%.

That’s 58% carbohydrates, this is a common occurrence in commercial pet foods and highly processed carbohydrate diets do have an impact on the pancreas, this is why being able to calculate this is so important when it comes to the health of your dog, especially if your dog is diabetic or already suffering from acute pancreatitis.

Veterinary Kibble

It’s not just commercial kibble that shares this flaw but veterinary formulas too, here is an example for digestive care:

Analytical Constituents

Protein: 25.8%

Fat Content: 14.5%

Fibre: 1.4%

Ash: 6.8%

Carbohydrates: 51.4%.

No calculation needed this time, they have given us the carbohydrate content however if you add them up, you’ll notice you’ll get 99.90% more than likely as a result of rounding up/down.

Raw fats vs Cooked fats

Raw Fats

These are the dogs primitive fuel source and least likely to cause a pancreatic flare up as they are unprocessed, bypass the pancreas until the body processes them and is able to break them down sufficiently and synergistically with other nutrients to be absorbed by the small intestine.

Cooked Fats

When subjected to high temperatures, oxygen or microbiological growth, these are most likely to contribute to a pancreatic flare up as they have an increased rate of lipid peroxidation (rancidity) which should be avoided at all costs when it comes to pancreatitis (7). It does not matter if the cooked fats/oils come from animal or plant sources.

Raw feeding and pancreatitis

It must be said that it’s not only kibble fed dogs that are susceptible to pancreatitis, raw fed dogs can also suffer, although it’s not as common. There are several mitigating factors that can cause this:

Imbalance/Insufficient Nutrient Intake

A raw diet needs to be fed methodically over time to balance out and ensure all their nutrient requirements are being provided, variety is key, although there are many that do balance each bowl. Remember nutrients are synergistic, if you’re missing any then the machine won’t function correctly.

Calorie Intake

If a dog is consuming an excess of calories daily, especially if the bulk of them are coming from fats, then this can be a sure way to cause pancreatitis.

High Carbohydrates

Some carbohydrates are more appropriate for dogs, and the level of carbohydrates being given can also be an issue such as mixing high carbs with moderate to high fats long term can also lead to pancreatic flare ups.

Pancreatic flare-ups

Dogs that suffer with pancreatitis can be in a great deal of pain, this is because the digestive enzymes are released before they reach the intestine causing local inflammation in the surrounding liver, gallbladder, bile ducts and the intestine itself.

This often results in clinical signs such as but not limited to: nausea, vomiting, fever, lethargy, abdominal pain, diarrhoea/fatty stools (sometimes blood will be present), and decreased appetite (8). Visible symptoms are related to dog posture “prayer pose” often adopted due to the pain of pancreatitis.

It’s not always dietary

Ailments

Pancreatitis isn’t always caused by a dietary choice, it can be caused by other conditions such as obesity, hypothyroidism, diabetes or a genetic predisposition.

Injuries/Blunt Trauma

Dog’s play rough and quite often run into things, which results in an abdominal injury, if the pancreas is impacted, then naturally it will bruise/inflame which can result in pancreatitis.

Medications

Certain medications can cause pancreatitis such as cholinesterase inhibitors, salicylates, azathioprine and thiazide diuretics.

Bacterial/Fungal Infections

These types of infections can cause pancreatitis because the pancreas doesn’t have its own microbiota, if the gut flora is weakened due to dysbiosis, then it can leave the pancreas vulnerable (5, 6).

Genetic Predispositions

Some breeds are genetically predisposed due to gene mutations in the SPINK1 variants, healthy dogs have two variants and pancreatitis-prone miniature schnauzers have three (11).

How Rocketo (Raw-Keto) makes a difference

Low Carbs

Rocketo’s dog food and supplements are science led, with high quality organic/wild ingredients carefully selected in line with ketogenic principles, ensuring carbohydrates are appropriate and kept to a minimum. They are ideal for the canine pancreas to digest, whilst providing a plethora of functional nutrients at the same time.

Balanced/Complete

Lab tested to compare with FEDIAF guidelines for accuracy (Meals)

Digestive Enzymes

Due to our bespoke air drying method, Rocketo foods and supplements ensure the natural digestive enzymes remain intact. We also recommended the best rehydration method using lukewarm water to ensure they reactivate for optimal activity.

Microbiological Growth Control

As we remove water from the products, it doesn’t allow for any microbiological growth such as bacteria or fungi during storage.