Dog had a bout of pancreatitis. Vet recommends this food at $80/27.5# bag. I am not completely opposed to this but would love to utilize an option for a $50-$60/30ish# bag if anyone can recommend an alternative. The key is low fat & digestive health.

I'd go with the vet, but I never hurts to ask the vet is there is a cheaper but adequate alternative

When our dog Gus had pancreatitis, we switched over to Blue Buffalo. Our vet said it was a good choice. Gus lived for another two years after his extreme bout with it. (He ended up dying because his cancer started shutting things down and we had to put him down) We still use it for our two other dogs. But I would definitely follow up with your vet.

Which type of Blue Buffalo was it?

We used the Freedom chicken flavor. We change flavors from time to time now, but that is what Gus ate.

Okay. Thank you.

Use what your vet recommended. Personally I do not like Blue Buffalo, mainly because they lie in their advertising and recently got sued over it. Pancreatitis dogs need the lowest fat diet available - either Royal Canin GI Low Fat or Hills i/d low fat. If not those then I'd home cook meals formulated by a nutritionist. Think of it this way - do you want to pay for another hospitalization from another bout of pancreatitis or prevent it by feeding the correct food?

I'm not a vet and don't pretend to be one; however isn't Blue Buffalo's big thing is that it is super high in protein and don't animals with pancreatitis need less protein due to creatinine levels?

Like I said that was our experience. But definitely follow up with your vet.

Ah it's fat!

Ag4christ, do you sell/reccomend the Hills Prescription diets?

My clinic does yes, but personally I prefer the Royal Canin GI low fat as it is lowest fat content available commercially. But whichever the dog will eat.

quote:

---

Use what your vet recommended. Personally I do not like Blue Buffalo, mainly because they lie in their advertising and recently got sued over it. Pancreatitis dogs need the lowest fat diet available - either Royal Canin GI Low Fat or Hills i/d low fat. If not those then I'd home cook meals formulated by a nutritionist. Think of it this way - do you want to pay for another hospitalization from another bout of pancreatitis or prevent it by feeding the correct food?

---

All of this. You will make less visits to your vet if you do what they recommend.

Makes sense. My deal is that if they are recommending low fat then there are lots of low fat options. I see that Royal Canin is nearly $20 less than the hills. I will consult with my vet to see if the Royal Canin is a suitable substitute.

There are a lot of 'low fat' diets that aren't low fat. You have to compare the diets on the same basis which is often hard to find because a lot of companies don't provide that information like hills or royal canin.

never really considered dogs getting pancreatitis. what are the risk factors?

I'd question my vet as to why he wants to sell me an $80 bag of food for my canine when the first four ingredients are grains and the first 7 out of 8 are seeds or grains.

Ugh. Grains are irrelevant. A vast majority of dogs have no problems eating grains. It is a fad that has transferred over from humans that project their needs onto their pets.

If you need to question your vet about that, then you need to find another vet you can trust. Though they won't be a terribly educated one if they believe in the grain-free fad. Feed your dog whatever works for you and your pet - healthy coat, dog likes it, fits your budget, good poops, minimal farts, good weight. However, if they have a medical reason to be eating something else (kidney diet, hypoallergenic diet, etc) then your pet should be eating that diet.

We hardly make any money on selling diets. . I think we have a 5-10% markup (if that) on our diets. Buy it online for all we care (but you will need a prescription). We are prescribing it because it is the best thing for your pet that has ____ disease. Complain to the company that makes the food if you want to complain about cost.

Again, you can also home cook if it is that important to you (and you have the time!). That is a cheaper but more time-consuming option. A nutritionist at Tennessee can formulate a diet with you and your vet that you can make at home that is balanced.

quote:

---

I'd question my vet as to why he wants to sell me an $80 bag of food for my canine when the first four ingredients are grains and the first 7 out of 8 are seeds or grains.

---

I'd question someone buying into fancy marketing and the untrained teenager selling food XYZ because that's the special that month over science and fact. I can tell you I've had multiple clients spend thousands of dollars after switching their dog to a 'low fat' food the pet store said was better. We still end a lot of time trying to ensure people don't have to come back to see us, unfortunately they don't always listen. But hey, don't listen to the people trained the make sure your dog is healthy and lives longer.

Typically eating something high in fat - i.e. fat off a steak, got into the trash, etc. really anything though that can upset their stomach. Although I have had 1 Schnauzer that ate a piece of watermelon somebody dropped and got it.

Some dogs have stomachs of steel (think Labs) and some do not (think Schnauzers - poster child for pancreatitis). Some dogs (also Schnauzers) have hyperlipidemia (high fat content in their blood) already, which predisposes them. I tend to see mostly smaller dogs with it, though anything with a pancreas can get it! Cats tend to get it from liver inflammation/infection (cholangiohepatitis) as the bile ducts and pancreatic ducts are hanging out together in them.

The pancreas essentially begins to digest itself which is very painful, most dogs have lots of vomiting and abdominal pain. They get better with low fat diets, pain management, IV fluids if needed etc. It can be relatively minor (vomits 1-2x, gets better with outpatient care) or very severe/life-threatening (needing hospitalization, etc.). Cats, the diet doesn't matter so much. They can also get pancreatic abscesses (infections) though they are rare. There is a blood test for it called a CPLI (canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity) or FPLI for cats. It's very accurate.

More than you ever wanted to know about pancreatitis.

I believe genetics & high fat diet. High fat diet=performance/active dog/high energy food. Food was appropriate till dog got older & less active thus not needing the extra fat/energy. Being a habitual creature I didn't think to change food as dog aged.

Yeah I trust my vet completely & have. Good relationship with them.

I understand that said $80 feed may be 5x more efficient than the $40 feed.

I would love to be more educated. What information do hills & RC share that others do not?

Great discussion today & thanks everyone for their insight.