Poorly whippet

[Doonies63]

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Hi everyone

I am after some help. I have a 11 year old female whippet who 2 years ago was very poorly with pancreatitis she made a full recovery. We made all the changes that the vet told us too like no treats and change her food and everything seemed OK.. Now she keeps getting really back stomach pains where we have to take her to the vet, they say it's the pancreatitis but she is totally different to the way she was the first time.. I am wondering if she is getting trapped wind in her stomach as she eats as if she as never been feed. Each visit to the vets is costing in the region of £200 and this is now getting every month being as I am a pensioner I wondered if anyone else has this problem and what else can we do to stop it happening all the time..

Many thank

 

[JoanneF]

You can buy bowls that are moulded into a sort of maze shape, which slows down the dog when she is eating. It might be worth a try. I have put a link here but think you can buy them from places like Pets at Home too http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=maze+dog+bowl&tag=hydrukspg-21&index=aps&hvadid=26866484847&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6945211906378201942&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=m&ref=pd_sl_7n417n2szl_b

 

[Doonies63]

Thank you JoanneF I will give this a try. Need all the help we can get. It breaks our hearts seeing her in pain.

 

[dogmatize]

Is she on a prescription diet like royal canin? Is she getting enough to eat? Can you see her ribs? Do you think she us the right weight for her height(up to her shoulder)?

 

[Doonies63]

Dogmatise

She is the right weight for her size and all her food is measured out as we have been told from the vets, she is on a low far diet

 

[Raven oaktree]

Is her bowl raised off the ground ? . Also how have they diagnosed pancreatitis Thi time ? . Surly she needs bloods done ? ..i think I it kept happening it could be more than wind and would want further tests carried out to rule out serious problems , especially at her age

 

[dogmatize]

Sorry to keep asking questions! Is she fed twice a day? I too have a whippet on a low fat prescription diet but for a gut problem. I would recommend buying your food off the internet from a website such as pet planet.co.uk as they will be considerably cheaper than your vet. I too use a gulping bowl for a gutsy pig and it works a treat.

I would also recommend " dorwest's" digestive tablets.

 

[Doonies63]

Raven oaktree

Her bowl is on the floor and she was diagnosed with blood tests, we have done everything they have asked us to do and it is happening every few weeks.

Dogmatise

She is feed at tea time with just a few of her dried food in the morning. The vet told us to us Wainwrights low fat dried food and she seemed OK for about 6 months but now it's getting e wry few weeks

 

[dogmatize]

I would recommend feeding 2 meals, one in the morning and one in the evening.we feed all our whippets like this. I think it stops them being ravenous by the evening feed.

I couldn't find details of the wainwrights online but I feed royal canin gastrointestinal low fat. One of my whippets has a form of protein losing enteropathy.To be honest it is normally a life threatening condition that has no cure, just dietary management and steroid treatment when his bloods were bad. My dog is still alive and thriving 3 years after diagnosis and I can only put this down to diet.

We have had one whippet with pancreatitis but it was a very short illness which was resolved quickly with a bland diet and steroid treatment.

 

[gypsysmum2]

I agree with the advice to feed twice daily. Always after exercise and in a calm environment.

You might like to ask for further blood work to rule out any other underlying conditions. Make sure she is not scavenging.

Is there any stress in the household? Dogs do pick up on stress and it can have an effect on them.

Whippets are prone to auto immune conditions. My Whippet had Addisons disease but there are lots of different ones. You could mention this to your vet. Do you use one of the large practices like CVS who own lots of vet surgeries? They are, generally, much more expensive than a small, independent, practice. Ask around other dog owners to see if there is an alternative.

 

[Doonies63]

Hello you lovely whippet friends

We have a 12 year old whippet called Teya, for the last 3 years she has been suffering with pancreatitis apart from  several set backs we seem to have it under control.

Last Tuesday my brothers dog passed over and since then Teya has not been sleeping eating or herself. So off to the vets and was told it was a flare up of the pancreatitis, so had injection and medications but she still isn't right. What I have noticed is that where she is normally in pain around her back end she isn't this time. 

So I am wondering could it be the loss of my brothers dog who she has known all her life and is just depressed at the moment or could it be something else.

Being a pensioner all these vet bills are getting a bit much so a bit of advise is gladly needed.

Many thanks 

Teya mum

 

[gypsysmum2]

Hello you lovely whippet friends

We have a 12 year old whippet called Teya, for the last 3 years she has been suffering with pancreatitis apart from  several set backs we seem to have it under control.

Last Tuesday my brothers dog passed over and since then Teya has not been sleeping eating or herself. So off to the vets and was told it was a flare up of the pancreatitis, so had injection and medications but she still isn't right. What I have noticed is that where she is normally in pain around her back end she isn't this time. 

So I am wondering could it be the loss of my brothers dog who she has known all her life and is just depressed at the moment or could it be something else.

Being a pensioner all these vet bills are getting a bit much so a bit of advise is gladly needed.

Many thanks 

Teya mum

There is a separate thread for this problem now.