Are there long term effects after pancreatitis?

Hi everyone, my boy staffy ate 6 full chicken drumsticks thanks to our cat knocking them off the bench for him, about 18 months ago and was given less than 50 percent chance of even survival because he developed severe pancreatitis some of his pancreas had apparently stopped working or something. After operating on him and flushing everything they could, the vets said he may not make it. However he not only survived, but seemed to make a full recovery after 2 weeks on intravenous. Maybe it was due to him being super fit from a walk every day or his fighting will to live. Anyway guys, I am wondering whether he may be prone to any long term effects of health due to having pancreatitis? Also there is no sign of diabetes at all yet. Thanks for any info:)

Sorry I can't advise but hopefully someone may have some experience , it does sound like a vet would be the best to advise you though

Can I just ask though why the problem developed after eating chicken drumsticks ?? were they raw or cooked ??

First of all, it's very important to avoid fatty foods and table scraps in the future, as some dogs can suffer an attack of pancreatitis due to these things.

If the pancreas is damaged permanently, there may be complications in the future. As you mentioned, diabetes is one of the most common ones.

An attack of pancreatitis can make a dog more susceptible to attacks in the future, so it's important to follow your vet's advice in relation to diet. The dog should be kept at a healthy weight and it's advisable to split meals into portions throughout the day - three or four meals instead of one big one, for instance - to avoid overworking the pancreas.

The condition Pancreatic Acinar Cell Atrophy can occur, but your vet will likely warn you about that if they suspect that it applies to your dog.

Other than that, he's likely to be fine as long as you're careful about what he's fed!

Thanks for the reply dave, The drumsticks were raw with skin. We were defrosting them for dinner the next day and the cat knocked them off the bench. It was the amount of fat that he consumed by eating the raw skin that did the damage. His blood was actually pink instead of red. Ironically the strict diet he was given after he came home was, chicken breast and rice and veges (skinless though).

OK I understand now thanks for the reply , hopefully the advice Eleanor has given you above will answer some questions for you , good luck

Yes, there could be future problems. He will have to be kept on a low fat diet, probably for life.

As long as you restrict the amount of fat he consumes, and keep him fit & lean, then you should avoid most problems, although it depends on how badly the pancreas was damaged.

iv a feeling there may have been an under lining problem before this happened as i know 6 legs seem a lot normally a dog would need to build up on the fat they have eaten and one meal(albeit accidental)one have no ill effects .
and as the others have pointed out careful management of fat in diet and regular checks for onset of diabetes and loads of staffie loving  

Has your vet given you a diet/exercise plan?

Oh heck I give my 2 raw chicken wings - I thought they were good for them  

Caryll the vet actually call him the miracle dog because he survived and shows no signs of after effects! All 4 of them expected him to have to be put to sleep. They gave me a strict diet for him of cooked chicken breast meat plus rice and veges. I already exercised him so that just remained the same after he was better. Don't worry Jo my boy ate a massive amount in one day that is why he became so ill, I am sure a couple of wings won't harm too much, however just be aware of what too much fat can do to a dog.

Glad to hear there seem to be no after effects. I notice in your first post that he gets a walk each day. How long would you say that walk would be, roughly?

Eleanor we walk to the park and back which is around 5 km's plus when we get to the park I throw his rubber ball and he fetches it until he is tired. He is pretty fit.

Hey everyone, I worked out how to add photos and added 2 of when he was sick and 1 of him today so you can see that they look like a mini cow when suffering from pancreatitis..

He looks so much better now Fini, so you are obviously doing all the right things.

As you know, -itis means inflammation, and as by my reckoning Billy was only about 6 months old when he overdosed on chicken fat, it could be that his system was just too immature at that age to deal with a sudden massive intake of it, and so his pancreas became inflamed with the stress of it all.

Have you had a chat with your vet recently about Billy's condition in general, and about whether or not (hopefully not) his pancreas is likely to be affected by his puppyhood binge?

Yes Lynda that is why everyone is amazed at his recovery, its like he never had anything wrong with him. The vets only are only concerned about a possible reoccurance if his diet is not right and diabetes which they said he has no symptoms. Even with diabetes they said it is only a matter of daily injections just like humans. They did comment that his health and fitness at the time was a huge factor in his miraculous recovery. They said many dogs get pancreatitis, however not as severe as Billy did.

Lynda wrote:He looks so much better now Fini, so you are obviously doing all the right things.

As you know, -itis means inflammation, and as by my reckoning Billy was only about 6 months old when he overdosed on chicken fat, it could be that his system was just too immature at that age to deal with a sudden massive intake of it, and so his pancreas became inflamed with the stress of it all.

Have you had a chat with your vet recently about Billy's condition in general, and about whether or not (hopefully not) his pancreas is likely to be affected by his puppyhood binge?

So good to hear that he's recovered so well!

I suppose all you can do is wait & see re: future health problems. Hopefully there won't be any!