Hello, Jeff & Blaz new and need support

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Hello I’m Jeff, My best friend Blaz has been diagnosed with Pancreatitis. Blaz is a 5.5 year old German Rottweiler. About a 1.5 years ago Blaz and I were in NM and he chased a Road Runner. Blaz only runs full speed when he is chasing or hunting something, He had a fox-tail in his ear and lost his balance when he hit gravel, he ran full speed into a boulder and suffered injuries because of it. had a couple of minor seizures since. It was hard to notice but he started drooling and salivating more after that accident. Every Vet dismissed my concerns like i was an idiot! About 3 months ago he started getting more and more picky when it came to feedings. One morning he would not eat at all, i figured he was being stubborn. (if you have ever owned a Rottie you’d understand how stubborn they can get). I gave in and ran to the pet store to get his favorite food topper, came home put it on the food and still not eat. I knew something was wrong, he would not even eat just the topper alone. I took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with pancreatitis. Again they dismissed his accident. Anyway, he never had to be admitted, he never vomited from it, and just did not want to eat. He was put on a vet diet, "Hills prescription I/D low fat. he still burps after he eats, he still tucks his rear legs under him after he eats and now he knows that licking his lips or sticking his tongue out tells me he does not feel good. His appetite is good, he does not have any diarrhea but i just do not feel this food is good enough for his breed or size and i’m worried the vets just have such a lack of knowledge.

I have been thinking about what to do and what to feed him. Raw , home cooked, etc. After reading the forum i feel even more lost and alone. He’s my best friend, he’s not replaceable to me and the thought of him not living as long as a Rottie can just makes me sad. Ohhhh this pandemic is killing me and finances are not available. As it is the food is almost 100 per bag. I’ll live under a bridge if i can ensure he gets the full life he deserves.

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Hello and welcome to the forum. From the information you have given It sounds as if the vet has diagnosed chronic pancreatitis ie ongoing. As you probably know, the usual advice is to feed a low fat diet. David has written an article on the dietary management of pancreatitis here. Additionally, we have a forum thread on the subject here.

Thinking about your budget, I am wondering if it might be cost effective to home cook for your dog. Have you given this some consideration? It needs to be done properly so good recipes are vital. Initially it would be safer to obtain some low fat recipes from a qualified pet nutritionist. We have some information about this in the home cooking section. You will probably have to pay but once you have them, that’s it. Don’t try and cook for your dog without seeking advice because the meals need to be balanced. All home cooked meals need additives, the main ones being calcium and omega oils 3 and 6.

Another thing that might help is to feed smaller meals more frequently, maybe three/four meals a day

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