Pancreatitis Isn't Going Away With Low Fat Dry Food

I have been promising you Zaner's story for a while now. Today is the day.

I want to tell you what happened to him because I genuinely believe it is happening to more dogs than any of us would like to admit. And if sharing it helps even one pet parent avoid the two years of heartbreak we went through, then every hard part of this story is worth telling.

Buckle up. This one is a lot.

If you'd prefer listening to this email, you can click here to listen anywhere you love listening to podcasts! Look for S1 E23 Pancreatitis Isn't Going Away With Low Fat Dry Food.

It Started With a Misdiagnosis

Almost three years ago, Zaner started showing signs that something was wrong. Based on his symptoms, the vet diagnosed him with IVDD, which stands for Intervertebral Disc Disease, a spinal condition that can cause pain, nerve issues, and in serious cases, paralysis.

It is a scary diagnosis. And when your vet tells you your dog is in pain and hands you a prescription, you fill it.

So we did. Pain killers. Muscle relaxants. The standard protocol.

What nobody told me was what those medications were about to do to his gut.

The Cascade Nobody Warned Me About

Here is what the research on IVDD and neurological conditions actually tells us, and what I wish someone had handed me in that vet office.

Medications, particularly pain killers and muscle relaxants, can obliterate the gut microbiome. The community of bacteria that governs digestion, immunity, and so much more gets knocked completely out of balance. When that happens, a condition called SIBO can develop. SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, and it is exactly what it sounds like. The microorganisms in the gut get out of balance, harmful bacteria overgrow, and the gut lining starts to break down.

The signs of SIBO? Chronic vomiting. Diarrhea. Gas. Malabsorption. The inability to keep anything down.

Sound familiar? Because that became Zaner's daily reality.

To treat the SIBO, we needed antibiotics. And prednisone. Which, if you know anything about steroids, you already know where this is going.

The prednisone sent Zaner into a serious case of pancreatitis. He spent two days in hospital. It was one of the scariest things I have ever been through as a pet parent, and I work in pet nutrition for a living. I cannot imagine facing that without any background knowledge at all.

Two Years. Four Blood Tests. And a $65 Question.

What followed was two of the hardest years of my life as a pet parent.

Daily diarrhea. Constant vomiting. Countless vet appointments. Four separate rounds of blood work trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Four times we ran tests. Four times we got results that didn't give us the full picture. Four times we went home without answers.

It was not until I connected with an integrative vet who finally suggested we run a specific test for pancreatitis called the Spec cPL. It measures pancreatic lipase in the blood and is the most accurate way to identify pancreatic inflammation.

When I asked why that test had not been included in any of the four previous blood panels, I was told it was an extra $65 to add.

Sixty-five dollars!

I had spent over $4,000 in vet bills over 24 months trying to figure out what was wrong with my dog. And the test that finally gave us the answer cost sixty-five dollars and had never once been suggested.

I am not sharing that to make anyone angry, although I understand if it does. I am sharing it because you deserve to know that if your furry guy is dealing with chronic digestive issues and nobody has run a Spec cPL, you can ask for it. Specifically. By name. It is not automatically included in standard blood panels and it absolutely should be.

What the Vet Recommended vs What Actually Worked

Once we had the pancreatitis diagnosis, the standard veterinary advice was immediate and consistent. Low fat diet. Prescription dry food.

I want to be very direct with you about this, because I wrote about it in a previous blog and I will say it again here.

Fat is not the cause of pancreatitis. Carbohydrates are.

Here is why. There are three macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. When your pet eats, protein gets broken down by stomach acid into amino acids, and fat gets broken down in the small intestine by bile from the gallbladder. Both are handled before they reach the pancreas.

Carbohydrates are a different story. The pancreas is responsible for breaking down carbohydrates. It does this by producing an enzyme called amylase. Here is the critical detail. Because dogs and cats have no biological requirement for carbohydrates, their bodies naturally produce very low amounts of amylase. A pancreas that is already inflamed and under stress is being asked to produce an enzyme it barely makes in order to process food it was never designed to eat.

Feeding a low fat prescription kibble to a dog with pancreatitis does not relieve the stress on the pancreas. It maintains it, or makes it worse, because kibble requires starch to hold its pellet shape and starch is carbohydrates. You are quite literally feeding the problem while believing you are solving it.

The quality of fat and protein still matters. But the reduction of carbohydrates is what the pancreas actually needs to reduce the inflammation.

I did not put Zaner on prescription dry food. I built him a fresh protocol instead.

What I Actually Did to Heal Zaner

This is the part I want every pet parent dealing with pancreatitis to read carefully.

First, I removed all starchy carbohydrates completely. No kibble. No starchy toppers. Nothing that would force his already inflamed pancreas to work harder than it needed to.

I fed him a fresh diet served at room temperature. This is an important detail that often gets overlooked. Cold food straight from the fridge requires the body to work harder to warm it up for digestion, which puts additional stress on the digestive system. Room temperature food is gentler and easier for a compromised gut and pancreas to process.

I was mindful of fat but I did not eliminate it. We focused on lower fat protein sources and kept everything as clean and simple as possible while his body healed.

Because of the SIBO history, I was very deliberate about the type of probiotic I used. Standard probiotics can actually feed SIBO rather than resolve it. I used a soil-based probiotic combined with pancreatic enzymes specifically because of this. Soil-based probiotics work differently in the gut and do not carry the same risk of feeding bacterial overgrowth. The pancreatic enzymes helped support digestion during a period when his pancreas was not functioning at full capacity.

I used Adored Beast Your Go To, which is an arnica-based homeopathic remedy, to help manage pain and inflammation naturally without the gut damage that comes with pharmaceutical pain management.

I added medicinal mushrooms to support his immune system and overall systemic inflammation. And bone broth, which is one of the most gut-healing, bioavailable foods we can add to any bowl, became a regular part of his daily routine.

Over time, as his gut healed and his pancreas calmed down, I transitioned him to a variety of low fat gently cooked diets across multiple proteins. Today he rotates proteins regularly, eats well, and is doing beautifully. Raw is still an option for him. We simply stay mindful of fat content and choose accordingly.

He Is Not Out of the Woods Forever, and That Is Okay

I want to be transparent with you about something, because I think the idea that a dog either has pancreatitis or does not is too black and white.

Zaner had a small flare up recently. A normal pancreatic lipase level on the Spec cPL falls between 0 and 125. His most recent result came back at 187. Elevated, but nothing close to what we saw in December 2024 when his levels were over 800.

The difference between 800 and 187 is the protocol. The fresh diet. The soil-based probiotic. The enzymes. The mushrooms. The bone broth. The mindful fat management. The absence of starchy carbohydrates.

We caught it early because I know what to look for now, and because I test for it. That is the other takeaway here. If your dog has a history of pancreatitis, ask your vet to include the Spec cPL in routine bloodwork. It is $65 well spent.

If Your Furry Guy Has Pancreatitis, Start Here

If you are reading this and your dog has been diagnosed with pancreatitis, or if they are dealing with chronic digestive issues that nobody has quite been able to explain, please do not accept a bag of low fat prescription kibble as the only answer.

Ask for the Spec cPL if it has not been run.

Talk to us about moving to a fresh, low carbohydrate diet.

Moving a pancreatitis dog to a fresh diet is one of the most impactful things you can do, and it is something we help pet parents navigate every single day. We will look at fat content, protein sources, digestive support, and build something that works for your specific furry guy without breaking the bank.

Because your dog deserves more than a bag of low fat, grain filled kibble and a hardy "good luck" as you both walk out the door scared and confused!

And so do you.