Evidence surrounding feeding the canine pancreatitis patient

Abstract

There are many scenarios in practice where animals present with acute, chronic, and acute on chronic bouts of pancreatitis. By investigating the risk of pancreatitis in association with high fat diets in a clinical setting, dietary manipulation could be instigated to reduce the risk of pancreatitis or the risk of recurrence. Many animals are placed on low fat diets when diagnosed with pancreatitis, but there are no evidence-based fat levels suggested for these animals. Nutritional recommendations for adult dogs are a minimum of 5.5 g per 100 g dry matter of the food consumed, based on an energy requirement of 95 kcal/kg bwt0.75; there is no recommendation on the type of fats, but that the essential fatty acids are provided. A review of evidence concerning fat levels indicates that hyperlipidaemia will predispose to pancreatitis, but no defined levels have been published.