Pancreatitis and Choosing a Dog Food
Fromm Low Fat Dog Food – Amazon.com
Having a dog with pancreatitis and choosing a dog food for her is something I had to do recently. We rescued a senior dog last year. Her name is Rexy. She is a sweet dog with a small problem. She is prone to bouts of pancreatitis. Compounded by the fact that she is a dachshund and has only a few teeth left. She needs a wet food.
Purina Pro Plan Turkey and Vegetables – Amazon.com
When we rescued her we made sure that she got a dog food that is nutritionally sound. That the food did not contain grain products that can cause her harm. Unfortunately, we did not know about her pancreatitis problem. So about once a month we had to take her to our veterinarian. The veterinarian would work her over and test and when she was better, release her to us.
We find the problem
Eventually, the veterinarian found the problem was pancreatitis. Now we knew that she needed a special diet. Where to find a low-fat wet dog food became our new problem.
Wellness Core Dry Dog Food – Amazon.com
I did an internet search on pancreatitis and found that she needed a low-fat diet to prevent her symptoms from returning. I had used Dogfoodadvisor.com before to find her a good dog food. Now it became extremely important to find her a food very low in fat. I thought that I could read the label on the can and find a brand with a low-fat level. Six percent fat is low, right?
It turned out that I was wrong. Not just a little wrong, but incredibly wrong. The content label is not the only thing I had to consider. I had to consider the dry matter basis method to get to the true level of fat in that can.
More Information: Dry Matter Basis — A Better Way to Compare Dog Foods
The Formula
After reading that article I realized that I needed more than the label on the can to decide which food was right for Rexy. Pancreatitis and a choosing a dog food requires a formula. This is that formula.
Rexy at 14 years old
Fat content on the label divided by the total amount of dry matter in the can(100% minus moisture on the label). Multiply the result by one hundred.
Using this formula let’s compare two dog foods for fat content
http://www.fooducate.com/app#!page=product&id=F790B880-4278-11E1-AFF9-1231380C18FB
Eagle Pack Dry Dog Food – Amazon.com
The two canned dog foods are:
#1 Pro Plan Savor Adult Turkey & Vegetables Entrée Slices In Gravy
The fat content is 2.5% and the moisture is 82%(subtract this from 100%) on the label. So taking those numbers and using the formula the total dry matter fat content becomes 13.8%
(2.5/18) x 100 = 13.8%
#2 Skippy Dog Food, W/Chicken Beef & Liver
The fat content is 2.0% and the moisture is 80% on the label. So taking those numbers the total dry matter fat content becomes 10%
(2.0/20) x 100 = 10%
So you can see that six percent fat from the can label used in the formula is not really low fat at all. This is how I finally got a good dog food with low-fat for Rexy. Since then we haven’t had to take her to the vet for a pancreatitis episode in eight months. Thanks to the fine work at Dogfoodadvisor.com and the dry matter basis formula.
Update, September 2017
Since this article was published in July of 2016 Rexy has not had another bout of Pancreatitis. This formula works very well at controlling her Pancreatitis problem. We feed her the wet food version of Purina ProPlan dog food. But we have to read those labels(not all versions of this dog food are low in fat). We purchase only those varieties that are 2% and 2.5% in fat. She is one happy dog and so are her owners.
Update, March 2018
Rexy never had another bout of pancreatitis. We kept her on Purina ProPlan dog food. Unfortunately, she had a stroke and died this month. But she was a happy dog until passing. She will always hold a special place in our hearts. A special thanks to DogFoodAdvisor.com for making her short time with us uneventful.
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Is low-fat dog food good for your pet?
Does your dog have special needs? Check out these special needs forums.
Please leave a comment if you have tried this method. I’d really like to hear about you and your dog’s story.
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(Mybusyretiredlife.com All Rights Reserved)
(Mybusyretiredlife.com All Rights Reserved)
