What happens during a bout of pancreatitis?
Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas, causing leakage of the digestive enzymes whereby the pancreas literally starts to "digest itself". Pancreatitis can be acute (sudden) or chronic (happening over a course of time). Both acute and chronic forms are serious and can be life-threatening, especially the acute form.

What causes pancreatitis?
For the majority of cases, the cause is unknown. Pancreatitis can occur in both dogs and cats, but is generally more common in dogs, especially the acute form. Cats more commonly have the chronic form, and it can be difficult to diagnose. In dogs, obese middle age to older animals have a higher incidence, as do females. Even though exact causes are not known, there are identifiable risk factors. Here are some potential risk factors:

Hyperlipidemia (high fat content in blood)
High fat meal (trigger for hyperlipidemia)
Obesity (especially dogs)
Concurrent disease - i.e. Cushing's, Diabetes
Contaminated food or water
Certain drugs and toxins - i.e. some types of diuretics, antibiotics, and organophosphate insecticide
Bacterial or viral infection

What are the signs of pancreatitis?
The signs can vary from mild gastrointestinal upset to collapse and death. Most animals present with common gastrointestinal signs of upset, such as:

Vomiting
Not eating
Painful abdomen, hunched appearance (more common in dogs
Fever or below-normal body temperature
Diarrhea
Depression
Dehydration, evaluated by noting sunken eyes, dry mouth, and increased skin turgor (skin tents when pinched)

These signs are not specific for pancreatitis, and can be seen with many gastrointestinal diseases and conditions. All or some of the signs may be noted in an individual patient with pancreatitis. Cats can be especially difficult to diagnose due to the vague signs they exhibit with chronic pancreatitis - depression/lethargy and poor appetite are seen with regularity, and gastrointestinal signs of vomiting, diarrhea, and / or pain are seen intermittently.

How is pancreatitis diagnosed?
Your veterinarian will evaluate your pet's history (i.e. getting into the garbage, eating a lot of food they normally don't - especially fatty foods, etc.), do a thorough physical examination, and likely do blood tests to rule out other diseases and to check pancreatic enzymes. Radiographs may also be done to rule out a gastric or intestinal foreign body or other GI diseases or conditions.

What is the treatment for pancreatitis?
Treatment for this disease is supportive, meaning that there isn't usually a direct cause and cure, but supporting the animal while allowing healing. The veterinary team will take care of the animal's nutritional and fluid needs, pain management, and addressing any other disease processes (infection, diabetes, etc.) while letting the pancreas heal on its own. Resting the pancreas and gastrointestinal system is key, and this means no food or water by mouth for 1 to 5 or more days. This is dependent on the severity of each case, and the animal must be on fluids and other support to survive and heal the pancreas while off of oral food and water.

More at http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/dogdiseasesp/a/pancreatitis.htm?nl=1

not a good thing for your pet to get....

I was talking to my vet last night and he said they have 14 dogs in the hospital with pancreatitis right now. He also said this is typical for this time of year because of people feeding their dogs scraps from holiday feasts. Ham, turkey gravy and turkey skin are all high in fat, which can cause bouts of acute pancreatitis. Just a heads up, because we still have the Christmas feasts coming up.

Thats correct Ann, I've heard for sure that turkey skin is very high in fat and even though people might not feed their dogs these things if they simply throw it away in the trash the dogs might get to it while the owner is not looking. So its something important to consider.

The threat of pancreatitis is the main reason I stopped feeding table scraps ... My brother's Mini Schnauzer died of it.

Betterdog4u wrote:

The threat of pancreatitis is the main reason I stopped feeding table scraps ... My brother's Mini Schnauzer died of it.

In these cases moderation goes a long way, although I do know that Mini Schnauzers and a few other small breeds are more suspectible to pancreatitis than most dogs.