11/26/2025
Dear DCVS clients/
It's that time of year again, Thanksgiving week. Right now, every vet clinic across the country puts out a post begging you not to feed your pets off the table during the holiday season. The Friday after Thanksgiving is unofficially dubbed Pancreatitis Friday in the veterinary world. Pancreatitis can be life-threatening. While sometimes the cause isn't known, it has a very high incidence of happening after a sudden food change, particularly a fatty meal. Normally, digestive enzymes are safely transported from the pancreas through the pancreatic duct and delivered into the small intestine in an inactive state. Once in the small intestine, the enzymes activate to break down foods. With pancreatitis, the inflammation of the pancreas causes the inactive enzymes to activate prematurely while still in the pancreas. The activated enzymes spill out of the pancreas and into the surrounding tissues. This causes "autodigestion" of the dog's own tissues and internal organs (we are all essentially meat). This can have catastrophic effects, leading to severe systemic inflammation and permanent organ damage that can result in death.
Pictures are floating around about which foods are safe for your pet to eat, but any sudden diet change can trigger pancreatitis/gastritis flare-ups, especially with fatty foods. Not only is pancreatitis a concern, but some foods are just straight toxic, like grapes/raisins, onions, garlic, chocolate, and nutmeg.
So, PLEASE say no to those cute little eyes, spare your pet, and pocketbook a hospitalization this holiday weekend. Please stick to the frozen or plain steamed green beans, zucchini, broccoli, and peas we've recommended in previous posts about healthy treats. If the veggies are a new thing for them give just 1 or 2 a day and slowly ramp up over a week.
JUST SAY NO TO TABLE FOOD, NEW TREATS, AND CHEAP HOLIDAY RAWHIDES,
