Steph Van Noort
Organ meats are like nature’s multivitamins for your dog. Packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, these parts of the animal are vital to supporting your dog's health.
While muscle meat provides basic protein, organ meats go beyond, offering a wide range of nutrients that contribute to optimal functioning.
One organ in particular—the pancreas—plays a key role in your dog's digestive system and overall health. Feeding pancreas as part of your dog’s diet not only delivers essential nutrients but also offers unique benefits for your dog’s digestion and hormone regulation.
Let's explore why adding pancreas to your dog's diet can help support a healthier digestive system and balance other vital processes.
The Dual Role Of The Pancreas In Dogs
The pancreas does more than sit passively in your dog’s body—it’s actively involved in digestion. About 95% of the pancreas consists of exocrine tissue, which produces enzymes that help break down food. These enzymes include amylase, which digests carbohydrates, lipase, which handles fats, and protease, which breaks down proteins. Once these nutrients are broken down, they can be absorbed and used for energy and cell repair, helping your dog maintain healthy function.
By feeding your dog pancreas, you're essentially providing a natural source of these important digestive enzymes. This helps your dog’s body break down food more efficiently, ensuring that your dog is properly absorbing all the necessary nutrients for energy and repair.
But the pancreas doesn’t stop there. It also functions as an endocrine gland, producing hormones that regulate essential processes in your dog’s body.
Two of the most important hormones produced by the pancreas are insulin and glucagon. Insulin helps lower blood sugar levels, while glucagon raises them, ensuring your dog’s blood sugar stays in balance.
By feeding pancreas, you’re not only supporting digestion but also helping to maintain hormonal balance. The natural nutrients and enzymes in the pancreas can promote better blood sugar regulation, contributing to overall health.
Pancreas For Dogs: Top Benefits
Supports Pancreatic Function
Feeding pancreas taps into an age-old practice known as glandular therapy. This method has been used for over a century to support specific organs with the nutrients they need for optimal function.
The pancreas, rich in digestive enzymes and hormones, can provide essential support to a dog's own pancreas, especially when it’s not functioning at its best.
For dogs who struggle to produce enough digestive enzymes—whether due to age, poor diet, or health conditions—feeding pancreas can give their digestive system the boost it needs. This can help your dog avoid nutritional deficiencies and maintain better overall health.
Promotes Digestive Health
Pancreas is particularly beneficial for senior dogs or those with enzyme deficiencies. As dogs age, their bodies naturally produce fewer digestive enzymes, leading to potential issues with nutrient absorption.
By adding pancreas to your dog’s diet, you’re helping her digest food more effectively, allowing her body to better absorb nutrients from her meals.
Feeding pancreas can be especially helpful for dogs on a kibble or cooked food diet, as these processed foods often lack the natural enzymes needed for proper digestion.
Pancreatitis Support
Dogs suffering from pancreatitis can greatly benefit from the digestive enzymes naturally found in pancreas. When a dog’s pancreas becomes inflamed, it may struggle to produce enough enzymes to properly digest food, which can lead to further stress and complications.
By feeding pancreas, you’re supplying these essential enzymes directly, giving your dog's pancreas a much-needed break and helping to ease the digestive process.
Pancreas can act as a gentle, natural support for dogs dealing with pancreatitis, promoting better digestion without putting extra pressure on an already stressed pancreas. This allows the organ to heal while ensuring that your dog continues to get the nutrients she needs.
Helps Dogs With EPI
Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) is a condition where the pancreas fails to produce the necessary enzymes to break down food, leading to malnutrition and other serious health issues. Dogs with EPI cannot properly digest fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, resulting in weight loss, nutrient deficiencies, and even organ failure if left untreated.
Feeding pancreas provides the missing enzymes these dogs desperately need, helping them digest their food effectively and absorb nutrients. Many conventional vets recommend pancreas as a natural solution for dogs with EPI, offering a holistic way to manage this condition and improve your dog’s quality of life.
Provides Enzymes For Aging Dogs
As dogs age, their bodies naturally produce fewer digestive enzymes, which can lead to decreased digestion efficiency and nutrient absorption. This drop in enzyme production can contribute to various health issues, from poor digestion to weakened immune function.
Feeding pancreas is a simple yet effective way to provide aging dogs with the enzymes they need to maintain their digestive health. By supplementing your senior dog’s diet with pancreas, you can help ensure they continue to break down and absorb nutrients efficiently, supporting their overall well-being as they grow older.
How To Feed Pancreas To Dogs
When feeding pancreas to your dog, both raw and freeze-dried options are effective, but it’s important to choose the highest quality.
Fresh raw pancreas can be added directly to your dog’s meals, chopped into small pieces.
If fresh pancreas isn’t readily available, freeze-dried pancreas is a great alternative, as it retains its valuable enzymes and nutrients when properly processed. Make sure to choose a freeze-dried product that hasn’t been exposed to heat, as heat can destroy the vital enzymes your dog needs.
When using freeze-dried pancreas, rehydrate the powder with water before mixing it into your dog’s food. This ensures the enzymes are activated and effective in aiding digestion.
How Much Pancreas Can Dogs Eat?
For healthy dogs, pancreas can be included as part of a well-rounded organ meat diet.
The general recommendation is to feed about 1-3 ounces of raw pancreas or a comparable amount of freeze-dried pancreas as part of the 10-15% organ meat portion in your dog’s overall diet.
Adding pancreas as a regular component of your dog’s meals ensures she's receiving a wide array of nutrients and enzymes, promoting better digestion and overall health.
You can start with smaller portions and gradually increase the amount to fit your dog’s size and nutritional needs.
Feeding Pancreas To Dogs With Specific Conditions
As mentioned earlier, for dogs with specific conditions like Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) or chronic pancreatitis in dogs, feeding pancreas can be particularly beneficial.
In cases of EPI, your dog’s body lacks the necessary Pancreatic enzymes to properly digest food.
For dogs with EPI, you can feed 2 ounces of raw pancreas for every 20 pounds of body weight per meal. If using powdered pancreas, start with two teaspoons per 20 kg of body weight per meal, ensuring the powder is well mixed and allowed to sit on the food for 20-60 minutes before feeding.
Dogs with chronic or acute pancreatitis may also benefit from pancreas, as it can provide needed digestive enzymes without overworking their own pancreas. Again, begin with small amounts and monitor your dog’s response. Always consult with your holistic vet to ensure the right dosage and feeding approach for your dog’s specific condition.
Sourcing Quality Pancreas
Sourcing high-quality pancreas is key to ensuring the nutritional benefits above. You can often find fresh pancreas from local butchers or slaughterhouses, though it may not be as commonly stocked as other organ meats. Online raw food suppliers often carry pancreas, and it’s also available in freeze-dried form through many specialty pet food retailers.
When purchasing powdered or freeze-dried pancreas, look for products that specify they are raw and freeze-dried without heat processing. This ensures that the enzymes and nutrients remain intact.
Choosing grass-fed pancreas is an excellent option when available, as it provides a higher nutrient profile. Grass-fed animals typically have more omega-3 fatty acids and fewer contaminants like antibiotics or hormones. This means you’re giving your dog the cleanest, most nutritious form of pancreas, which supports both digestive health and overall well-being.
Grass-fed pancreas also contains higher levels of essential vitamins and minerals, so it's a superior choice for long-term health benefits.
FAQ
What are the symptoms of pancreas disease in dogs? Common symptoms of pancreas disease in dogs include vomiting, loss of appetite, and lethargy, often accompanied by abdominal pain. If your dog shows signs of an inflamed pancreas, like hunched posture or frequent diarrhea, it may be time for a vet to diagnose pancreatitis.
How long can a dog live with pancreas issues? With proper management and treatment, dogs with pancreatitis can live for many years, though severe pancreatitis may require ongoing care. Regular monitoring and supporting their diet with pancreatic digestive enzymes can improve their quality of life.
Can pancreatitis in dogs be cured? While treating pancreatitis in dogs can help manage symptoms, the condition often requires lifelong care rather than a complete cure. Reducing the risk of further episodes involves feeding a low-fat diet and managing any underlying conditions like diabetes mellitus.
What foods trigger pancreatitis in dogs? High-fat foods are common triggers for dogs pancreatitis, which can overburden the pancreas and lead to inflammation. To prevent issues like severe pancreatitis, avoid giving your dog rich, fatty foods, as they may stress the pancreatic duct and lead to complications.
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