Barbecue and Pancreatitis

Summer is finally here, and so is barbecue season! What a great way to relax with family and friends. However, with this joyous event, sometimes guests can be oversharing with our fur babies and result in a "not-so-relaxing" situation. 

Often times, it is very tempting to offer table scraps to our fur babies on a regular day (I mean, they call them "puppy eyes" for a good reason) HOWEVER, how about when there are tens of people visiting, and trying to win their love with food. Yes, BBQ is very aromatic and tasty, but it is in the best interest of our pets to refrain from offering them high fat foods. Dogs aren't used to metabolizing high fat foods, so by offering some to them we risk stimulating pancreatitis. 

Pancreatitis is a very uncomfortable condition that often times presents clinical signs such as: hunched back, abdominal pain, inappetence, repetitive vomiting, and more.  Treatment really varies depending on each patient and the severity of the inflammation. 

So let's help prevent this condition by informing guests to refrain from offering their hot Italian sausage, or bbq ribs to your fur babies.