Naturally everyone wants to share the holidays with the whole family which includes your pets. However, sharing all the tasty treats with them may be more cruelty than kindness.

Aside from just a passing bout of diarrhea or a single episode of vomiting, feeding (even just one time) foods with a high fat content, like table scraps can trigger a bout of pancreatitis.

Pancreatic disorders are frequently seen in dogs and cats. The pancreas is a gland in the abdomen that produces enzymes which aid in digestion. It also produces hormones, such as insulin, which are released into the bloodstream to regulate blood sugar levels. If the pancreas becomes injured or diseased, its digestive enzymes may become activated within the pancreas before they are released and actually begin to digest the pancreas itself. This self-digestion causes severe inflammation known as pancreatitis.

Although the precise cause of pancreatitis is often unknown, there are several contributing factors such as high blood fat, obesity, trauma to the abdomen or consumption of a fatty meal.

Symptoms of pancreatitis usually come on suddenly in the dog and cat and include one or all of the following: Repeated vomiting, lack of appetite, diarrhea with or without blood, and lethargy. Your pet may also drink more water and tend to vomit soon after drinking. Weakness, inability to walk and abdominal tenderness or pain may be seen. Due to the frequent vomiting and/or diarrhea your animal may become dehydrated and display signs such as sunken eyes or a dry mouth or eyes.

If your pet shows any of these signs or combinations of them you should seek veterinary attention as soon as possible. As these symptoms are not unique to pancreatitis, your veterinarian will try to establish a diagnosis by running specific tests in addition to gathering a full health history and performing a physical exam. If pancreatitis is diagnosed, your veterinarian will recommend an appropriate course of treatment to aid in your pet's recovery.