During the holidays, pet parents and house guests appear to not be able to resist the temptation of the alluring look from the family cat or dog as they gaze at your leftovers. All too often people try justifying to themselves the benign effects of feeding that last piece of turkey, dressing, oven-roasted vegetable, or cranberry sauce. Contrary to public belief, even the smallest amount of table food can cause serious illness.

The most common disease small animal veterinarians diagnose and treat during the holiday season is called pancreatitis. This disease can afflict dogs as well as cats. Often the cause is food that the pet is not normally exposed to and even more sensitive to foods that contain a large amount of fat or grease.

The pancreas is an organ that is nestled cozily under the stomach and in close proximity to the liver. The organ is a glandular structure that is responsible for secreting enzymes that aid in digesting fats and carbohydrates as well as creating insulin. The increased fatty-food intake results in over-activity of the organ, causing severe inflammation to the pancreas and adjacent organs. This inflammation decreases digestion ability, which then causes less nutrient absorption.

The process can be quite painful and life threatening. Further warning: not all patients have to ingest fatty food to develop pancreatitis. Some breeds, such as Schnauzers, are predisposed to the disease because many of them have fat metabolism disease. Cats, on the other hand, can develop pancreatitis from environmental stress, often occurring during the holidays.

If you know that your pet had the opportunity to eat table food and subsequently develops loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever, a veterinarian should see them as soon as possible. Delay in medical testing and proper treatment can prolong healing and in some situations increase risk of secondary life threatening complications.

When you bring your pet to the veterinary office they will have a thorough examination by the veterinarian and a series of diagnostic tests will need to be performed. The mainstay diagnostics include a complete blood count, clinical chemistry and radiographs. Some additional tests that may need to be performed include an ultrasound (sonogram) so that your veterinarian can actually see the pancreas and adjacent organs and a pancreatic lipase specific test. In some cases an abdominal exploratory procedure may need to be performed; this is a procedure where the veterinarian opens the patient’s abdomen and looks at all the organs.

Treatment for pancreatitis is typically achieved with hospitalization lasting two to four days on intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and anti-vomiting medications. Small, frequent meals are administered and in some cases patients must have a feeding tube placed in their noses, a nasogastric tube, for a short period of time. Some patients may respond sooner while others may require longer hospital stays.

Recovery overall is quite good; however in some cases, once the inflammation subsides, scar formation may occur. When 80% of the pancreas is damaged, insulin cannot be produced and thus diabetes can develop.

Aside from the risk of developing pancreatitis when sharing your holiday trimmings, it is important to also know that many of the spices or even foods can be toxic to pets. Some of the most common ones include garlic, onions, grapes, raisins, chocolate and macadamia nuts. Even in the smallest amounts these products can be highly toxic and life threatening, so it is best to avoid them completely at all costs. If you are concerned about a potential ingestion or exposure you are encouraged to contact your family veterinarian as soon as possible.