What habits can lead to pancreatitis?

**Pancreatitis is the most common ailment among our clients, followed by kidney and liver/gallbladder issues.**
Today, we want to talk about pancreatitis. We previously shared an informative post about it, and most owners know that a high-fat diet can trigger pancreatitis.
However, many often overlook some seemingly harmless habits that, over time, contribute to the development of pancreatitis.

📕 For a 5kg dog, the recommended daily fat intake is only 10-15 grams. Typically, 100g of dog food already contains 10-20g of fat.

**🚫 One Egg Yolk a Day**
Many people made this mistake, thinking egg yolks were nutritious and good for their coat. However, they neglected to control the amount.
Egg yolks seem harmless, not even greasy, but one egg yolk contains an average of 5 grams of fat. If your dog's daily meal already includes 10-20 grams of fat from 100g of dog food, adding an extra egg yolk will surely exceed the fat limit.
Recommended: 1-2 egg yolks per week are enough.

**🚫 Overloading on Meat**
Just because dogs are carnivores doesn’t mean the more meat, the better. Even the leanest meats have fat. Protein and fat typically come together; overloading on meat means overloading on fat. Processed meats like jerky can also contain oxidized fats, posing extra health risks including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Organs like liver, heart, and kidney have high saturated fat content, which is very taxing on the pancreas. Their inclusion in meals should be limited to 5% for liver and no more than 15% for all organ meats combined.

**🚫 Long-term Consumption of Processed Foods**
High-temperature processed meat products can easily produce oxidized fats. The process of manufacturing kibble at high heat and pressure makes it nearly impossible to avoid this issue. Trans fats, often hidden in processed foods, are equally dangerous. Current regulations do not require listing trans fat content, so be wary of ingredients like soybean oil or corn oil in pet foods.

**🚫 Unregulated Fish Oil Supplements**
Fish oil is often considered a good fat with omega-3s that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. However, even good fats are fats, and overconsumption can lead to pancreatitis. If your dog is consuming fish oil daily, you must calculate the total daily fat intake from all foods.

**🚫 Meat Snacks Overload**
Chicken, duck, and small dried fish may look tempting, but extra snacks can also lead to fat overload. For example, while 100g of skinless chicken breast might have less than 2g of fat, 100g of dried chicken could contain up to 10g of fat.

**😋For snacks, I usually recommend fresh vegetables and fruits. They aid digestion, have antioxidants, and contain no fat.**

**Final Note:** When your dog is already fed with their main meal, any added snacks should not exceed 10% of their daily caloric needs.