No Protine??

Question
We take care of (Tom) my Brother-in-law's dog while he is traveling for his work which is quite often.  His dog is a German Short Hair 7 years old and (very active).  We have three other dogs (2 - Springers and 1 Lab) which are very old.  We have 6 acres fenced so they can run where they want.  The Short Hair went home after staying here for a week and Tom had to take it to the vet due to shaking and lethargic.  The vet kept it for a week and hydrated her with tubes running internal to the dog.  I am not sure what happened & can't get much out of Tom about what the vet said other than it may have drank contaminated pond water. Here is the crux of the problem - The vet told Tom that she could never eat protein again but was allowed to eat dry dog food.  We feed our dogs Iams and once a day Hamburger with finely ground Veggies, sunflower seeds and Flax.  This is all the Short hair ate during her stays here.  If she is allowed to eat Dry dog food which has protein in it how come she can't eat hamburger?  Do you know of any other case that has this problem of a dog not being able to eat protein?

Regards, John

Answer
Hello John and thanks for your question.

I am wondering if there could have been some misunderstanding of the explanation from the vet.
A dog HAS to have protein in their diet or they will suffer from malnutrition. Maybe what the vet said was something to the effect that this dog has pancreatitis and fats and protein must be limited from now on. There is a dry veterinarian prescription diet that would probably be suggested for this condition. Pancreatitis can come about by a dog consuming too much fat (for the most part) or excessive protein compared to what they are USED to. So, it wouldn't be unbelievable to assume, while visiting you, the dog was consuming WAY more fat and protein than he was used to and that triggered a bout of pancreatitis, which is an inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas controls the digestive enzymes needed to digest fats and protein, so when it becomes inflamed, it does not secrete that enzymes necessary. This leaves alot of the food undigested and can cause vomiting and diarrhea, which can inturn cause dehydration. This is a serious and life threatening condition if left untreated. I'm very glad that your BIL dog came through this and I hope that your BIL won't blame you (or that you will blame yourself). Some breeds are just prone to this condition.