We have a diagnosis finally.

 I really wish you and Abe well. I have no knowledge of of Abe's condition but I and many other members have been in your position and understand stress and anxiety. It's so hard to see our pets not doing well. Don't beat yourself up because it wasn't diagnosed sooner. Dogs are very stoic by nature. They hide their weakness well. Give it a few days before you get too worried.

Take care

I've ahd two dogs with pancreatitis -- DO NOT GIVE UP!!!   It takes some managing -- you'll have to get him thru this -- be encouraging and encourage them to get him thru this.  You'll have to feed a special diet (that's where I learned to home cook for my dogs -- my very first dog had really severe pancreatitis that onset when she was two (she woke me up one night and had bloody diarrhea and bloody vomit all thru the house!)  It was 2 weeks before she was stable enough to come home.  But she lived to be TWENTY! 

My Billy had pancreatitis when he was coming off the IMHA meds -- his case wasn't as severe.  Pancreatitis can run the gamut from really bad to "not much". 

 You need to contact Janice -- jessies_mom on here -- Jessie has pancreatitis and Janice knows more than any other human I know about this!!  She's really good and will help you!"!

  Hi; I remember your thread about a month ago and thought about suggesting that it may be pancreatitis but at the time the symptoms were vague and I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily. I'm very sorry I didn't respond to that thread. I'm so sorry he's having such a hard time. When the pancreas is inflamed, it affects other organs too; the kidneys, liver, and gall bladder, so it takes a lot of time for a dog to recover from a serious attack. I belong to a yahoo group for owners of dogs with pancreatitis and some of these dogs weren't stable for at least a month. Here's the link in case you want to join;   Sign in to Yahoo!

 Are they giving him anything for nausea and pain; that can make a difference in his appetite. It is important for him to eat as soon as he can keep the food down; it helps them recover quicker, so they're doing the right thing offering him food. Jessie would not eat in the hospital for the staff but would eat when we fed her.  There is also an appetite stimulant called Mirtazapine; an internist at the vet teaching hospital prescribed it for Jessie and it really helped to get her to eat. My regular vet hadn't heard of it, so yours may not know about it either and it would be worth mentioning. Also, he may like some cooked bland food like boiled chicken without the skin and overcooked rice. A lot of dogs will eat that and then they can gradually be weaned onto a balanced food. Has an internist or internal medicine specialist been consulted; they may recommend other diagnostic procedures such as an ultra sound or x-rays to look for a mass or lesions on the liver or pancreas. Jessie had an ultrasound at a vet teaching hospital. I will keep you in my prayers; please feel free to ask me anything and I will try to help; ((( hugs ))).

 ETA: here's a link about Mirtazapine;    Mirtazapine

I have never had this come up with any of my dogs, but a few on the golden forums hae, and also my ex DIL's sisters pittie.  He would be quite sick and then get much better.  Only problem was her husband coudln't understand that they had to top giving him all the table scraps, etc.  So he would get sick again.  Also, he had had complications from ProHeart6 injections, the 3rd and last almost killed him.

 I know she had him on special diet, no scraps, etc, and he did pretty good---and would have done better had her husband listened to her about not giving him the fat off steaks, pieces of bacon, etc, etc.  Wishing you lots of luck with your "fur kid."

Cant advise but just wanted you to know we are sending really strong get better vibes your way!

Unfortunately, Abe crossed the rainbow bridge on Saturday night. We had visited him last that morning when he was looking so bad.

 I have been inconsolable the past 5 days. I feel like this is just a horrible dream and I want to wake up and have Abe right there so I can pet him and snuggle with him. I can't stop crying and wishing that I could hold him and rub his belly.

I will not forget the manner in which we were notified of his passing. I am going to write a post about it in the rainbow bridge thread. My heart is hurting so badly.