Pancreatic enzyme response with an elemental diet.

Elemental diets can maintain or slightly improve the nutritional status without a major stimulatory effect on the pancreas. Six dogs were maintained with a regular chow diet, switched to an elemental diet and, subsequently, returned to a chow diet. Cannulation of the pancreatic duct through a duodenal cutaneous fistula revealed the enzyme response to be decreased in a dog maintained with an elemental diet, with no or only a slight weight gain. Return to a regular diet resulted in a return of pancreatic enzyme response.