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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > Turns out Maya has EPI re soft mushy poops previous post (38 replies)
by Abby Normal on 15 March 2012 - 19:43 |
| I agree, I am not a big fan of vet prescription diets either. Maybe it would be good to checkout the EPI yahoo group, it is certainly what I would do in your situation. It is generally a case of fine tuning diet, amounts and the amount of enzymes to find out what works best. I have never believed that kibble works best with enzymes. JMO. Don;t be afraid to experiment with the food and enzymes to get it right. Don't go wild and change each and every meal, but check out the yahoo group, make a decision based on others' experience and try it out. Green tripe is a great food IMO as part of a diet and my friends EPI dog does very well on it. The part commercial she has is a wet food, not kibble. |
Abby Normal by LynOD on 16 March 2012 - 17:55 |
| With EPI dogs it helps to give them food that are easily digested. Raw food is much more easily digested than kibble for sure. But there are some quality kibbles that people have had some success with. they too are listed in files on the yahoo group. Very helpful people with a boatload of info. My vet refers people there after me telling her about it. Lyn |
by Kalibeck on 17 March 2012 - 16:26 |
| Eldee, the food should still be incubated with the enzymes before feeding. My vet said the same thing, no need to wait, but the EPI group explained it as the only way you know for sure that all the food has come into contact with the enzymes, & is being affected by the enzymes. Any food that goes through your dog's digestive track untouched by the enzymes will stir up the gut & possibly cause SIBO, the build up of bad bacteria in your dog's intestines. So, your vet may think you're 'fussy', but after all, the dog is your friend, & you have to live with her. Once you learn more about EPI & start having some success with your dog, you'll feel more confident making decisions about your pet's health. Also changes in your dog's diet will not change her stools immediately, but you will notice improvement over a few days. Don't make changes too frequently, give maybe a week to see some results, unless of course the dog has a very negative reaction to a change. My girl eats raw pancreas & enzymes in most meals. Hope this helps! jackie harris |
Kalibeck by Eldee on 17 March 2012 - 23:15 |
| thanks for the referral to that epi yahoo group site. it has been most helpful and i feel better knowing that there are other people in the same boat as me with an EPI dog. She is getting her enzymes every meal and has put on a bit of weight. her poops are firmer, but tonight her tummy is really making noise. I hope she will be ok tonight. |
Eldee by 1doggie2 on 19 March 2012 - 01:24 |
| I am so sorry you are going thru this. I have found great success here, over the vets at times. Read and talk to the posters who are dealing with this, will save you time and money and discomfort for your dog. Then talk to your vet, if you find something here you wish to try, get your vet onboard with you so the dog can be monitored. |
by LynOD on 19 March 2012 - 18:44 |
| If she is really gassy you can give her Pepcid A.C. with her meals for a while. This should lessen as she stabilizes. My girl was very gassy as well now as long as she does not get a hold of any Poop (yes she eats poop) she is not gassy at all. If she does get poop well then you can imagine what she smells like and she gets banned to the kitchen :( Lyn |
by gwritercstk on 20 March 2012 - 16:59 |
| I had a female GSD that had it she lived to be 8 years old. You can go to revivalanimal.com they have a product called biocase V it is the same ingredients as viocase and much cheaper...also if you can find a meat processor raw pancrease also helps, and is even cheaper. |
by Eldee on 20 March 2012 - 22:11 |
| The EPI yahoo site told me about enzymediane.com and her prices for pancreatin 6x are not expensive considering what I was paying for them at my vets. Maya also eats her poop and I think this doesn't help her tummy rumblings, she is now leashed when we go out at night. She is not liking that but too bad sister. I am letting her chew a raw bone from the butcher, I removed the marrow and the fat and meat. I think if she keeps eating all this soft broken down food her teeth will turn to mash too. She has gained about 3 pounds in the past week and her poops are no longer runny. I am feeling alot better than I was a week ago when I almost decided to put her down. But I couldn't do that without doing all I could for her. She is now back to being her bad old self. thank goodness. |
by Spam on 21 March 2012 - 09:30 |
| I too have a bitch that was diagnosed with EPI 4 years ago, initially we thought we were going to lose her as food was coming out exactly in the same form as it went in, basically starving to death. Now she is healthy as hell. Keep her on the same diet all the time as I have found even changing flavour of complete food from Lamb to Chicken upsets her. I feed her 3 times a day (enzymes on every meal) to help, but as I said healthy and happy. Only treats she has is her kibble, boring but safe. Enzymes we use are Tryplase which are expensive but effective. |
by Eldee on 21 March 2012 - 10:53 |
It would be very worth your while to go to enzymediane.com and check out her prices for Pacreatin 6x much more affordable and all you have to do is read her website especially the testimonial section ( it goes on and on) and it will save you alot of money. |
by LynOD on 21 March 2012 - 14:53 |
| Eidee, Sounds like you are on the right track. Poop eating is terrible for them and my girl is a master at it. I swear she will crap when I am not looking just to have a snack !! DISGUSTING! I did feed her three smaller meals a day initially til she was more stable then switched to 2 x per day. The poop will upset her system for sure. Lyn |
by Spam on 21 March 2012 - 18:52 |
| Eldee the web site you mention is US site I'm in UK so high shipping costs. Poop eating is definitely a problem, my girl will go to great lengths to self clear. The occasional time she suceeds doesn't seem to affect her though. Also magpies happily tuck in to her poop, I imagine there is a lot of undigested goodness left in it. |
by Eldee on 10 April 2012 - 22:18 |
| Maya has gained 18 pounds in two months. the enzymes I order from enzymediane.com and they are a lot cheaper than the vets. her poops are back to normal and she is a bundle of energy once again. It was really a trip through the looking glass the last two months but as you posters said it is just a matter of time to get into the routine. thanks once again for helping Maya!! |
by Blitzen on 10 April 2012 - 23:09 |
| Outstanding!!! |
Blitzen by SitasMom on 10 April 2012 - 23:23 |
thanks for the update glad everything is working out for you. |
by Kalibeck on 11 April 2012 - 05:33 |
| Congratulations! I'm so glad to hear some good news! jackie harris |
by Renofan2 on 11 April 2012 - 13:04 |
| Glad Maya is doing so well. I also have a 6 year old diagnosed with EPI at age 2. At one point the enzymes stopped working and she dropped to 46 lbs. Sibo can go hand in hand with EPI, so be aware that things can change with your current protocal and may have to be adjusted. I treat Molly with Tylan for Sibo during flare ups (can buy from Amazon) for about a month. She also gets montly b12 shots. She has not had a flare up for two years. At first I fed her 4 small meals per day but gradually went back to 2 x per day. I do give bones and would get chicken when I tracked her. So glad Maya is doing so much better. C |
Renofan2 by Eldee on 13 April 2012 - 20:01 |
| How would I know a) if she has SIBO and b) if she needs a b12 shot? I am assuming if her poops get yucky again. But the B12 would she be less energetic? |
by Renofan2 on 14 April 2012 - 02:50 |
| When Molly was tested they also checked her b12 levels. I didn't know it until a friend told me about it in respect to her epi dog. I called my vet and they had tested her and her levels were low. You start out giving a shot every week, then go to every other week and then 1 x per month. Energy level with Molly is a little low when her b12 is low but her poops are also mushy. B12 helps with that too. As for Sibo, hard to test. Sometimes the test does not show Molly is in a flare up but when enzymes are not working, I treat her for the sibo. She responds to the tylan very quickly. I don't even test for the sibo anymore, just treat when she has issues. Have not had to treat with tylan for over a year now. C |
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