EPI * Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

Can I give maisy the odd dog chew...I think they are rawhide, or will this also affect them ?  I realise she is now only eating food which she doesn't even have to chew ! Chews help their teeth keep clean don't they ?

Hi Lucy,

As to the rawhide dog chews, I don't know if they're a good idea, but I'm sure others will chime in here also.   I have not fed Megg a rawhide chew in the 3 years that she's had EPI but I do give her a bone about once a week & she seems to be able to manage that o.k.  At first though, even a bone was a no-no.  

When I give her a bone, I feed her first, then she has the bone straight away afterwards.  She has Creon capsules as her enzymes so I usually just pop her another capsule half way through the bone.   I know it is a worry with their teeth due to the food they eat but I do know that quite a few people here give their dogs the occasional bone so hopefully some will pop in here & share what they do.

Lynn & girls.

Hi Lucy,

We don't give rawhide but do give Bully Sticks or raw buffalo bones once a week.  Like Lynn, we give them directly following the meal and Creon capsule.   At first it did not work out too well but lately Boss has been fine with about a 3" Bully Stick and the raw bone I have been picking up after he has chewed on it for just a short while.  He is a delicate chewer (compared to Scout who is also known by the nickname "Gator") so does not consume much of the raw bone very fast.  Hope that helps

Becky

I've only had my Daisy stable a few days but i gave her a rawhide chew 2 days ago and we had no problems, only thing you can really do is try and see.

HI Lucy,

The general rule of thumb is until the dog is completely stable for several months, there should be nothing outside of food and enzymes...That said, if you really feel the need to Maisey a rawhide, Lynn is correct in that it should be right after a meal that had enzymes in it.

Thanks everyone.

Lucy:

You've been given great information about giving treats.  It varys from dog to dog but some do well with treats after they are stable and if the treat is given close to meal/enzyme time.  Akira can have treats...even something that's kind of greasy like a pigs ear, if it's given within an hour or so of having her enzymes.

Hi Lucy ~

I personally tend to give raw meaty bones for the teeth (I trim the fat but leave a fair amount of meat on it) , 2 or 3 times a week, and i too give it about 20 minute before or after meal time.

As far as cheating and giving them something without enzymes..... as Linda said each dog is different and you'll have to do trial an error with your dog (test the waters so to speak) but as Donna said..... if possible, do not try to cheat and give them something without enzymes and not near a meal until your dog has been stable for a while. A while usually means a couple of months of good poops. One of the reasons why we say "wait until stable"  is because sometimes if you cheat before the dog is really stable it seems like we "re-activate" SIBO or we "re-activate" something bad........the best way I can explain it is that it is as if the dog "appears to be doing well, good chocolate brown poops, no gas, etc. but if you start cheating too son after this.... after a few days or a week....all of a sudden poops will start getting a little sloppy and then little by little it is almost like, "uh-oh... now  the dog has mushy poo again and you have to work at getting the firmer poops back... and sometimes you have to start them on antibiotics again.....  .... so this is why,  if possible, we recommend for most dogs to wait for a couple of months of stabilization before you start cheating without enzymes and/or without timing the non-enzyme treated treat  near an enzyme treated meal. (boy, that was a mouthful!!!) .... 

Hi Lucy, Gunner's  favourite is a rawhide bone but he hasn't had one in months,  I have however found a real tough rubber bone from the maker Rogz, its not quite the same, but he is giving it a real good chew, and it has stayed in tact, it has a hole in one end for treats to be stuffed, so you could stuff some of her food with the enzymes into the hole,   I searced for something that he couldn't bite pieces off of, and that wasnt' nylon or rawhide, this seemed the best option, and you can hear him rubbing his teeth up and down on it,  it cost about £10, but worth it, he love throwing it around as well!!!!!

hiya, new to all this and as i am in the process of training my puppy, the treat question has come to mind.  as i have previously posted epi hasnt been 100% confirmed yet, that will be on tuesday  however, i like to get prepared.  so what can i give him as a reward?  (he is deaf, so the squeaky toy idea wont work).  

he has just started on a nylabone, which he seems to be enjoying, not the edibile type, but the chewer one, they claim to clean teeth and help with jaw development

We have two Havanese (Cooper has EPI and Eli does not); they both love their rawhide treats at 9p daily, thank you.    wink, wink

We ensure the rawhide treats are American made, and haven't had any problems. 

Lesley... for a reward i have a special tuggy rope that i play with... it is an interactive reward ... i use this when i ask Izzy to do search & rescue problems for me....(find something for me, when she finds it and "shows" me where it is), i whip out this tuggy and we play tug of war with it. She LOVES it .  I have also used this when i did some agility exercises wtih Izzy.

However, when i did tracking i bought fresh beef liver and /or fresh beef heart, cut into TINY cubes. bake in the oven until there is a nice skin on the outside but still chewy on the inside... and i used these as bait for tracking training.... BUT... this is something you should not do until after your dog becaomes stable on the enzymes, etc. (give treats without enzymes) .... When you get the TLI results back... we will help  you out with  this