EPI * Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

Hi!

I finnaly went to the appointment with a specialist. He clear out all my doubts.

I'll get Maddie to do the TLI, cobalamin e folate exams next saturday (24th), but the results will still take some time, because it go to US then came back, so at least 15 days.

Another thing he said to me is that EPI is hereditary. And there are no medicine to prevent. That scared me a little bit, because Kenzo is the father of Maddie and I just picked up Olivia, that is his daughter too, but the problem could be with Maddie's mom too.

And he asked me to trade CREON for Pancreatin, he said that it is so much better. And if I want to trade home made food for dry food I should at least mixed up some wet food with the powder first to ensure that all the powder is absorbed.

That's all for now!

Hi Melissa ~

Funny... I was just thinking of you earlier today.....So nice to hear from you!

Ahhhhhh ...........so they send the the blood in to be tested in the US. This is good to know. Thank you. 

The specialist is correct... there is no medicine to prevent EPI.... and yes it is highly "suspected" to be hereditary... although not proven yet. 

What the EPI Researchers think is that it is a polygenetic disorder which means more then one gene is involved in order to cause this disease. .... And (but they are not sure yet) there may be a possibility that non-genetic components are also involved....

Dr. Leigh Anne Clark and Dr. Keith Murphy are actually doing studies on this right now  http://www.epi4dogs.com/research.htm   Hopefully we will have some genetic indication on this soon...

But... with all that said.... please do not stress out about Kenzo and Olivia... just yet.... because although it very well may be hereditery... it does not mean that "all" offsrping will get EPI... What we do advise is if one puppy develops EPI... do not to breed those two parents (who produced that puppy) to each other againin the future.... but you cannot change what has already happened... jsut be aware of who has what :wink:.

Regarding the CREON vs. Pancreatin.  According to all the EPI earlier studies, everything suggests that Pancreatin powder is the best method to treat EPI.... however...many times  Pancreatin powder is not available in some places... or the proper strenght is not available.... but CREON is..... so many folks do use CREON and with great success.

We have many folks here on the FORUM who use CREON successfully. As a matter of fact....we have people here who use generic Pancreatin powder... but have also tried CREON capsules with success too.  I think once you figure out the right amount of CREON that your dog needs... an EPI dog will do just fine on it.

If i remember correctly you were having trouble finding the correct potency in the powdered pancreatin... yes?

I guess what i am trying to say is that your specialist is correct... but if Maddie is doing fine on the CREON..... i personally would stay on the CREON.  Remember... If she is pooping well... then all is well :).

I also agree with your specialist's comment on the food... if you want to switch to dry food... and if you are using powder... yes....definitely include something moist and or wet... this will help the enzymes be more evenly distributed in the food. digest the food better and lessen the possibility of mouth sores.

Hi Melissa,

Good to hear from you. 

Don't stress out too much, you are doing fine with Maddie.  Olesia has given some good information/advice re the enzyme powder v creon, so I can't add anything else.

Keep us updated on Maddie's progress.....and don't forget to breath:wink:

Hello Melissa and Maddie,

I can understand your worry over Olivia with her and Maddie both being Kenzo daughters.  But it sounds like they have different mothers, so that should help ease your mind a little.  With the EPI experience you have gained with Maddie you know what to watch for with Olivia (even though she will probably be just fine) and can take action early.  Give Kenzo, Maddie and Olivia each a hug from me please     And yourself a pat on the back - you are doing great navigating the EPI maze!

Hi everyone,

Sorry to be away for so long but I¹ve been working a lot for the lsst few weeks, at least I came back with some good news.

I changed Maddie¹s enzymes, she now uses pancreatin, and she finally gain some weight (for good I hope). In the last month she gained about 2lb, she now weights 16lb!!!

TLI finally came back, it took almost 21 days, and she really have EPI - TLI = 0,41, Folate - 17,8 (she has SIBO) and cobalamin - 384, she does¹t suffer of malabsorption..

So that¹s it for now.

Thank you girls!

Hi Melissa and Maddie~

YEAH on the good news!!! So you finally worked out the right dosage of pancreatin? I am so happy to hear that Maddie gained weight....

geeeezzzzzzzzzzz 21 day for the TLI results.... that was a long time!

Sorry to hear that she has SIBO too.... but that happens often with the EPI diagnosis, am sure you will have it under control soon with antibiotics.

When you have time, please post pictures. Maddie is such a cutie!

Hi Melissa,

That's great news that Maddie is doing well!!!  Wow, 21 days is an awful long time!  BTW, how did you get the blood out of the country and into the US??  Was there an issue with customs?  We have another member here trying to figure out how to get the blood from Mexico to Texas...Your experience would be very helpful!!

Hi Melissa,

Fantastic news that Maddie is doing good.  Happy Weight Gain Dance coming her way.. 2 whole pounds..........She carries on like this, she'll be another member of the 'Chunky Monkey' club.............now wouldn't that be great?

Yes, that would be good if you could tell us how you managed to send the blood sample to the US.

You are doing so well, you should be proud of yourself..

I second Olesia's hint for some photo's of Maddie.

My sister has Bonnie's sister called Holly and she doesn't have EPI..... so don't worry too much about that.

Happy Dance coming your way Melissa.  Yaaaaayyyyyy!!!!! for Maddie.

Lynn & girls.

Hi Melissa.  So glad Maddie is doing so well.  Congrats on the weight gain! 

Hi girls,

Thanks again for the support!

Actually, I haven't send the blood to the U.S., I paid a lab to do it for me, so I really can help.

kisses

Kenzo, Olivia & Maddie

Melissa ~

AHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... i love, LOVE, LOVE these pictures of Kenzo, Olivia and Maddie.... they look like lovely snow cones to be enjoyed!!!

Melissa... i will be doing a 2011 epi4dogs calendar soon... and will be asking for pictures from members of our EPI family  - - you have just  got to send me some of these pictures!!!