EPI * Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

Hi Everyone

My little Lucy has had EPI for over a year now and she recently started to lose weight, but was fine in every other aspect (no bad poops or low energy) We had a blood test done to see if it was B12 because I was sure that is what it must be a low B12 - However the vet came back and told me that Lucy had a "mild anemia" I was curious if this has happened to any other EPI dogs on here?

Also I should have known because I had noticed the inside of her ears were WHITE instead of pink, and her four little paws would be cold sometimes - PLUS when giving the blood Lucy had to have it taken from each leg cause it was hardly coming out of her.

Anyway they said iron supplement wouldnt work becuase dogs dont work the same way humans do...which I dont understand and will have to ask my vet directly about that.

Any thoughts or ideas or experiences with something similar would be greatly apprecaited

Lucy & Alley

HI Lucy ~

I am so sorry to hear this... I do not have any experience with anemia.... but hopefully someone else will chime in.

Sorry Lucy - no experience here - did they give you iron to help?    

Well thankfully they did just say it was "mild"

No they didnt mention iron at all - I asked the Tech when I called and she said that because dogs do not operate the same way humans do we dont give them iron or iron supplements.  However I will be discussing this with my vet next time I see them.

I was just hoping someone had knowledge of this....  awww my poor Lucy - most wonderful dog in the world and yet she has to go through one thing after the other - Sometimes its hard to keep your chin up ...

Alley,

I know nothing about it but this is what I found.

 Anemia in Dogs: A Symptom, not a Disease

Anemia in dogs occurs when your dog's red blood cells are functioning improperly or simply aren't able to oxygenate his cells. Anemia in dogs can have a number of different causes involving blood loss, red blood cell destruction, and inadequate red blood cell production.  Injury, cancer, autoimmune disease, infectious disease, iron deficiency, and genetic defects can all be at the root of anemia in dogs. Thankfully, some causes of anemia in dogs can be cured with treatment.  

The most common symptom of anemia in dogs is pale gums. Anemic dogs may become weak and even collapse from time to time. Anemic dogs experience yellowing of the skin, weight loss, and vomiting. Blood may appear in the urine or feces. Anemic dogs may suffer from a loss of appetite and a distended abdomen.

Hemolytic anemia in dogs is an autoimmune disease-related type of anemia. Hemolytic anemia in dogs can be a primary condition or can occur as a result of another condition. Female dogs are at higher risk for developing hemolytic anemia. Some breeds are at higher risk than others for developing Hemolytic anemia. These include many types of spaniels, terriers, poodles and Dachsunds.  

Hemolytic anemia in dogs is a genetic predisposition. Dogs develop hemolytic anemia when environmental factors trigger their genetic predisposition. Bee venom, infectious agents, and zinc contamination may all be triggers for hemolytic anemia in dogs. Certain cancers and other immune disorders can trigger hemolytic anemia in dogs. Treatment involves use of steroid medications. Most dogs respond well to treatment and can resume normal lifestyles.

Anemia is never a disease in itself, but always a symptom of another illness. The diagnosis of the underlying cause of anemia in dogs can be difficult as there could be many possibilities. Your vet will perform blood and urine tests, but may need to conduct a range of tests including ultrasounds, radiographs, and immune tests. Once the diagnosis has been made, follow your vet's instructions carefully at home, while monitoring your dog for a return of symptoms

Hi Alley,

So sorry to hear little Lucy is going through this but good to hear its a mild case.

Kathy must have been reading the same article as I was!  Taking it from an enviromental angle, could Lucy have been stung by bees, come into contact with Zinc, also anemia can be caused by parasites.

I too was surprised that dogs weren't treated with iron supplements for anemia. 

Is your vet scheduling any further investigations?

Keep us posted on Lucy.

Thank you Kathy & Teddy & Debra

I actually had a gander at that article as well must not have much info online lOL

Anyway my vet has said that I am to give Lucy the 1tbsp of Rice Cereal (Baby Pablem) to her 1 cup of dog food for a month and then we make another appt to recheck her.

I was reading the Nutriional lable on the Rice Ceral and its %100 Iron and %100 B Vitamin so perhaps this is why it was recommended.

Also I found some info that recommends to give her liver/ lean ground beef or lamb and leafy greens - I will see how this goes and maybe check with the vet about those.

Im just shocked that Lucy is the only EPI dog to experience this - She really is special

Thanks Ladies & Pups : )

Hi Alley,

I have a full chem panel done every year on Tara and one year her potassium came back a tiny bit "off" and the vet sugessted to sprinkle "no salt" (potassium chloride) on her food...That was a few years ago and to date there have been no other issues with her panels...

So, Lucy isn't the only EPI dog to have experienced an anomolie...   I hope the rice cereal is as successful for you as the no salt was for us!!!

Good luck with the rice cereal Alley - and yes, Lucy is one special pup! :-)

Alley... thankfully Lucy's case is "mild" and please let us know how Lucy does on the rice cereal.....

Donna... when you say her potassium was off... do you mean low?

Hi Olesia,

Yeah, I meant low, but not alarmingly so. She (my vet) said it was within normal range, but at the very bottom of normal.

HI Alley, if you're hanging out on the forum still  - how is Lucy doing with the anemia?

Panda has pale gums and anemia and we'll be retesting her this week to see how that's going.  I need to talk to our vet about treatment if it doesn't look better from the other things we're doing, but with how pale they look today, I'm guessing she isn't better, although she seems pretty active normally.

I'd be interested to know how Lucy is doing, she sure is a beautiful dog and what a wonderful smile!

Laurie

Hi Laurie

Sorry I havent replied since your post months ago!  Been busy as the holidays and new year and all that.

Lucy seems to be doing well (we havent noticed any further problems) I will be having an appt made soon for her recheck and I can further update you then if we get some in house blood work done.

She is still however on the Rice Cereal and it seems to be working well for her.

How is Panda doing ? Did you have further testing or medicating done for the anemia?

Hi Lucy,

I'm glad Alley is doing well and that the Rice Cereal is working.  that's great!

Panda still has anemia and because she also is losing protein in her urine our vet was more concerned about this than her digestive issues.  Our vet came up with the possibility of a tick borne disease, Ehrlichiosis, because these two things are symptoms.  So last week we had a blood draw done and later this week we'll find out if it's positive.  Hopefully we'll find out this week, I am anxious to know the results.  The treatment is doxycycline, the same sort of antibiotic the people get for gum disease and I think also acne, so it's not one of the more high powered types and you can use it for a long course, which I suspect Ehrlichia needs.  

We have noticed that when we feed her beef, her gums get pinker for awhile, about an hour after eating, which is interesting. 

Anyway, that's all we know right now.

Thanks for asking! 

Laurie

Brilliant news

You just have to keep chipping away

Jxxxx

I thought it was interesting to read that vitamin supplements should be given to an anemic dog. In particular, B vitamins are essential in strenthening a dog's bone marrow, which is responsible for producing red blood cells. Supplementing an anemic dog with B vitamins (especially B12) is therefore helpful.Vitamin C helps the body to absorb iron from the intestinal tract.   I guess my thought was, that once again vitamin B12 plays a very large role.

Debra is right, parasitic infection (worms, fleas, ticks...), or a toxic response to a drug or poison (mouse, rat or other poisons) can be the reason this happens.  You mentioned checking out greens and liver...nutritional yeast along with B12 which offers the same benefits as liver.  Please keep us posted...the baby cereal is a great idea.

Laurie~

Please do post when you have the Erlichea test results...... My eldest has Erlichea and we had to treat him 3 times over the course of 1.5 years before we were finally able to get it in check.... and although Doxycycline is a great drug... you do have to be mindful of liver issues when giving it to treat Erlichea... so if this does come to pass... please be sure to talk to your vet, be proactive and ask them to test the liver first.... put the dog on Milk Thistle while on Doxy and, make sure they test the liver after the Doxy regimen......better to be safe than sorry.

Hi Linda,

That is really interesting.  Beef is loaded with B vitamins, iron and zinc.  And we'll supplement in a couple of days for vitamins, once we get the stuff we're going to use.   She's getting B12 even though she's in the normal range, seems I'd be happier with high normal...    And Vitamin C with bioflavinoids.  I read that this also can help with pain.  Yes, B12 must be awfully important.   I've wondered about nutritional yeast and was going to ask about that at some point, so I'm glad you mentioned it.

Laurie

Hi Olesia, I didn't see your post before, our posts must have crossed in the ether.

Thank you for the heads about about having to keep treating Ehrlichea and I'm glad to know about liver issues.  I asked to have her liver checked first, but our vet said they already had checked it and it was OK, so I'll insist that we retest it if we have to treat for this. I don't think that will be a problem with this vet.   How often do you think it should be tested?  I'll give milk thistle too.  I made some milk thistle tea awhile ago and she likes it in her food, so that helps.  I actually have a lipotropic here for humans and I'd like to post the ingredients to see what you guys think of it.  I'll ask our vet too.

And I will defiitely post her results.  This may sound odd, but probably not here...I actually hope it IS Ehrlichiosis becuase then we'd know what it is and could treat for it...  We'll know some time between Thursday and Monday or so.  Hoping Thursday...

Thank you!

Laurie