EPI * Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

I'm in the process of switching brands of kibble.  I used the food processer and ground up what I had left of the Royal Canin, and I have been using the equivelant of 1 cup of that and 1 cup of Innova.  For a couple of days before I started using the Innova I was using half ground and half

ground of the Royal Canin.  Yesterday and today I noticed that Oliver's poop was much bigger than usual, not ploppy, still a touch on the soft side. Sorry I don't have any pictures to show, it's cold and a little rainy so I didn't take the camera out. I'll try to get more poop pics.

Would grinding have any effect on poop?  Or it is probably the Innova?  I'm still giving him Tylan, been over 30 days, I haven't seen any slime recently.  I did get probiotics, but haven't started giving them yet, I was giving the new brand of food more time.  I got some samples of grain free food today, unfortunately the samples are only 4 ounces each, and each is a different variety.

We weighed in today - up to 88.8#.  He's gained a little over 3 pounds since his diagnosis.

Mary Lou,

Congratulations on the weight gain. I the beginning I tried grinding and I noticed no difference in Ted's poops whether I did or not. 

Hi Mary Lou, 

Congrats on the weight gain....that always feels good!  It could be the Innova as it looks like some of the varieties have grain in them.  EVO by the same company is grain free and you may want to consider switching to that instead.  We do not grind our kibble (BG brand) and the pups seem to do fine without our grinding.

Let us know how it goes.....

Thank you.  There is another grain free that I'm leaning towards, which of course I can't remember the name of right now.  Its protein is venison.  I have a sample of it, all that will do is let me know if he likes it or not, the sample is enough for one meal, mixed with what he's eating now.

I don't think I'll continue grinding, it was a spur of a moment thing, I was getting down to the bottome of the container of the Royal Canin and wanted to put the new food in the container.  I'll probably get the grain free and give the Innova to the lab.

One thing to remember for those that grind kibble:  Measure 1 cup before you grind.  If you are trying to adjust enzymes to a cup of ground you will most likely have to go over the starting formula of 1 cup kibble to 1 teaspoon of pancreatin 6x.

Frank

Another thought here. Try to only make one change at a time. I would be hesitant to mix 2 difference kind of dog food. If there is any upset, you won't know what caused it. And sometimes making more than once change at a time can make matters worse. Try something for a few days to see how it goes then if things start to downslide you can make another adjustment. Personally, I would stick with the grain free, it always worked well for CC. I also found that if I ground her kibble before I mixed in the enzymes, they were absorbed better.

Renee

I don't grind kibble either... I tried it, but Tara wouldn't eat it...

Like Kathy, we didn't see any difference whether we ground the kibble or not.We also did not have good luck with the Innova.

  Congrats on the weight gain.  As others have said, keep a detailed log.  It really gives you good information.

Barb

Hi,

I used to feed Kita Innova before the EPI onset.  Afterward she could not tolerate it very well.  The grinding should make no difference in the poop but if you grind and then measure you will be feeding more that if you measure and then grind  :-)

Also many of these dogs do better on only one protein source and I don't remember if Innova has more than one protein source or not. 

As has been mentioned it does have grain and that may be an issue for your dog.

I measured out a cup of Royal Canin, ground it, then measured it again so I'd know how much ground would equal a cup of not ground.  The Innova I haven't ground.  In the past I have always been told to make a gradual change from one food to another, so I have been mixing ground Royal Canin with unground Innova.  He had one meal with one cup of Royal Canin, ground, plus one cup not ground, then a mixture of one cup, ground (the equivalent of one cup not ground) Royal Canin and a cup of Innova.  It's been three days since I added the Innova; his poop is larger than it had been, and while formed, it is on the soft side.  I'm guessing it's the Innova.  The grain free version of Innova is pretty high in fat and protein.  I'm considering trying California Natural Grain Free, Venison.  Should I give the Innova a few more days, or just go get the Californina Natural?  Venison will be a totally new protein source.  Most of the kibble I've ever fed him has been chicken or turkey at the protein.

Thanks.

Hi Mary Lou,

You may find (like many of us here) Oliver is intolerant of poultry.... I think I would give the venison a try...

To change his food - should I just change it, or should I do it gradually? 

Thanks!

Hi Mary Lou,

The school of thought is:  If he's having a good stool, do it gradually, while if he's not, go cold turkey....

Gabi did not like the EVO either when we tried that one two years ago. I've switched to Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain. It's a one protein source of Lamb. We used to grind the kibble also, but she started to not eat it. She doesn't like the smell of wet kibbles (the gruel right before feeding is working fabulously for her).

Congrats on the weight gain!