EPI * Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency
managing EPI
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| Forum Home > General Discussion > B12 injectable shortage | ||
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Member Posts: 106 |
Has anyone been told by their vet that B12 injectable is becoming unobtainable? We have been giving Onza weekly B12 injections at home now for about 2+ years. One bottle does last a long, long time (we are just now on our 2nd bottle). Yesterday our vet told us that he could no longer get the B12 injectable; his 2nd source has dried up. He had issues getting it in the recent past, had obtained a source, and now that source has no more. This is a little alarming. Has anyone else been told this? Fortunatey for Onza, she is doing great. And we have a new bottle of B12 that should last a long time. But it is still disturbing to hear about a shortage of anything our EPI pups are so dependent on. Just of note, also we give her her a daily B12 3000 mg sublingual tablet that I buy at the MedicineShoppe in Raleigh NC. This has helped to keep up her levels, of course, along w/the injections. Thank you for any response. Donna W, William and Onza | |
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-- Onza - 6 years old in July 2011. Beautifull, extremely intelligent and diagnosed with EPI in April 2009 with TLi 0.4 ... she lost down to 55 lbs before we found Olesia through friends in our Schutzhund Club. So thankful to her and this wonderful website that gave us hope and guidance. "Be extra kind to everyone you encounter, because everyone is fighting a battle of some kind"... Donna W and William in Raleigh NC
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Member Posts: 2548 |
We have not heard that.... yet. Like you, we have a new bottle and they do last a long time (if stored properly in a cool, dark place). Will be interesting to see what others have heard........ | |
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-- ~Becky~
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Member Posts: 2190 |
I am sure if you look on the internet you will be able to get them somewhere good luck jx | |
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-- Kara:: adopted at five months old 26th December 2009 always hungry more than any of my other dogs became noticeably distressed August 2010 Two vet visits and............. Diagnosed with EPI at 14 months old September 2010 tli<1.00 folate 8.3 cobalimin 611 taking 2 Oxytet antibiotics 3 times a day and eating Nutrix grain free duck and potato kibble and starting to put weight on currently 33 kilos as of 20th June 2011 we also use Tylan if we dont have the time to use the oxytet as it has to be on an empty tum, enzymes at the moment Pancrex granules 3 teaspoons per meal she is 2 yrs old as of 21st July 2011 "UNCONDITIONAL LOVE WAS INVENTED BY DOGS"
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Member Posts: 751 |
I did not hear about a B12 shortage BUT bad news... I did hear about a Metro shortage from the vet. | |
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-- Kain, 4 yr. old GSD, Mom, Nicole, Dad, Joe, Sister Angel, 7 year old GSD, Sister Noni, 7 year old cat, and Twin Sisters, Eva and Mia, age 4. B-12: 369, TLI: less than 1, Folate: 15.7.Started Enzymes 1/14/11, 1 tsp./c, 2 1/2 cups fed once daily and 1 cup fed once daily. Nature's Variety, TOTW, Back to Basics, California Natural, all in monthly rotation, Let enzymes set 30 min. Low weight, 48 lbs, down from high of ONLY 66. Bi-Weekly B-12 shot of 1.4ml. All time high weight EVER on 12/11/11 at 71 lbs., one of the happiest days of my life, honestly, it is up there with some memorable days! *NEW WEIGHT of 76 lbs.!*
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Member Posts: 54 |
yes there is a shortage on b12 from the manufacturer. i work in a hospital pharmacy and we are told the supplier is just not producing it at this time, we have not been able to get it in stock. i would see if any pharmacy in your area has any left and have vet give you and rx for it, hopefully get you through until the shortage is over. | |
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-- chrissy and peanut 5yr old chihuahua lowest weight 5.13 lbs after 3 weeks 7lbs..
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Member Posts: 277 |
I had to get some a month or so ago. In my search for the best price online and in the area I found many online sources to be out of stock. I did find it at a local drug store at the grocery store and it was on their discounted list so it was 4 or 8 dollars i dont remember exactly. It is amazing how much of this stuff goes out of stock | |
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-- Enzyme Diane, Diane Sloan, Concord Twp, OH, Pancreatin **17.64 oz Pancreatin 6x Digestive Enzymes $70-Compared to Viokase V ** Enzyme Supplement Orders: www.EnzymeDiane.com, Sarge DOB 11/31/00 GSD/EPI Dx'd 8/05 @ 71# TLI .3, Cobalamin 99, Folate 15.5. 2tsp Pancreatin 6x Supplement, 2 c 4 Health 2x per day, b12 injections,
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Member Posts: 4186 |
I just ordered a vial from my vet today as my current one was expiring and they didn't tell me there was a problem...Told me it would be in on Tuesday...Fingers, toes and paws crossed!!! | |
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-- Donna
Owned by Tara, a 8 YO GSD w/EPI and DM dx'd at about a year old. Fed Taste of the Wild Lamb formular kibble and enhance this diet with cooked meat, veggies and fruit, Enzymes: Pancreatin 8x - 1 tsp per cup of food. Suppliments include 1000 mg Wild Salmon oil, Glucosomine/Chondrotin/MSM and Probiotic acidophilus. Stable since 2005 Also owned by sidekicks' Zoey my rescued GSD and Max, a 10 MO PWC rescue - along with Tess (GSD) and Zeke (PWC) with Angel wings
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Member Posts: 60 |
Yikes I hope not on both cases (B12 & Metro). I just ordered more B12. They were going to check to see if it would be cheaper this go around to get the vial and disposable needles or have them prefill. When he was getting 1x a month it was cheaper for them to prefill. Now he's on 2x a month. | |
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-- Maxie - 11 year old dapple doxie dx with EPI complicated by Hypocobalaminemia in June 2010. He gets just
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Member Posts: 992 |
Cedar just ran out so I will check out Costco and pick up a few if I can. Don't know if it's the same situation up here in Canada. | |
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- Barb -
Mom to Cedar, diagnosed with EPI Nov 1, 2010, TLI 1.2, April 2011 B12 310 (150-700), Folate 31 (7-39); Dec 2011 B12 349 (150-700), Folate 18 (7-39); now on B12 injections weekly; 1 3/4 tsp pancreatin 8X/meal, 1 1/4 c Evo Red Meat Grain free + 1/2 c add ins (pork, salmon, sardines, haddock, egg, pumpkin are the usual), 1/3 c water, incubated x 30 minutes; 2 meals/day; current weight 69.9 lbs. Also has Pannus; treated with tacrolimus ointment 2 x daily each eye and gets 100 ug Vit E daily for immature cataracts. Also Mom to pupkids Bree and Griffin, and catkids Abby, Diamond and Max...and skinkid Ayden
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Member Posts: 1843 |
I just ordered some too and I didn't get a notice that it is not available yet. However it is the week-end, so we will see what Monday brings. What a bummer that would be--the suppliers will be besieged by a lot of EPI dog owners if there is a shortage. They will have to deal with the force of this Forum!! I did notice that two of the places online that had large bottles are now back-ordered. Barb | |
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Member Posts: 992 |
I just picked up 3 x 10 ml vials today at Costco...no mention of a shortage and they haven't had trouble getting stock. | |
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- Barb -
Mom to Cedar, diagnosed with EPI Nov 1, 2010, TLI 1.2, April 2011 B12 310 (150-700), Folate 31 (7-39); Dec 2011 B12 349 (150-700), Folate 18 (7-39); now on B12 injections weekly; 1 3/4 tsp pancreatin 8X/meal, 1 1/4 c Evo Red Meat Grain free + 1/2 c add ins (pork, salmon, sardines, haddock, egg, pumpkin are the usual), 1/3 c water, incubated x 30 minutes; 2 meals/day; current weight 69.9 lbs. Also has Pannus; treated with tacrolimus ointment 2 x daily each eye and gets 100 ug Vit E daily for immature cataracts. Also Mom to pupkids Bree and Griffin, and catkids Abby, Diamond and Max...and skinkid Ayden
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Member Posts: 884 |
They sell B12 at costco? Where? Is it the injectable or tablets? | |
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-- Proud mommy to Vito, 3(?) yr old GSD. 90lbs, goal weight 85-90lbs (ACHIEVED!). Tested positive for EPI on March 30th, 2011. His TLI was 1.0, Cobalamin 225, Folate 22. Feeding 2 cups of Taste of the Wild Bison once a day with one teaspoon of Pancreatin 8x enzymes per meal. Also proud mommy of a (non EPI) Belgian Malinois tripod named Lizzie. That means three legs. "Sometimes it takes an imperfection to create perfection."
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Member Posts: 727 |
This isn't good news at all. Recently I have been speaking to a few people who raw feed their EPI dogs. It was because I was having terrible problems getting Wallace to eat and as you do, you try everything. But I discovered a couple of interesting things.
Now admittedly this is a small group, so they are maybe just lucky EPI owners not having to cope with SIBO!! They like us, all got to know each other through EPI. But you do start to think why SIBO isn't a problem for them. Could there be something in the commercial foods that provides a good environment in the gut for the bacteria that raw feeding doesn't? The lady I spoke with has a dog that has had EPI for 6 years, all of her dogs are raw fed, and her EPI girl thrives on raw food and pig pancreas. Anyway if people are having problems getting B12 then maybe adding an ounce of liver or heart once a week would be an acceptable alternative rather than going without. Just a thought. xox | |
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-- Wallace rescue GSD. Currently feeding James Wellbeloved Turkey and Vegetable Cereal Free and some Butcher's Tripe. Four teaspoons Pancrex Granules and 2 Lypex capsules per meal. (Will go back to raw pig pancreas soon.) Three meals a day 3 times per week, 2 meals a day the other 4 days otherwise he stops eating. Tylan 1/8 teaspoon twice a day (this is half the recommended dose for his weight but the recommended dose made his poos soft!) Synbiotic D-C (probiotic and prebiotic) capsule once a day. Monthly B12 injection.
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Member Posts: 919 |
Hi Gillian, That is interesting about the raw feeders...but it could just be that they are lucky. We feed kibble and cooked ground turkey (or sometimes canned food with kibble, like when they board) and neither of our pups have had SIBO (should I say yet?). Pharaoh was dx 1 1/2 years ago and Taiko a year ago. Both dogs are low B12 so we give weekly injections at home. It would be interesting to see if the majority of raw feeders of dogs with epi don't get SIBO or is there something in what they are feeding that is the factor...or just coincidence? | |
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-- Terry Mom of two EPI Shiloh Shepherds: Pharaoh born Nov. 2007 (dx December 2009) and his older half sister,Taiko born Sept. 2006 (dx June 2010). Pharaoh was 62.4 lbs. when diagnosed in 12/2009 and 10/31/11 his weight was 76.6 and 82.5 lbs on 1/28/12. Received six weeks of B12 shots Jan-Feb 2010 but his B12 on 8/10/2010 was only 232. Taiko's weight was 70.7 lbs. in June 2010 (time of diagnosis) and on 10/31/11 was 80.4 and on 1/28/12 was 84 (2 lbs. over vet's max weight for her). B12 was 211 in June 2010 and 293 on 8/10/10 (after getting weekly shots). Both pups receive B12 shots weekly at home. Both are fed twice a day Costco grain free brand: 2 cups kibble in the morning with 4 crushed tblets and 2 1/2 cups evening with 4 1/2 crushed tablets; plus each meal also get cooked ground turkey (app 1/4 lb. each meal) or half a can of dog food.
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Member Posts: 4186 |
Hi Gillian.
While I tried raw many years ago in the beginning of this journey from folks that told me it was the ONLY way, it didn't help us and in fact made things worse as Tara got a bacterial infection from it (yes - it does happen). Tara also never had SIBO, IMHO, but we treated her with the initial 30 days of metro (she has a reaction to Tylan) and have not dealt with it since and that was many years ago...
B12 in EPI dogs is not absorbed through food (thus the injections), so I'd wonder why folks think that certain foods can help with B12??
If you really want to learn about raw food, good and bad, check out this list: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Kitchen/ Here they feed raw. cooked and kibble with no argument as to what is better as they all have their faults...There is not perfect food to feed. | |
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-- Donna
Owned by Tara, a 8 YO GSD w/EPI and DM dx'd at about a year old. Fed Taste of the Wild Lamb formular kibble and enhance this diet with cooked meat, veggies and fruit, Enzymes: Pancreatin 8x - 1 tsp per cup of food. Suppliments include 1000 mg Wild Salmon oil, Glucosomine/Chondrotin/MSM and Probiotic acidophilus. Stable since 2005 Also owned by sidekicks' Zoey my rescued GSD and Max, a 10 MO PWC rescue - along with Tess (GSD) and Zeke (PWC) with Angel wings
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Member Posts: 992 |
I was thinking the same Donna about the absorption of the B12 from the organ meats unless there is intrinsic factor somehow available in them...can't figure that though. Alyssa, I live in Ontario and up here B12 injectable is available without prescription and yes Costco carries it, really really cheap. I paid $20 today for the 3 (10ml) vials. My understanding from others based in the US is that it requires a prescription and I don't know if Costco US carries it. Sorry, I should have been more clear about that since we Canucks are a minority membership here on the Forum. | |
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- Barb -
Mom to Cedar, diagnosed with EPI Nov 1, 2010, TLI 1.2, April 2011 B12 310 (150-700), Folate 31 (7-39); Dec 2011 B12 349 (150-700), Folate 18 (7-39); now on B12 injections weekly; 1 3/4 tsp pancreatin 8X/meal, 1 1/4 c Evo Red Meat Grain free + 1/2 c add ins (pork, salmon, sardines, haddock, egg, pumpkin are the usual), 1/3 c water, incubated x 30 minutes; 2 meals/day; current weight 69.9 lbs. Also has Pannus; treated with tacrolimus ointment 2 x daily each eye and gets 100 ug Vit E daily for immature cataracts. Also Mom to pupkids Bree and Griffin, and catkids Abby, Diamond and Max...and skinkid Ayden
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Member Posts: 992 |
I was thinking the same Donna about the absorption of the B12 from the organ meats unless there is intrinsic factor somehow available in them...can't figure that though. Alyssa, I live in Ontario and up here B12 injectable is available without prescription and yes Costco carries it, really really cheap. I paid $20 today for the 3 (10ml) vials. My understanding from others based in the US is that it requires a prescription and I don't know if Costco US carries it. Sorry, I should have been more clear about that since we Canucks are a minority membership here on the Forum. | |
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- Barb -
Mom to Cedar, diagnosed with EPI Nov 1, 2010, TLI 1.2, April 2011 B12 310 (150-700), Folate 31 (7-39); Dec 2011 B12 349 (150-700), Folate 18 (7-39); now on B12 injections weekly; 1 3/4 tsp pancreatin 8X/meal, 1 1/4 c Evo Red Meat Grain free + 1/2 c add ins (pork, salmon, sardines, haddock, egg, pumpkin are the usual), 1/3 c water, incubated x 30 minutes; 2 meals/day; current weight 69.9 lbs. Also has Pannus; treated with tacrolimus ointment 2 x daily each eye and gets 100 ug Vit E daily for immature cataracts. Also Mom to pupkids Bree and Griffin, and catkids Abby, Diamond and Max...and skinkid Ayden
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Member Posts: 884 |
Darn! I should bribe you to send me some! | |
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-- Proud mommy to Vito, 3(?) yr old GSD. 90lbs, goal weight 85-90lbs (ACHIEVED!). Tested positive for EPI on March 30th, 2011. His TLI was 1.0, Cobalamin 225, Folate 22. Feeding 2 cups of Taste of the Wild Bison once a day with one teaspoon of Pancreatin 8x enzymes per meal. Also proud mommy of a (non EPI) Belgian Malinois tripod named Lizzie. That means three legs. "Sometimes it takes an imperfection to create perfection."
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Member Posts: 727 |
Now that's what I thought about the B12 and the organ meat but then I thought maybe I'd got it wrong! Thankfully no B12 shortage here in the UK. Wallace gets a monthly injection. xox | |
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-- Wallace rescue GSD. Currently feeding James Wellbeloved Turkey and Vegetable Cereal Free and some Butcher's Tripe. Four teaspoons Pancrex Granules and 2 Lypex capsules per meal. (Will go back to raw pig pancreas soon.) Three meals a day 3 times per week, 2 meals a day the other 4 days otherwise he stops eating. Tylan 1/8 teaspoon twice a day (this is half the recommended dose for his weight but the recommended dose made his poos soft!) Synbiotic D-C (probiotic and prebiotic) capsule once a day. Monthly B12 injection.
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Member Posts: 992 |
Maybe you can mail order it from one of the places that folks get Creon from? Might be worth checking into. | |
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- Barb -
Mom to Cedar, diagnosed with EPI Nov 1, 2010, TLI 1.2, April 2011 B12 310 (150-700), Folate 31 (7-39); Dec 2011 B12 349 (150-700), Folate 18 (7-39); now on B12 injections weekly; 1 3/4 tsp pancreatin 8X/meal, 1 1/4 c Evo Red Meat Grain free + 1/2 c add ins (pork, salmon, sardines, haddock, egg, pumpkin are the usual), 1/3 c water, incubated x 30 minutes; 2 meals/day; current weight 69.9 lbs. Also has Pannus; treated with tacrolimus ointment 2 x daily each eye and gets 100 ug Vit E daily for immature cataracts. Also Mom to pupkids Bree and Griffin, and catkids Abby, Diamond and Max...and skinkid Ayden
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