EPI * Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

I think if i had not kept Maddies B12 maintained at a high level i would probably be saying the same things you are now.

Like you i had good poop etc but slow weight gains and some week she would put weight on the next she would loose it was my first vet she had missed how important this was after she started the B12 PROTCOL IF I MISSED A WEEKLY SHOT SHE WOULD LOOSE Weight so i had five months of weekly shots and then i used the wonderlab tablets and i give her one a day.

If his poop is fine on that level of enzyme and he is only going 2-3 times i would say this part is fine i would worry if you do try incresing please only do a smalll tweak at a time too much is a bad as to little.

Food yes perhaps look at something that has more calories in.

Ann

Thank you, I will check the food for the calories and fat. I do give him grain free and I'm afraid to give him more enzyme because his lips bleed sometimes. I was thinking about giving him fresh pressed coconut oil maybe 1tsp. I don't want to try too many things at once.

Sheila

Just saw your comment about Luca's lips bleeding. Some dogs are more sensitive to the enzymes & can have tongues or lips bleed. Are you incubating the food at least 20-30 minutes? Some dogs need a longer "soak" so the enzymes have done their job on the food, but they arent as caustic to soft tissue. I've heard of some dogs needing up to 45 minutes to get rid of this problem. It does sound like to me that your enzyme dose is low for the amount of food. Starting dose is usually 1tsp= ! Cup of food.

Another idea is to make sure Luca gets a nice, long drink of water immediately following the meal. Some folks also wipes their dog's moth with a wet cloth or make a game out of getting a drink from the hose to make sure their mouth is rinsed out well.

Well Luca's poop the past 2 days has gone from firm to downright soupy. He had a B-12 shot on tuesday and I have increased his enzyme. I need to get food for him so I'll be getting Wellness Core it has 4% fiber, 34% protein and 26% fat. I hope it helps. wish me luck. Luca see's a new vet next week for his second opinion.

Shelia

You say you increased the enzymes in the last few days this is probably what caused the problem i would go back to what you were orginally giving him.

Sometimes poeple have reported a bit of softness after the b12 shots thinking back i think it sligtly affected Maddie to start with but her body seemed to adjust after a few weeks.

The other thing is that you could think about the tablets

http://www.wonderlabs.com/itemleft.php?itemnum=6881

You dont add anything else to his food do you.

With the new food make sure you introduce it really slowly he is going up alot on fat there your brave i only ever went to 16 % fat have you checked tha calories between producers  ????

Let us know how he goes within the next couple of days.

Ann

Well we took Luca to a new vet and we are extremely happy. He was so much help and informative. He spent a little over an hour with us. Luca is now going to be on B-12 pills, Tylosin pills and eventually Welactin for his skin and coat. the vet said that in Luca's case, his lips hang down more than usual and they get dry which we noticed even before this all started. He suggested putting vitamin E oil on it and like someone said to let the enzyme sit a little longer before eating. I am back up to 2 tsps enzyme for 2 cups of food and hehas gained 1/2 lb and the stools are good. Thank you everyone.

Sheila

This is good news.

Are you getting the B12 tablets from wonderlabs ????

The vet sounds good esp with the Tylan pills.

You might find that his skin and coat will improve once he is digesting more.

So i assume he has stopped eating your books ???

We like weight gain .

Ann

Great news on the weight gain & the new vet!:)

What part of New York do you live in? We're in Queens, and we use a vet in Jericho, about 20 minutes away from us. We've used her for more than 20 years, and she's very malleable. sh knows we research things and so, aftr she's checkd our research, she usually agrees to what we want to do.

Yeah !!! You are doing great !!!