grain free food & heart issues

Epi4Dogs Foundation Inc.’s mission is the advancement of science and education relating to EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency), yielding useful insights and positive outcomes in better managing EPI in dogs and cats. Our goals are to support and/or collaborate with veterinary EPI research and researchers, and to promote EPI awareness by educating the general public, pet owners, pet organizations, rescue and shelter organizations, veterinary schools and veterinarians.
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Olesia711
Founder & Research Director
Posts: 3858
Location: North Carolina
Country: United States
State: North Carolina
Pet name: Izzy
My name: olesia

Re: grain free food & heart issues

Post by Olesia711 » 20 Feb 2021, 10:29

Hi Wanda,

SO sorry that Maezi (most likely) now has Cushings. Your vet i 110% correct to start with a low dose of the Cushings drug, and retest.... that is the correct thing to do..... you ahve to be real careful about how much medication to give. My Rico had Cushings and lived for 11 more years with it, but they put him on Lysodren.

Anyway.... diet is a big consideration with Cushings- -but no, grain is NOT really important with Cushngs and usually a no-no with "most" (but not all) EPI dogs.... and since Maezi has both conditions now, IMHO i would stick with the food that has been working for her, BUT... compare it with what food sources appear to be better for CUshings and which ones to avoid and see if it meets most of the criteria... if not... then try to find a diet that kind of meets both Maezi's persnal EPI needs but adheres to acceptable Cushings food sources. Also there are certain supplements that you might want to speak to your vet about that can REALLY make a HUGE difference!

This is what you want to look for in foods and much of it is similar to what usually works with EPI dogs too:
Foods high in protein
Foods low in fat
Foods low in fiber
Foods with low purine levels (avoid organ meats)
Foods low in carbohydrates
Foods low in calcium
Foods rich in lignans (including whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits, and vegetables)

In our case, Rico was strongly advised to take special harvested LIGNAN FLAX SEED HULLS and Melatonin... you might want to ask your vet if this would be appropriate for Maezi (as supplements) AND then "try" the lignan hulls (not just lignana!) s first to make sure they don't wreck havoc with her EPI. This is the brand i now use : OSUMEX FLAX HULS LIGNANS (i order these from Canada) https://osumex.com/product/organic-conc ... s-lignans/

The acceptable Cushings foods are: carrots -peas -green beans -potatoes -broccoli -celery -lettuce -bok choy -spinach -brussels sprouts -mushrooms -green peas -zucchini, beef -chicken without skin or bones -fish (except sardines) -shellfish -salmon -kidneys -liver -eggs, apples -berries -bananas -pumpkins -watermelon -avoid feeding seeds and rinds.

All this information is at this site: https://www.darwinspet.com/health-issue ... -dogs.html that you might want to check out (and it lists the foods you want to avoid). I used to feed mostly homemade to my Cushings dogs based on another website (which is no longer available, but this site says pretty much as the one i started with.
Olesia, was owned by Izzy, a 35lb Spanish Water Dog (SWD), Diagnosed at 1.5 years old - TLI results 1.. Izzy passed away on February 13, 2020 at 15 years old. She lived with EPI for 13+1/2 years. It was because of Izzy that Epi4Dogs was started... she was the inspiration. May her legacy of helping others with EPI continue for as long as needed.........

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wandaMaeZi
Member
Posts: 11
Location: BC
Country: Canada
Pet name: Maezi
My name: wanda

Re: grain free food & heart issues

Post by wandaMaeZi » 11 Mar 2021, 18:20

hello
maezi has improved with the increase in Tylosin to 100mg day
she went for a stem test on weekend to test levels and came back good so relived
as for the food thanks you so much read all the info and mentioned to vet about the peas etc
we are switching her to the salmon & sweet pototo which has none & mixing it half half with her now fresh until bag runs out
she has been doing well with this change
we also switched our non epi dog tikka to a lamb and rice formula
talked to the staff at our local feed store as well checking out all the food

we are now looking into pain management for her hips
thank you maezi and wanda and tikka too
my name is Wanda & my girl Maezi is a blue heeler from BC Canada
Our EPI story/journey is featured under "EPI4DOGS story"> EPI Reports> EPI Tails
DX at age one-- feed 1cup now fresh senior w 1 tsp enzyme diane 6x twice daily
She is the most loved & spoiled catteldog on the Planet 8-)

User avatar
Olesia711
Founder & Research Director
Posts: 3858
Location: North Carolina
Country: United States
State: North Carolina
Pet name: Izzy
My name: olesia

Re: grain free food & heart issues

Post by Olesia711 » 13 Mar 2021, 13:13

thanks for sharing that with us Melissa... it is always helpful to hear what others have used with success :)
Olesia, was owned by Izzy, a 35lb Spanish Water Dog (SWD), Diagnosed at 1.5 years old - TLI results 1.. Izzy passed away on February 13, 2020 at 15 years old. She lived with EPI for 13+1/2 years. It was because of Izzy that Epi4Dogs was started... she was the inspiration. May her legacy of helping others with EPI continue for as long as needed.........

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