Canned food recommendations for my Cavalier, please!

[smartblonde612]

My sweet Jamie (7) was diagnosed with EPI on Feb. 6 and we are having difficulty stabilizing him. He has gone from 20-16.3 lb and is still losing. The vet has us switch from his normal kibble to Hills ID Low Fat kibble but the enzymes (PancreaPowder Plus) gave him mouth sores. We switched to the canned version and wait 20 minutes after adding the powder which has helped. I should also mention that he has dental issues and had to have a lot of teeth pulled, so canned food is easier for him to eat. His stools are improving so I was surprised that he hasn't started gaining weight. As of today, I will be adding a 3rd meal to hopefully reverse the weight loss.
His other course of treatment is Vitamin B12 shots weekly for 6 weeks then monthly after that. He was on a probiotic but we stopped that last week. He is also taking Pepcid once a day and he is almost finished with his second course of Metroniadizole.
I recently heard that a low fat diet isn't necessary for EPI so I am asking for recommendations for other canned foods. I really need to get his weight up.
Another unpleasant development is that HE STINKS! It's emanating from his head but I can't figure out the source. The vet checked his mouth yesterday and there are no sores. The smell is worse on some days than others and of course whenever we've go to the vet, it's been a "good day" so she really hasn't gotten a nose full. Trust me, it's awful—like vinegar and dirty feet!
I read the results of the EPI odor study but it's all rather confusing and didn't seem to offer any conclusions. I just ordered a sample of Enzyme Diane hoping that a different product will alleviate the smell. Any thoughts????
Thanks in advance for your help.
Vicki

[Montgomery]

If you're using Pank-Aid the stench might be from that. Montgomery reeked like a big tom cat until we switched to Enzyme Diane. Because Montgomery is self-cleaning, his whole body reeked.
Have you looked at Natural Balance canned food? They make some simple recipes that are meant to be easy on the digestion. I've had good success using it with some of my foster cats, and they make it for dogs, too.

[smartblonde612]

Thanks for the food recommendation. I'll take a look at it. I am optimistic about Enzyme Diane but don't want to get my hopes up too far!

[Montgomery]

Good luck!

[Olesia711]

i noticed you mentioned Metronidazole..... please consider asking your vet to not use Metronidazole and instead use Tylan (Tylosin Tartrate Soluble antibiotic powder) .... "if" your vet has prescribed Metronidazole for a gastrointestinal condition.... like SID (small intestinal dysbiosis) .... something that ALL dogs with EPI have, some more noticeable than others (we only treat when it is out of control) . In other words, if your sweet little Cavalier is having lots of gas/fart, tummy grumblings, if the stools are light in color/slim on the poo and/or loose/mushy poo. ... then you are dealing with out of control SID and that is why your vet prescribed Metro. Anyway... recent research is now advising against using Metro for any chronic gastro issue (like SID) and instead to use Tylan.

Metro kills all gut bacteria (good and bad) Tylan does not kill anything, but only inhibits bacteria from reproducing..... so if you have to use an antibiotic, Tylan is the better choice (and it usually works better too)

Also you mentioned that you are getting ready for a 2nd course of Metro? IN addition to Metro not being the beset choice for a chronic condition, Metro often doesn't effectively treat SID.... usually (although not always) there is a better response with Tylan. (just another reason to try TYlan instead )

You also mentioned mouth sores.... SO Sorry that your sweetie developed this... not fun. ONe of the tricks we have learned is to add a little more water to the meal with the powdered enzymes... OR..... let the enzymes incubate the 20 minutes or even a little more in the moistened food.... This is why we mostly recommend incubating the enzymes in moistened food .... to avoid mouth sores. Some dogs are extra sensitive even when you do this, so sometimes incubating a little longer or adding a pinch more liquid helps avoid mouth sores.

REgarding what canned food to use.... here are some possibilities:
https://www.chewy.com/purina-beyond-bee ... /dp/113996

https://www.chewy.com/purina-one-smartb ... /dp/162628

https://www.chewy.com/natural-balance-l ... d/dp/33201

https://www.chewy.com/nutro-hearty-stew ... /dp/114526

And you can go on the CHEWY website, look at dog food / wet / grain-free..... and there are lots of other options

[Barb]

Hi Vicki. A warm welcome to you and Jamie. She is adorable.

We had mouth sores with Kolby at first and they made it difficult for him to eat his food. We dissolved the enzymes in the water first (We put the enzymes in a small plastic container with a screw on lid, added the water and shook to mix .) then added the mixture to the food. We used more liquid for quite a while until the mouth sores went away. We also incubated the food and enzymes longer and this seemed to help.

The B12 should help with Jamie's weight issues. Kolby did not start to gain weight until we got his B12 levels up. We did injections for quite a while beyond the first 45 day protocol, then we switched to Wonderlabs Pet Factor. Kolby needed B12 supplements for his whole life. Luckily the Wonderlabs pills were not expensive.

I always recommend keeping a log/journal if you are not already keeping one. It was so helpful to us. It helps you see what is working and what needs to be adjusted. Just record everything you give Jamie each day, the amounts, and the resulting poos. This will give you lots of information and help you formulate questions you may have. You can download a log form from our website or just use a notebook.

We were lucky that Kolby did not have the odor that many dogs get at the beginning. It seems to happen randomly to certain dogs and not others. Eventually, it usually improves as treatment progresses.

Olesia gave you some food choices. Hopefull, you will find one that agrees with Jamie.

Let us know how he does.

Barb

[smartblonde612]

Thanks to everyone who has replied to my post.
I will very slowly begin switching from Hills ID Low Fat (wet) to Nutro Hearty Stew with Turkey, Sweet Potato and Green Beans (also wet). We have fed both our Cavaliers Nutro Ultra Small Breed Adult for years so it is a brand I trust. Both Nutro products are under 4% fiber. In time, I'll add some of the dry kibble to see how he tolerates it. For now, we need wet food to mix with the enzyme powder so he doesn't get mouth sores again. Eventually, it would be nice to have both dogs on the same food.
I should get the Enzyme Diane today. I hope he tolerates it and it helps with the odor. I will report back.
Jamie has finished his Rx for the Metronidazole and if she wants to refill it, I'll ask for Tylan instead.
Again, thank you to this wonderful community of dog owners. This website has been a Godsend for me.
Best,
Vicki

[Olesia711]

HOpe the new food works out better along with the enzymes from EnzymeDiane.

Please continue to keep us posted too !

[Madelon]

What a cutie pie! I hope the new food works well and she starts gaining weight Keep us posted.