New to the Community

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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secretlybees
Member
Posts: 16
Country: Canada
Pet name: Katara
My name: Alex

New to the Community

Post by secretlybees » 20 Jul 2021, 23:19

Hi everyone!
I'm Alex and the sweet, little girl in my profile pic is Katara!
She was diagnosed with EPI about 4 months ago by the animal rescue took her in after her previous owner passed away. They helped get her back to a safe weight and stabilized the disease and now she's come home with me. I've only had her for a few weeks, but I love her to the moon and back. I want to learn as much as possible on EPI and how to take care of her because she deserves a good retirement after everything she's been through.

I'd love tips and tricks from everyone here on how to keep her as happy as can be! If you ever see something concerning in my posts or routines about her treatment, let me know.

At the moment, our routine is 3 feedings a day of royal canin gi kibble with a bit of wet food, some water, and 1/4 tsp of Pankaid enzymes. She also gets b12 shots once a month, and I'm having a vet check her levels to confirm they're in a good region now that she's been stable for multiple months. I do sometimes slip her a treat or some peanut butter which I know isn't advised, but her poops so far are 2-3s with the occasional 4. I think that's acceptable given how happy the treats make her.

Anyway, I'm very glad to join you and hope to see you around the forum!

Tuckaboo Pam
Member
Posts: 1345
Country: United States
State: Florida
Pet name: Tucker
My name: Pam H.

Re: New to the Community

Post by Tuckaboo Pam » 21 Jul 2021, 07:09

Good morning, Alex, and welcome from Pam & Tucker in Florida!

Katara is adorable.

How awesome of you, to adopt a doggie with a lifelong, but very manageable, condition. We may be able to help you save money taking care of her, by recommending products available over the counter. For starters, you can look into https://enzymediane.com/ and save quite a bit on enzymes. Many of us use her product. No strings, she's just a really nice person who likes helping families of EPI pups. She had one, herself.

It sounds like things are in good order, so until something changes, I would say stick with the program you have in place. If you are not doing this already, you can start keeping a journal of what you feed, do, and administer, and record the results. This can really help if anything changes in her poo. It is all about the poo.

If you can, please post the test results from the vet. Do you think the rescue would be able to provide those?

I sneak a few treats each day to my Tucker, too, for the same reason, and while it isn't advised, he seems to not be affected.

So, ask all the questions you have, no one will get tired of them, peruse the site which is chock full of valuable information, and check out the signatures at the bottom of some posts. There you will see exactly what is working for some other members. It is nice to have you here!

---Pam
Tucker was a shepherd/lab mix--- TLI 1.3, Folate 9.7, Cobalamin 666, Lipase 38. Took Diane's Enzymes 4 teaspoons/day, Wonderlabs B12 one capsule per day, and Tylan 1/16 teaspoon/ morning (to hold SID at bay). Taste of the Wild High Prairie, 1 1/2 cups/day, with a total of 4 cups of Fresh Pet. Stopped eating everything in sight, and went from 60 to 85 pounds! Tucker was my boyfriend, and my husband was OK with that. Tucker succumbed to hemangiosarcoma, but we cherished every day we had with that wonderful, beautiful boy. I will always, always miss my sweet big boy.

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jilbert57
Staff
Posts: 2088
Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: New to the Community

Post by jilbert57 » 21 Jul 2021, 09:38

Hi Alex and welcome to you and Katara. She is so cute! Do you know her approximate age? How much does she weigh?
I agree with am. If nothing is upset stay the course.
You can do oral B12 supplementation at home for another cost save if you choose. Most folks use Wonderlabs, just add the cap to the food after incubation and feed. Here is B12 info that includes Wonderlabs B12 you can order.

https://epi4dogs.com/b12-in-brief-2/

Jill
My name is Jill and we live on the Hood Canal in Washington State. We currently have 2 Jack russells, TJ is 8 and Sadie is 2.

Mickey and his pancreatitis brought me to Epi4dogs.com site in 2012 to help manage it.
He lived from 6/99 - 8/2014

Mickey, Jack Russell. Chronic Pancreatitis. Dianes enzymes, 1/8t 3x/day with meals.

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secretlybees
Member
Posts: 16
Country: Canada
Pet name: Katara
My name: Alex

Re: New to the Community

Post by secretlybees » 21 Jul 2021, 10:12

Thanks! Katara is 9 years old and 12 lbs. When she was rescued, the poor girl was only 7 lbs. The last test she had TLI of 2.4, Cobalamin 228, Folate 37, and Lipase 43.
Here's hoping that the last 3 are a lot better this time around lol

I saw people talking about enzymediane and was looking into it last night. The cost difference between a prescription and her enzymes is huge. Definitely going to make that change, thanks for the tip!

For the b12, I've heard the pills are harder to absorb. If I switched to pills, how would I make sure she's on track and doing well without too many extra blood tests?

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jilbert57
Staff
Posts: 2088
Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: New to the Community

Post by jilbert57 » 21 Jul 2021, 10:33

Good question on the B12. Here is the link to research on oral B12 supplementation:

https://epi4dogs.com/b12-researchpublications/

You have a great start with the shots. There are symptoms of low B12 you watch for just like you do for SID, or needing to tweak enzyme dose. But any excess B12 will be excreted in the urine. Once the B12 is up around 600, with daily supplementation you should not need tests every month.

Jill
My name is Jill and we live on the Hood Canal in Washington State. We currently have 2 Jack russells, TJ is 8 and Sadie is 2.

Mickey and his pancreatitis brought me to Epi4dogs.com site in 2012 to help manage it.
He lived from 6/99 - 8/2014

Mickey, Jack Russell. Chronic Pancreatitis. Dianes enzymes, 1/8t 3x/day with meals.

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Olesia711
Founder & Research Director
Posts: 3857
Location: North Carolina
Country: United States
State: North Carolina
Pet name: Izzy
My name: olesia

Re: New to the Community

Post by Olesia711 » 21 Jul 2021, 11:51

Hi Alex,

Welcome to our EPI family!

Wonderlabs B12 and Enzyme Diane enzymes are HUGE savings, but since you live in Canada... be sure to factor in postage costs for out of USA mailing. Enzyme Diane has a LOT of Canadian clients and she is great to talk to. Maybe call her on the phone: 1-440-479-5526 and ask her about shipping costs to Canada. https://enzymediane.com/contact-us/

Wonderlabs is also a great company and you can call them directly ( Phone: 800.992.1672 ) to and ask about shipments to Canada. I know they too have a lot of Canadian EPI candidates. https://www.wonderlabs.com/contact.php

Regarding the B12 pills in some cases these pills actually work better than the shots. But with some dogs, they simply respond better to the shots. THe Wonderlabs B12 pills include Folate and Intrinsic Factor that transport the B12 from the Digestive system (when pills are taken) to the blood stream. This might be why these particular pills work and usually work very well. Or, it could be that these pills are made with Methylcobalamin B12 vs. Cyanocobalamin B12... we honestly don't know why they work so well, but they usually do. HOwever, if your little sweetie is doing well on the shots, no need to change unless you just want to try the pills. To retest, you stop the pills 1 week prior to drawing blood for the B12 test. WIth the B12 shots, you have to wait 1 month after the last shot prior to drawing blood for the B12 retest.

Overall, if Katara is doing well, no need to change anything.... but... about those treats...... what you can do is try to time giving the treats within an hour of an enzymed meal... that might help... or..... only give all protein treats.... no carb, no grain,..... like dehydrated liver pieces,, or little pieces of real chicken meat (white meat).... EPI dogs in general tend to better tolerate protein vs. carb/grain...... so if you are going to cheat, go with a protein..... and see if this helps improves those sometimes not so great stools.

Also...shortly i will email you a welcome letter and packet which will include some tips for you :)
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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Montgomery
Member
Posts: 418
Country: Canada
Pet name: Montgomery (I'm a CAT!)
My name: V

Re: New to the Community

Post by Montgomery » 21 Jul 2021, 19:36

Thank you for adopting a senior pet! It always makes me so happy to see a senior cat or dog find their forever home. She's beautiful!
Montgomery was born 20 March 2012. He eats extra lean ground chicken, lean ground pork and lean ground beef completed with Alnutrin and freeze-dried chicken liver, with hard-cooked egg. He gets two size zero capsules of Enzyme Diane's enzymes at each of his six meals, and a size four capsule of Tylan three times a day. He's a fierce little Spitfire with a roaring Merlin engine.

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secretlybees
Member
Posts: 16
Country: Canada
Pet name: Katara
My name: Alex

Re: New to the Community

Post by secretlybees » 21 Jul 2021, 22:44

Oh absolutely the same! When talking with different rescues, I specifically asked for older or special needs dogs.
I know they often don't get adopted, but they can be so loving. Breaks my heart that they get left behind.

I grew up with dogs, so I'm used to having a senior that needs a bit of extra help (and extra naps) around the house. Figured it would be a perfect fit

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Jean
Forum Director
Posts: 1707
Location: South Liverpool
Country: United Kingdom - England
Pet name: Kara, lost 10th May 2019
My name: Jean

Re: New to the Community

Post by Jean » 22 Jul 2021, 06:02

welcome from the UK

And thanks for the adoption

feeding prescription food is not necessary unless there is another condition, we recommend grain and rice free , around 4% fibre or less preferably

However, like everything else, what works for one dog works for that dog

Quite a few of our dogs cannot tolerate chicken in dog food, mine included,

as to b12 injections, the vets can teach you to give these at home

b12 is essential for digestion in an EPI dog

https://www.petmd.com/dog/wellness/evr_ ... py_for_epi

please let us know and ask anything


Jeanx
My name is Jean we live in Liverpool in Uk

I am the Forum Director which I am very proud of

My Kara born 21 July 2009 diagnosed with EPI by cTLI test August 2010 TLI = <1...folate 14 Cobalamin 408, shot down to 94, b12 injections every other day

Lowest weight 39 pounds

We used Panzym enzymes, Tylan and Chemeyes b12 capsules

Sadly, on 10th May 2019, we lost her to DM


Jeanx

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secretlybees
Member
Posts: 16
Country: Canada
Pet name: Katara
My name: Alex

Re: New to the Community

Post by secretlybees » 23 Jul 2021, 13:58

Test results are in. I'm concerned about her folate numbers since they're really high. That's an indicator of SID/SIBO. I read through the research here on it already. She seems fine, good poops and happy, but the numbers don't lie. Should I start adding prebiotics to her diet?

TLI 2.5
Folate 54
Cobalamin 531
Lipase 29

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