Help With My Dog's Diet

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

Re: Help With My Dog's Diet

Post by Tuckaboo Pam » 16 Apr 2022, 17:41

Fran---Thanks for the good update! By the way, there is no reason to wait on the B12. Tucker's score was 666, with 600 being acceptable, and I supplement him anyway. They just wee wee it out if they don't need it. Cheers---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.

milesstone1
Member
Posts: 1
Country: United Kingdom - England
Pet name: boxer
My name: milesstone

Re: Help With My Dog's Diet

Post by milesstone1 » 18 Apr 2022, 03:06

Thank you so much all of you guys for such great and excellent information.

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FranMac2
Member
Posts: 24
Location: Laurence Harbor
Country: United States
State: New Jersey
Pet name: Stella
My name: Fran

Re: Help With My Dog's Diet

Post by FranMac2 » 20 Apr 2022, 11:00

Thanks Pam!

mollyseven
Member
Posts: 18
Country: Canada
Pet name: walter
My name: Denise

Re: Help With My Dog's Diet

Post by mollyseven » 29 Apr 2022, 07:05

I also tried the hill’s biome but the fibre was I very high so I didn’t understand the vets recommendation for this and it immediately made Walter much worse, even just adding in a small amount to his normal kibble.

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jilbert57
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Posts: 2092
Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: Help With My Dog's Diet

Post by jilbert57 » 29 Apr 2022, 08:22

Sometimes we have to educate our vets along the Epi journey. Feel free to print off any information and share.

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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FranMac2
Member
Posts: 24
Location: Laurence Harbor
Country: United States
State: New Jersey
Pet name: Stella
My name: Fran

Re: Help With My Dog's Diet

Post by FranMac2 » 29 Apr 2022, 13:27

That is true on educating the vets - mine keeps asking me the name of the enzyme (Enzyme Diane) I am using. I feel hesitant because I think they haven't directly me properly in my efforts to get my dog on track. If it helps future dogs though, I probably will.

With the Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream, the tylosin, probiotic and enzyme, my Stella is doing so much better. I am just worried that once she is weaned off of the tylosin which will start soon, she will backtrack. I hope not!

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jilbert57
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Posts: 2092
Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: Help With My Dog's Diet

Post by jilbert57 » 29 Apr 2022, 14:31

Yes, the what ifs?
If thats the case you go to the lowest daily dose that keeps your pup on tract and it is then a daily staple.

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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FranMac2
Member
Posts: 24
Location: Laurence Harbor
Country: United States
State: New Jersey
Pet name: Stella
My name: Fran

Re: Help With My Dog's Diet

Post by FranMac2 » 29 Apr 2022, 14:38

Thanks Jill,

Yeah - I was thinking that too - as long as the vet will continue to prescribe it for her. Is it available non-prescriptive?

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TrixEPIMama
Member
Posts: 65
Country: United States
State: Texas
Pet name: Trixie

Re: Help With My Dog's Diet

Post by TrixEPIMama » 29 Apr 2022, 18:54

jilbert57 wrote: 29 Apr 2022, 08:22 Sometimes we have to educate our vets along the Epi journey.
Boy, that is so true (as I've already found out in our journey of just a few months).

And how the vet responds to learning what s/he doesn't already know says a LOT about how good a vet they'll be for our EPI dogs!

Some of you may remember that I was out of state and away from my long-time vet (Dear Vet or DV) a few months ago when my cattle dog-x Trixie's condition became apparent. DV, who had only seen EPI once or twice before in 30 years simply did research and learned and adapted. Even now if I bring her information from this site, she's glad to hear it and will check it out. Other times she sometimes comes up with ideas of her own for Trixie and sends them to me. It's a partnership.

OTOH, the out-of-state vet (New Vet or NV) who first saw and ran the needed tests on Trixie was 100% positive she knew everything even though I don't think she'd ever seen a single EPI dog and her information was either dead wrong or years out of date. She'd say, "Your dog CAN'T have EPI, because the ONLY treatment for EPI is Viokase, and if she's responding to something else, she clearly doesn't have EPI." Once the tests showed EPI and low cobalamin, she'd insist, "Your dog MUST have weekly B12 injections; oral won't do" and "You MUST put her on prescription food," and on and on. And if I dared point her to information from this site, she'd get defensive.

Anyhow, we're back home now and Trixie is -- so far, knock wood -- doing very, very well on a simple, non-prescription routine. And are we both ever glad to be back with DV.

Trixie's EPI has been easy to manage from the start. We've been lucky in that, and in having both DV and EPI4Dogs to guide us. I really feel for all the people and animals who have to struggle and go through a lot of trial and error before finding what works. And how much worse it can be for those whose vets won't learn and adapt!
Trixie is an Australian cattle dog or mix, likely born in the Fall of 2020. Picked up as a stray, she was already suffering undiagnosed EPI when we adopted her. Test later showed TLI <1 and cobalamin 189.

Her (non-standard) treatment is 1900 mcg of pure freeze-dried pork pancreas from Allergy Research Group per day. Also 1/4 teaspoon of slippery elm powder and 1/2 (previously one) capsule a day of WonderLabs TrinFac-B, all mixed into her food and served immediately, without the usual 20-minute wait.

We feed Canidae Angus Beef and Barley, which may not yet be the perfect food, but she's doing well and has "happy" normal poops.

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jilbert57
Staff
Posts: 2092
Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: Help With My Dog's Diet

Post by jilbert57 » 29 Apr 2022, 19:30

Very well said. Glad you are back with DV.

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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