Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

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Bri S
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Country: United States
State: Washington
Pet name: Opal

Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by Bri S » 18 Apr 2019, 11:49

That is a great point, Judith! Thank you! I think once things level out here we will definitely have more blood work done on Opal. She has started taking the Prednisone but I'll certainly discuss with her vet.

Overall Opal is doing better, but we still are having issues. She is doing much better with eating her food(thank goodness), she has more energy, she is still asking to frantically go potty once in the middle of the night each day which isn't like her, but she hasn't had accidents in the past few days at the house while we're at work. So that is promising that she is waiting until we are relieve herself as the poor thing was having accidents.

Her stools are so confusing to be honest lol :lol: You have one good one that is soft, but somewhat formed, with brown coloring - then she goes 3 times in one time of letting her out and they get runnier and runnier each time and start to contain dark colored blood, almost clot like, the more she tries to go. I am not sure why she continues to go and is looking around the yard all frantically sometimes. I am noticing that this happens most often in the mornings. Thoughts as to why? Does that mean she isn't processing her food from the night before well? But she is going out in the middle of the night.... so maybe it's her breakfast?

Not sure at this point, but I feel like she is doing better as there are some more solid stools happening and her appetite is back.

Thanks!
Bri & Opal
My name is Bri and I have a Corgi named Opal who was born on 09/05/17. We live in Washington State and Opal was diagnosed with EPI in September of 2018 shortly after she turned 1 year old. Opal currently takes the following daily: Pancreapowder Plus 1/16 TSP 3x day - Proviable DC Capsule Probiotic 1x day - WonderLabs Slippery Elm Prebiotic 1/16 TSP 1x day - WonderLabs B12 w/Intrinsict Factor 1x day - Tylan antibiotic 1/16 TSP 2x day - Eats Hills Prescription Diet Dog Food / Dry Kibble / Low Fat i/d 3 x day 3/4 cup

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Bri S
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Posts: 65
Country: United States
State: Washington
Pet name: Opal

Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by Bri S » 25 Apr 2019, 11:21

Hi Everyone,

Unfortunately Opal isn't doing any better. This diarrhea with blood in it started 2 and a half weeks ago, it will be 3 weeks on Sunday and I am feeling stuck and frustrated. Opal is a tough girl, she really wants to eat and is scarfing down her food like she's starving -She is drinking plenty of water, and I would say she is a little less playful than her normal self, but 85% she is how she normally acts.

I am hoping you all might have more ideas on how to help Opal? I just feel like what we are doing isn't enough or the right options. The past few days the vet has said to increase her enzymes which resulted in SUPER liquid mostly all blood coming out of her opposed to poop when she goes potty. When she goes potty for the first time it's soft, but typically not bloody (maybe traces of blood) but mostly poo since we started her on Prednisone. HOWEVER she continues to go after that first time. It's this frantic little walk she does to hurry and squat down and go again before I ask if she's ready to come inside. Sometimes she squats up to 5 times in one outing and each time the poo gets more blood in it and it gets continually worse. Her first poop when we go outside is almost always ok but then she continues and continues to go and they just get worse. Sometimes she asks to go out a 2nd times and continues to try to go. Any ideas why on this progression of her stools getting worse?

So far we have put her on Prednisone these past 2 1/2 weeks to settle down her bowels and intestines, we tried to increase her enzyme intake slightly which made things runnier (so we are be going back to 1/16 TSP), and yesterday the vet recommended 2 Endisorb every 4-6 hours in addition to her normal meds because I was alarmed about all the blood and no poo in her stools yesterday. The past 2 days the vet recommended that she stop the Prednisone and see if she did ok without it Opal didn't do well and had more blood in her stools so we're back on that. The past 2 days have been the worst she's had in a LONG TIME and I am at a loss.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE WE CAN BE DOING????

I asked if there are additional tests or perhaps x-rays that we can do to try and help her. The vet said we certainly can do an x-ray ($200) and a fecal culture ($250-300) if we want to; but she thinks we should wait for the meds to kick in and hopefully work. However I am alarmed that we've added Prednisone and now endisorb in the past almost 3 weeks and she isn't better. So are we trying the wrong things? The vet said we can hospitalize her and get her an IV with fluids but I just don't think that's necessary. She is excited to eat - acts hungry, drinks lots of water, she is mostly acting like herself like I said above. She is just having these awful tummy troubles.

Any additional thoughts or recommendations would be helpful and appreciated. We are feeling pretty sad and discouraged right now.

Thanks,
Bri & Opal
My name is Bri and I have a Corgi named Opal who was born on 09/05/17. We live in Washington State and Opal was diagnosed with EPI in September of 2018 shortly after she turned 1 year old. Opal currently takes the following daily: Pancreapowder Plus 1/16 TSP 3x day - Proviable DC Capsule Probiotic 1x day - WonderLabs Slippery Elm Prebiotic 1/16 TSP 1x day - WonderLabs B12 w/Intrinsict Factor 1x day - Tylan antibiotic 1/16 TSP 2x day - Eats Hills Prescription Diet Dog Food / Dry Kibble / Low Fat i/d 3 x day 3/4 cup

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jilbert57
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Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by jilbert57 » 25 Apr 2019, 20:03

Are you saying when she potties sometimes it is bloody as well as when she poops? If so I suspect you have tested her for UTI?
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.

Judith
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Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by Judith » 26 Apr 2019, 16:31

Hi Bri
I'm sorry Opal is doing poorly. Are you giving the prednisone with food? It has to be given with food or it will cause GI issues including bleeds. What dose is she on? I'm guessing 5mg or 10mg twice a day which is a normal anti inflammatory dose. Prednisone makes them hungry so I am not surprised she is eating everything like she is starving. You can also ask the vet for sucralfate to coat her stomach.

I would get a CBC and Chemistry panel that includes sodium, potassium and chloride done ASAP along with an x-ray to make sure she has not eaten anything. Is there an internal medicine vet you can take her to? It might be time to get a second opinion.

I hope she feels better soon
Nate and Raymi's mom
Nate 4 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi
EPI, typical Addison's disease and epilepsy
TLI 2.0 June 2016
Chemeyes enzyme capsules
Hydroxocobalamin injections weekly
0.5mg prednisolone daily for Addison's
Percorten-V/Zycortal injection every 28 days for Addison's
Zonisamide 2x for epilepsy

Raymi 6 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Allergic to chicken and turkey

Eats Canine Caviar Venison kibble 3x

Nate and Raymi happily live in Bogotá, Colombia and Dover, Delaware.

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Madelon
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Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by Madelon » 28 Apr 2019, 10:59

Hi there. I am so sorry Opal is still not doing well. I've just read one of your posts where you stated the blood is dark and clot like - typically dark red blood can indicate an internal bleed in the upper digestive tract whereas bright red blood can indicate a bleed in the lower digestive tract. Here is an article I found on the differences between the two and how to tell which one is what your dog is having
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/healt ... dog-stool/

I would get her into the vet ASAP as the dark, jelly-like blood can be a real problem and if it's been going on this long your vet needs to do some more testing to figure out what is really going on, rather than trying to put a band aid on the problem. If your vet continues to tell you to wait and see if the meds work I would find a new vet. I don't mean to alarm you but having that type of blood for as long as she has is not good and needs to be addressed by the vet to find out the cause.

I've also contacted Olesia to have her chime in with her suggestions.

Sending you hugs and prayers. Please keep us updated.
Madelon, owned by DOC. DOC dx EPI 5/2015 = TLI < .4, B12 406; Folate >24. DOC taught me so much and together we battled and overcame EPI, food sensitivies, environmental allergies but we lost the cancer battle. DOC was dx with hemangiosarcoma 5/2022 and crossed the rainbow bridge July 24, 2022. He is and always will be the love of my life, my soulmate, my heart dog.

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Bri S
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Pet name: Opal

Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by Bri S » 29 Apr 2019, 10:59

Hi Everyone!

Thank you for the comments and suggestions. We appreciate it very much! To answer questions: Opal is taking the 5mg Prednisone 1 x a day now with her food. I am smashing it up and putting it in with the rest of her meds and water and having her wait 20 minutes before she eats. What will a CBC and Chemistry panel show? For clarification, sometimes it was just blood and mucus when she went potty (maybe 3 times we saw that) - minimal amounts of stool. Other times really runny with blood in it - which was scary too. I've read so many articles online that it's overwhelming trying to diagnose her issues and know what to do next.

The meds have actually stopped the bloody stools, which is great! It has to be the Endisorb tablets that she is getting that did this as she has - 2 of them twice a day and that is the most recent change.

She can't stay on those forever though - so hopefully this will level her tummy out. Friday and Saturday she had soft, tan color stools and then last night and this morning she's had a slightly more tan/yellow stool that looks a bit softer. I am just happy the blood isn't present.

The vet had mentioned using Metronidazole to get her off of the Prednisone soon, so we will see about that. Opal already has such a regimen of meds when she eats 4 times a day that I don't love the thought of having her on anything additional but we've got to get her managing on her own.

Thanks again for the suggestions all, we REALLY appreciate it :)
My name is Bri and I have a Corgi named Opal who was born on 09/05/17. We live in Washington State and Opal was diagnosed with EPI in September of 2018 shortly after she turned 1 year old. Opal currently takes the following daily: Pancreapowder Plus 1/16 TSP 3x day - Proviable DC Capsule Probiotic 1x day - WonderLabs Slippery Elm Prebiotic 1/16 TSP 1x day - WonderLabs B12 w/Intrinsict Factor 1x day - Tylan antibiotic 1/16 TSP 2x day - Eats Hills Prescription Diet Dog Food / Dry Kibble / Low Fat i/d 3 x day 3/4 cup

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jilbert57
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Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by jilbert57 » 29 Apr 2019, 12:17

Hi Bri. What I was going to say is if the urine is pussy and bloody it might be stones in the bladder. Mickey had this and his stones did not show on xray. The type he had only showed on ultrasound. This was urine, not bowel blood.
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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Bri S
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Country: United States
State: Washington
Pet name: Opal

Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by Bri S » 29 Apr 2019, 12:40

Ahh, I see. The blood that we've seen is in her stools - not in urine. So I don't think that would be an issue happening with Opal. Thank you for thinking of that though! Those are the exact kind of scenarios that I want to rule out and talk about opposed to almost putting a band-aid on things with meds like we're doing now.

Opal had done SO WELL previously on the med regimen that we had going until we attempted a food transition. She gained weight more than ever and had solid stools. So I am unsure if she can get back to where we were on the same meds or if we have to change things up.
My name is Bri and I have a Corgi named Opal who was born on 09/05/17. We live in Washington State and Opal was diagnosed with EPI in September of 2018 shortly after she turned 1 year old. Opal currently takes the following daily: Pancreapowder Plus 1/16 TSP 3x day - Proviable DC Capsule Probiotic 1x day - WonderLabs Slippery Elm Prebiotic 1/16 TSP 1x day - WonderLabs B12 w/Intrinsict Factor 1x day - Tylan antibiotic 1/16 TSP 2x day - Eats Hills Prescription Diet Dog Food / Dry Kibble / Low Fat i/d 3 x day 3/4 cup

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Bri S
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Posts: 65
Country: United States
State: Washington
Pet name: Opal

Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by Bri S » 01 May 2019, 10:57

My poor little Opal has started having blood in her stools again and they stink to all heavens. This started Sunday night with the bloody stools and her vet was out yesterday so I have a call into them this morning. Since her vet was out and the Prednisone helped a bit prior we went back to 2 a day on that in hopes it would help but there are still traces of blood in her stool.

I found this article: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issue ... 109-1.html

"The condition occurs when the “bad” bacteria that is feeding on the fermenting food overpopulates the tissue lining the small intestine, further impairing the proper absorption of vital nutrients and depleting the body’s store of vitamin B12. Treatment of SIBO includes a course of antibiotics, to eliminate the bad bacteria. Treatment may also include supplemental cobalamin (B12) injections that help reestablish friendly bacteria colonies, which in turn helps inhibit the mal-absorption."

This got me thinking that perhaps her B12 levels are causing this somewhat and I will discuss with her vet this am. Is my thinking correct there??? Opal takes a one Cobalaquin B12 chewable tablet each day but I have the Wonderlabs that you all advised I buy awhile back. As of this morning we gave her half a capsule of the Wonderlabs B12 with the intrinsic factor. https://www.wonderlabs.com/itemleft.php?itemnum=K9688

I am going to ask the vet if perhaps we should do the B12 level testing to see if that is really low right now - or if we should do the entire TLI panel again (that was so expensive, darn it!) to pin point the issue a bit better perhaps.

Opal is losing weight again and this is the first time she's had the blood in her stools, at her diagnosis that wasn't an issue. Can B12 levels affect her that much? Hoping that is a good place to start when I talk to her vet today?

- Bri & Opal
My name is Bri and I have a Corgi named Opal who was born on 09/05/17. We live in Washington State and Opal was diagnosed with EPI in September of 2018 shortly after she turned 1 year old. Opal currently takes the following daily: Pancreapowder Plus 1/16 TSP 3x day - Proviable DC Capsule Probiotic 1x day - WonderLabs Slippery Elm Prebiotic 1/16 TSP 1x day - WonderLabs B12 w/Intrinsict Factor 1x day - Tylan antibiotic 1/16 TSP 2x day - Eats Hills Prescription Diet Dog Food / Dry Kibble / Low Fat i/d 3 x day 3/4 cup

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Bri S
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Posts: 65
Country: United States
State: Washington
Pet name: Opal

Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by Bri S » 01 May 2019, 10:58

OH one more thing!

I was going to ask the vet if we should perhaps do B12 injections for the short term for Opal..... maybe getting some B12 in her if that is the issue will help kick start her getting better. Thoughts?

Thanks! :)
My name is Bri and I have a Corgi named Opal who was born on 09/05/17. We live in Washington State and Opal was diagnosed with EPI in September of 2018 shortly after she turned 1 year old. Opal currently takes the following daily: Pancreapowder Plus 1/16 TSP 3x day - Proviable DC Capsule Probiotic 1x day - WonderLabs Slippery Elm Prebiotic 1/16 TSP 1x day - WonderLabs B12 w/Intrinsict Factor 1x day - Tylan antibiotic 1/16 TSP 2x day - Eats Hills Prescription Diet Dog Food / Dry Kibble / Low Fat i/d 3 x day 3/4 cup

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