Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

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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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 » 30 Nov 2018, 15:42

Thanks Stacie & Dizzy! I sure do adore little Opal :) I just adore your doggos, too such sweet fur babies!

Thank you Diane for the confirmation on how to properly mix the enzymes with food, we appreciate it.
Last edited by Bri S on 30 Nov 2018, 15:48, edited 1 time in total.
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 » 30 Nov 2018, 15:47

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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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Olesia711
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Location: North Carolina
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Pet name: Izzy
My name: olesia

Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by Olesia711 » 30 Nov 2018, 19:25

Just wanted to tell you that is sounds like you are doing a really good job and have already implemented the tools (like keep an EPI log / excellent notes.... to help you best help Opal.... and she is already showing signs of improvement which is excellent.

Jsut thought i would share that my gal was diagnosed with EPI when she was 1+1/2 yr old..... she is now 13+1/2 yr old and she is still doing great!

EPI dogs, once you find the right balance of things... live as long as any other dog and can do anything any other dog can do... the only difference is that many of these EPI dogs seem to form an extra special bond with their owners..... they become that once in a life-time "heart" dog that in retrospect... many of us feel lucky to have these dogs in out lives!
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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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 » 03 Dec 2018, 13:46

Happy Monday & thank you very much for the kind words!

It is very encouraging to hear that your dog has lived a happy life after the EPI diagnosis. I can only hope that Opal will too! I feel like she's looking a bit fuller, like she might have gained some weight back already. I have to remind myself that it has been less than a week since she's been doing much better and having solid stools (that happened last Tuesday) so it'll take time. After all we've been trying to diagnose this and figure out what is wrong with her since sometime in September... so slow and steady. I can tell she is much more her feisty corgi self as of late, terrorizing our other dog and SO much more playful. It warms my hear to see that, I'd do anything for her!

I did talk to her vet on Friday and she said perhaps the middle of this week we try giving her a slightly higher dosage of the pancreas powder with each meal. Her stool is solid now and we are so happy about that - but still a tan-ish color... sometimes more yellow than others. So if she isn't having brown stool mid week I'll try to up her dosage to see if we can get things appearing normal.

As far as the slippery elm / vitamin b recommendations: I ordered the Wonder Labs Slippery Elm that you recommended and will start giving that to her once it arrives. Then we are treating the SIBO with both the pro-biotic and a pre-biotic :) Opal's vet did recommend that perhaps sometime next week that we consider doing a blood test for her B12 levels again. The only tough part is that is a $200 test... yikes! Our vet said that she has no issue with me trying a different powder or switching to the B12 injections but she first would want to test those levels to see if hers have increased enough with the chew-able tablet she's been taking or if we need to move to the injections. Which makes sense to me - so we'll be doing another blood test soon to see how everything is looking there and then make a decision on the B12.

A curiosity I do have is do any of you, or have you heard of dogs needing Tylan for their lifespan to regulate things? The Tylan has seemed to help tremendously with Opal, I am just wondering if perhaps this is something she'll need to take for her life? To me the thought of an animal taking an antibiotic indefinitely is a little scary, and I don't know if it can potentially cause harm to her in the long run...?

I'll be picking up more pro-biotics from Opal's vert on Wednesday and I'll take her in with me to weigh her. Last time we weighed her was 11/23/18 and she was 18.8lbs (she usually weights about 20lbs).... so we're hoping for some weight gain, or at least no weight loss, since we have her on a better track since the 27th. I'll post an update once I know more.

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

Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by Olesia711 » 03 Dec 2018, 19:14

Hi Bri ... sounds like Opal is doing really good.... WAHOO!!!

And it sounds like you have a good vet too... one that will work with you and that is key ;)
One thing i do want to caution you about is that with SID in an EPI dog.... sometimes it is 2 steps forward and 1 step backwards.... just know that as long as "big picture" things are overall improving not to worry too much about a sloppy or slightly off color poo happens here and there, just as long as the frequency of the off poos decreases... if it increases, that is when you know things are getting out of control again.

If you do try increasing the enzymes, do so very slightly... like just 1/8 tsp more.... watch and observe for 3-5 day and note if it helped or not.

With regards to re-testing the B12....
1. when the dog is on B12 shots... then you have to stop the shots 4 weeks prior to the blood draw for the B12 test.
2. when the dog is on B12 pillss... then you have to stop the pills 1 weeks prior to the blood draw for the B12 test.


Regarding the Tylan.... in general we try to get the dog off the Tylan eventually..... however..... there are some dogs that just have to stay on Tylan forever. With the "forever-Tylan" dogs once you have the SID and stools under control... what is then recommended is to slowly reduce the Tylan until you only have to give a low "maintenance" dose rather than the full dose going forward. According to Dr. Elias Westermarck's research, a maintenance Tylan dose can be as low as 5mg/kg once a day :)
But hopefully you and your vet can get Opal's SID under good management via per+probiotics longs instead of having to stay on Tylan forever.
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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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 » 10 Dec 2018, 11:55

Hi all, thought I would post an update of how Opal is doing!

Currently she takes the following each day: 1 B12 chew-able tablet, 1/16 TSP pancrea plus each time she eats (which is 4x day), a probiotic pill (split into half & given with 2 meals), 1/16 TSP Tylan (given with two meals), & 1/32 TSP slippery elm (given with 2 meals), and she is now eating Hill's Prescription Diet I/D kibble dog food.

The slippery elm powder just showed up this weekend that I'd ordered from Wonderlabs (thank you again for that recommendation)! I gave her a teny-tiny amount this along with the feedings that she gets the probiotic this weekend to test it out since Opal has such a sensitive tummy. We now have the first since September both BROWN AND SOLID POOPS!!!! I jumped around the yard praising her like a crazy person. My neighbors must think I am insane but this has been such a journey and that was such an exciting accomplishment for her.

Hopefully all continues to go well. I'll be picking up more food from her vet and weighing her this weekend but I am certain she's gained more weight since the last vet visit. She looks noticeably healthier, fuller, and you don't feel her hip bones/spine anymore than you normally would upon petting her. She honestly looks like she weighs more than she ever has in her life which makes me so happy! I'd guess she might be around 23-23.5 lbs right now. We shall see this evening!

I can't thank you all enough for your advice on the Tylan and Wonderlabs slippery elm and guidance in general. Opal's vet was open to those changes and it seems those two items being added in have helped my little pup get back to healthy and happy!
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

Barb
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Country: United States
State: New Jersey

Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by Barb » 10 Dec 2018, 13:52

I just want to say, "Welcome" to you and Opal. You already have excellent advice. The beginning is the hardest stage when you are trying to balance everything all at once while you are worrying about your pup. Your log/journal will be your best source of information as to what is going on with Opal, so try to keep it daily. There are many experienced people here to help. Hang in there.

Let us know how she does.

Barb

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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 » 11 Dec 2018, 12:07

Thanks for the kind words Barb, Opal and I appreciate it!

I feel like we are getting to a point in this that things are leveling out now. Opal is back to her normal playful self and she is at the same weight she was a week ago as of last night - which I'll chalk up as a win! At least she isn't losing any weight. She feels much heavier, and looks much healthier too!

One totally different topic that I have a question about is annual shots. Opal was due for her annual shots a month ago but her vet recommended that since she wasn't doing well at that point and had runny stool that we not do them at that point and push out her shots until 12/28/18. That's going to be coming up here pretty fast! Have any of you experienced a bad reaction to getting annual shots? I want Opal to have those as she does go get groomed and we go to parks regularly and the vet assured me that waiting a month is no big deal. Do regular shots have any different effects on an EPI dog though?

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

Barb
Staff
Posts: 918
Country: United States
State: New Jersey

Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by Barb » 11 Dec 2018, 16:11

We decided to do titres instead of automatically giving the shots. They draw Kolby's blood and determine if he still has the antibodies necessary for immunity from whatever vaccinations we are testing for. He has not had to have a shot in 8 years. We do have to give him the rabies shot every 3 years in our state. He has had no negative reaction to it.

Barb

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Patsy
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Country: United Kingdom - England

Re: Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

Post by Patsy » 11 Dec 2018, 17:48

Mine became ill after the 7 in 1 multi vaccine booster, but recovered. After that, the vet was very selective about what she actually needed. As she had presumed immunity to most of it, we just had leptospirosis annually. Rats live everywhere, and as a child, we had a Westie that died from it, and everything he had was burnt.
When she needed holiday kennels, which in the uk need vaccinations, he wrote a covering letter for them in case they were officially inspected.
Springer spaniel Marti had Epi, PLE , MMM just to confuse me. She lived till 12yrs, chubby and happy despite eight years of epi.
Capsule enzymes suited her best. B12 supplements made her into a new dog!
After a cocker with PLN kidney disease, I now have two healthy rescues, a lively, suicidal , small ginger terrier, adopted with pneumonia, and gum disease needing nearly all his teeth out, and a fluffy grey toy poodle/terrier from Greece.

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