EPI GSD

[hendersons]

Hi all

I am just posting on here to tell you a little about our 5yr old GSD Zak. We are from the UK and it unsure our vet knows what they are talking about and thinking of getting a 2nd opinion. He started having bowel trouble around 3yr ago and we ended up at our local vet. They did various tests and confirmed EPI. They prescribed us Lypex, 2 capsules twice daily. He would maybe go around a month or 2 without any real problems and when he did they would prescribe 2 weeks worth of Metrobactin and this seemed to make him a lot better. Over the past few month though these do not really seem to be helping and he is having flare ups more often. Our vet prescribed steroids, this made Zak very ill so we took him off them after 2 days, They then gave us some Atopica but upon reading the leaflet these are actually for Dermatology problems so not sure as to why we got these. We have spoke to Jean today re Zak and she has been very helpful and has gave us lots of help and advice. We have an appointment on Monday with out vet about changing from Lypex to Panyzm and also about Tylan, we had previously asked about this to be told they wouldn't prescribe it to us as it has a lot of side effects etc. We are thinking of getting a 2nd opinion aswell from another vet.... Elaine

[Olesia711]

Hi Elaine,

So glad you spoke to Jean (thank you Jean!!!!)

Oh no!!!! they told you Tylan has a lot of side effects???? That opposite is true. Actually vets here in the USA are starting to prescribe Tylan over Metronidazo (Flagyl) because Tylan does NOT have any adverse side effects, where as many other antibiotics do. Please feel free to read and share with your vet the multiple and various veterinarian research we have supporting the use of Tylan (Tylosin Tartrate 100 grams soluble powder) for EPI dogs struggling with SID (small intestinal dysbiosis): https://epi4dogs.com/antibiotics/

So glad Jean is helping you out, especially with the enzymes available in the UK . I am guessing Jean already spoke to you about possibly changing the diet (if need be and you cannot get the SID under good control and i am guessing she also briefed you on B12.

Even though Jean is helping you out, Please keep us posted here on the forum regarding how Zak is doing.....

[Jean]

hello Elaine and welcome

Lovely to talk to you and your Husband, if not frustrating at info given

we sure did talk about diet change, and the use of a small bagm at first, easily obtained from our largest pet store chain Pets at Home

so let me know how Monday goes at the vet and good luck

J

[Stacie & Dizzy]

Just wanted to say welcome. Zak sure is a cutie. I’m sorry your boy is having problems. Jean and Olesia have given you great advice. Hopefully your vet will give you Tylan. It always helps my girl when her poops are off.

[Shirl D.]

Hi Elaine, I can't even imagine how frustrated you must be right now after struggling with Zak for 3 years and having things just get worse now! The good news is that EPI can be managed with the right protocol, and Jean is helping you get that sorted out. My recommendation is to bring information on tylan to your vet and see how receptive they are to it. If they listen to you and look at the research and facts presented, then they can be a valuable ally in this. If they don't want to look at the information, then it's definitely time for a second opinion (and possibly a change in vet, in my opinion). By the way, my girl, Pixie, was on a maintenance dose of tylan for years with no side effects at all. Best of luck on Monday...please keep us posted on what they said!

[hendersons]

Hi and thank you for all the info given...

We went to Pets at Home yesterday and now Zak is on a different diet. Hopefully he will be better on it.....

We have everything printed out for our vet to look at tomorrow....

Is Tylan just given when he has a flare up or should he be on it all the time..

cheers

Elaine

[Olesia711]

Tylan (Tylosin Tartrate 100 grams) is given for a course of 45 days/ twice a day, with food (breakfast & dinner).......sometimes this course needs to be repeated, sometimes it doesn't. What appears to help in some cases is after the 45 day course is completed, is to slowly segue off the Tylan instead of stopping completely... For example, 1st week after the 45 day course, give only 1/2 dose morning and night, for the 2nd week after the 45 day course, give 1/2 dose only once a day, for the 3rd week after the 45 day course, just give 1/2 dose every other day and then stop.

There is no guarantee that this will work, but with some dogs, after they stopped the Tylan, within a few days/weeks the loose stools, etc returned but when they tried slowly reducing the tylan instead of stopping all at once.... their dogs did better.

Sometimes , just a course or two of Tylan is needed to get the SID (small intestinal dysbiosis) under good control and then well managed with a diet that best agrees with the individual dog, and sometimes a pre+probiotic added....
Other times, the dog is what we call a "lifer" and has to be on Tylan forever ... BUT.....over time, the vet and the pet owner figure out (thru trial and error) what is the lowest maintenance dose of Tylan needed to keep things in check. Check out Dr. Elias Westermarck, "Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency in the Dog: Historical Background, Diagnosis and Treatment" article published in Topics in Companion Animal Medicine.... stated that a suitable dose could be as low as 5mg/kg once a day.

[Shirl D.]

Elaine, You may very well have already seen this page, but here's a link to the page that discusses dosage just in case. https://epi4dogs.com/antibiotics/
The initial course of treatment is twice a day for 30-45 days (I would think 45 for Zak, based on the fact that he's probably had SID for a while). At that point, you can try to stop it and see what happens. Unfortunately, we have to figure this out by trial and error. Some dogs do fine once the tylan is stopped, but others show signs of SID again. With Pixie, whenever we stopped the tylan, her poops would start to get worse again after a short time. We finally decided just to try to keep her on a maintenance dose, which was just once a day. Hopefully you'll see a positive change with the new food and tylan.

[Kodis Mom]

Just saying hello . I have nothing too add...but to keep a journal or log. It helped me from going insane !! We are here for you.

[Madelon]

Hi Elaine. Zak is very handsome and very lucky to have you!! I am so sorry you're having such a difficult time - especially finding a vet that you can trust. Jean and Olesia are the best and you are in good hands with them. I'm sure someone has already mentioned it but be sure to keep a detailed log of everything you give and the resulting poops - it will help you figure out what works and what doesn't. I'm also a big fan of poop pictures - when you're looking at it every day and multiple times a day it can be hard to remember what one poop looked like compared to another.

And don't worry - we are all here to help guide you through this.