TLI is LESS than 1

[M&BCutter]

Ok, next question. Any recs on the best probiotic???????

[Madelon]

Hi and welcome to our EPI family. My boy's TLI was .4 when he was diagnosed.

With regard to B12, the B12 in the food is not going to be enough to supplement and get the levels where they need to be. As someone already stated, EPI dogs need their B12 600+ and supplementing is for life. You can either follow the weekly shot protocol and then switch to WonderLabs Pet Factor B12 or just start off using the WonderLabs pills.

EPI management requires the right balance of the four cornerstones: Enzymes, B12, Antibiotics (if dealing with SID) and Food. Until you have the right balance of each you won't see optimal results. Don't worry, we're here to help guide you.

As for probiotics, we do not recommend giving them in the beginning while trying to get your dog stabilized. Unfortunately probiotics are tricky as every EPI dog's gut flora is different and there's no way to know which strain your dog has enough of and which strain your dog does not have enough of. What they are finding better results using is a pre-biotic which is needed for the good strains to feed on. Once your dog is stable, if you want to try a probiotic, find one that has a pre-biotic in it and start with only half the dose and then watch the poops closely.

[M&BCutter]

Hi Madelon,

Thanks for all of this fabulous info. So, in our efforts to get her stabilized, how long should we wait to see results before determining a change needs to be made? There have already been a number of changes this week as food, enzyme and info came in. She's been on new food for three days and enzyme from Enzyme Diane for one (and we supplemented with raw pancreas on day two while waiting for enzyme). We know this was a lot of change, and her stools have consistently been 5s on the poop chart. We know this needs time to settle out, and don't want to wait too long.

Thanks!
Barton

[Jean]

the big thing is to keep a journal, record everything

no two EPI dogs are the same, and its a learning curve, an example of this is

Kara needed 1/2 teaspoon of enzymes, My friends dog needed 7 teaspoons, these are British enzymes by the way

it was crazy but necessary

its impossible to say when things get stable, it took us probably a year to get everything in a straight line of ducks, but take a deep breath and ...

My friend Pat always said that EPI was a bumpy road, but EPI4DOGS had given her a map to steer her on her way

you will get there, but not over night

Jeanx

[M&BCutter]

We just got a normal stool!

[Patsy]

Ha ha , you are certifiably mad enough to join the rest of us telling the world about dog poo!
Brilliant news.

[Jean]

nice one

[Madelon]

Congratulations on the good poop! I highly recommend cutting up some carrot and putting it in one of the meals - document it on your log (date and time) and then watch for the carrot to come out in the poop - you might have to use a stick and move it around - but they don't digest carrot so when you see it in the poop document the date and time on your log then look back to when you put the carrot in the food - this will tell you the transition time. A lot of pet owners think the poop they are seeing is from the meal that was just fed, however, new research supports what the Epi4Dogs Foundation has said for years - a dog's transition can be anywhere from 12-72 hours. https://epi4dogs.com/poop-transit-times/ . Keep looking at the poops until you no longer see the carrot. My boy's transit time spans 2 to 3 poops between 18-24hrs. This will also help you know if a change you made is working because you can track the meal with the change to the poop.