Newly diagnosed and don't know where to start...

[Loz0101]

Good evening,

I best introduce myself first, I'm Lauren and I have a nearly 2 year old Hungarian Vizsla called Lilly. I have both of Lilly's parents who (touch wood) have been amazing dogs and I haven't had any bother with. When Lilly was born she was pushed out of the litter and I spent a lot of time with her, helping her feed. It turns out she wasn't using one of her back legs, and after lots of help from me and a physio, we come to the conclusion she had a spinal injury from birth. With all of this she has always been a very skinny dog.

Last Monday I took her to the vets as she had diarrhoea every other poo for around 2 weeks (I put it down to her joy of eating poo and upsetting her stomach each time, thats why it took me so long to go) Straight away the vet wanted her in Tuesday to run some blood tests. On Wednesday I had a call to say she had EPI and SIBO, and I need to give her all theses tablets immediately and change her diet.

So Wednesday evening, I gave her antibiotics and I sprinkled some enzymes (Lypex) on a diet of cooked chicken breast and pasta. She ate it so quick she nearly had my fingers off, and the same again Thursday morning, she was weak, but was ok in herself. Thursday evening I came home from work to find her nearly lifeless in her bed. I bundled her in the car and off to the vets we go. We got to the vets and she perked up a little, vet gave her a B12 injections and off we come home again. We carried on with the food until Saturday, when Saturday evening she was near lifeless and refused to eat. (At this point I thought that was it).

Up until this point we still had bright yellow sloppy poo. So Sunday morning she nudged me as if to say I am hungry, so I gave her just cooked chicken with no pasta. Again she ate it like she hadn't ever been fed. So for the past 2 days I have had a lot happier dog and solid (somewhat) poo!!!

So I think what my questions are...
At this moment in time is just chicken enough?
Is there any guidance on how much I should realistically be feeding her?
Should her poo still look like undigested chicken?
I know its baby steps, but what and when should I add something else to the diet?
Where do I start?
What else can I do to help?

I am obviously trying to do as much reading as possible, but just don't know where to start.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
A very tired/worried/confused dog mum.

[jilbert57]

Hi Lauren and welcome to you and Lilly.
Since she has been diagnosed with EPI all food and treat she eats must be accompanied by Enzymes. How much Lypex did the vet say to use per meal or amount of food?
4 conditions must be implemented for managing EPI:
Enzymes
Diet- grain free kibble is recommended,4% or
less fiber
Antibiotic if SID is present(small intestinal disease)
B12- EPI dogs level must be 600 or greater.

If she responded like that to the B12 shot she is likely low. You can supplement with this product from Wonderlabs:
https://epi4dogs.com/b12-in-brief-2/

I would say you are ok for a day or 2 of chicken and enzyme but I would slowly add in a little grain free kibble for calories. If she is underweight you would feed 150% of the recommended weight for her on the food sack.

[Patsy]

Hello ,I was just going to bed so just a quick mention for now.
As Jill said, move away from pure chicken. What did you feed before? Mashed Sweet potato is a good mixer. However, just chicken isn’t nutritionally suitable and lots of Epi dogs can’t tolerate it.
Lypex.. the box is a bit misleading. A vizla will need at least two Lypex with each normal meal.
The best information is on this website, though tucked away . At the top of the page there are three small lines on the right. This is the menu for all information. There is a quickguide for UK users.
We are all started on here in desperation, you are both in good hands.

[Jean]

you are very welcome to give me a ring I am in Liverpool

0151 726 1468

it will have to be tomorrow

Jean

[Patsy]

Hello
Do call Jean, she can answer all your questions more easily than you having to write.
After this crisis point when epi hits, be patient and relax a bit, once food gets digested you are on the way back to normality. Yes it’s for life, which will be as long as any other dog.
It becomes a routine to use enzymes for every meal though harder to cut out training treats which can really screw things up. Hard too is to stop everybody else giving them titbits. Or edible stuff on pavements. Some of us put an extra dog tag on to say Do Not Feed. Epi , call Vet.

My dog used to sneak to my neighbours’, and steal cat food left outside, result diarrhoea. If I found out, I would give her some food plus enzymes straight away. The same with eating poo.
Take things one step at a time. Keep it simple.
Enzymes, Antibiotics, B12 , correct food.
I used Millie’s Wolfheart , online, because there is. A wide variety of suitable foods.

[Loz0101]

Thank you all for your quick reply’s as you can imagine my heads all over at the moment and I am panicking, and I haven’t a clue what I’m rambling on about

Jean I will take you up on that call at some point tomorrow if that’s alright, I am finding trying to type what I’m thinking particularly hard at the moment as I haven’t a clue what I’m going out about.

I’m just about to get some much needed sleep and will answer a few questions and hopefully have some more of my own tomorrow. In the mean time I will leave you with a picture of the monkey herself.

[jilbert57]

Bless her heart. Have a good chat with Jean.

[Patsy]

What a beautiful face, melting eyes. Her coat and skin seem very good, which is a bonus. Also she hasn’t developed any bloating, which Marti did, which was a sign that the organs were in trouble.
If you can , spread your food into more frequent feeds, to spread the massive impact of large loads of food. Also I would want a supplement of vitamins and minerals, which your vet could advise on.
If you look at the website Before and After pictures, you can appreciate how it is reversible.
Stay positive
.

[Barb]

A very warm welcome to you and Lilly! What a sweetheart! Just to let you know, we have all been where you are, panicked at the beginning, and feeling overwhelmed. But you are already going in the right direction after your good vet (yay!) suspected and tested for EPI. Now it is a matter of getting everything in balance, so your beautiful girl can recover and thrive.

You are in good hands with our UK members who can answer all your questions about enzymes and diet. Those of us in the States use powdered enzymes, so our treatment is a little different. All of us rely on the 4 cornerstones that someone already mentioned: Enzymes, Food, Antibiotics, and B12. Keep in mind that each dog is different and responds differently to food, so finding the right food can be challenging.....or if you are lucky not difficult at all, depending on your pup. I heartily endorse keeping a log/journal to record everything you give Lilly each day, the amounts and the resulting poos. This will help you to see what is working and what isn't. As you can see from that first formed poo, the enzymes are already working.

Ask as many questions as you like. A phone call with Jean will definitely make you feel so much better.

Hang in there. Lilly is lucky to have you!

Barb

[Madelon]

Hi and welcome to our EPI family. You are in excellent hands with our UK members so I won't muddy the water. Just wanted to comment on how sweet your Lilly looks - when I saw her picture my heart just melted. Patience is the hardest part of EPI - I know because I'm not a patient person and after 4yrs of managing EPI I recently had to be reminded of this after a recent set back. Please know we are all here for you and we've all been where you are so you're not alone.

Keep us posted.