New EPI Diagnosis - Feeling Overwhelmed...

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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Sadie'sMom
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Location: Wisconsin
Country: United States
State: Wisconsin
Pet name: Sadie
My name: Lisa

Re: New EPI Diagnosis - Feeling Overwhelmed...

Post by Sadie'sMom » 21 Jan 2021, 12:34

Good Morning Olesia:

Thank you very much for the information. I honestly forgot that there is donation section on this site. (I would highly suggest that you never get old....because there's a chance you could lose your marbles on some things). If my memory is this bad at age 55......Lord help me when I hit 65.... :lol:

Take care and have a great weekend!

Lisa, Wayne & Sadie
Sadie is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever ("Toller" for short). She eats Authority Grain Free Chicken & Pea kibble. To make sure she ingests the enzymes, we mix some No Sodium Chicken Broth and a small handful of meat - chicken, hamburger, pork - and stir it up with her dog food (she eats like a champ now!). With each meal she gets 5 scoops (1 1/4 tsp's) of Diane's Enzymes and a WonderLabs B-12 with Intrinsic factor. She gets 1 Proviable-DC probiotic per day. Diagnosed in September 2019 with EPI. She has some issues with dry skin we are dealing with now.

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Olesia711
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Re: New EPI Diagnosis - Feeling Overwhelmed...

Post by Olesia711 » 21 Jan 2021, 14:36

I am already there..................This year i hit 68 years old Image
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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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Sadie'sMom
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Posts: 172
Location: Wisconsin
Country: United States
State: Wisconsin
Pet name: Sadie
My name: Lisa

Re: New EPI Diagnosis - Feeling Overwhelmed...

Post by Sadie'sMom » 22 Jan 2021, 17:24

Olesia:

Ha ha - love the cartoon lady. :lol: I've read your posts and seen your vast knowledge with my own eyes ---- you are as sharp as a tack.

Have a great weekend.

Lisa
Sadie is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever ("Toller" for short). She eats Authority Grain Free Chicken & Pea kibble. To make sure she ingests the enzymes, we mix some No Sodium Chicken Broth and a small handful of meat - chicken, hamburger, pork - and stir it up with her dog food (she eats like a champ now!). With each meal she gets 5 scoops (1 1/4 tsp's) of Diane's Enzymes and a WonderLabs B-12 with Intrinsic factor. She gets 1 Proviable-DC probiotic per day. Diagnosed in September 2019 with EPI. She has some issues with dry skin we are dealing with now.

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Olesia711
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Posts: 3858
Location: North Carolina
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State: North Carolina
Pet name: Izzy
My name: olesia

Re: New EPI Diagnosis - Feeling Overwhelmed...

Post by Olesia711 » 22 Jan 2021, 19:50

hahahaha... Thanks Lisa...... but sometimes this ol' addled brain really feels it's age.... OLD!
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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Sadie'sMom
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Posts: 172
Location: Wisconsin
Country: United States
State: Wisconsin
Pet name: Sadie
My name: Lisa

Re: New EPI Diagnosis - Feeling Overwhelmed...

Post by Sadie'sMom » 14 Apr 2021, 08:38

Hi All:

I wanted to provide you with an update on our Sadie. We got a bone from the butcher to gnaw on and she loved it - but got bored quickly. Then a crazy thing happened. 10 days ago, we had some people over and unbeknownst to me, one of my friends gave our dogs a small rawhide. (Side note: she forgot about Sadie's EPI). Later, she told us how excited the dogs were to get the bones (of course they were - they haven't had one for almost 2 years). We monitored Sadie VERY closely for a week - nothing happened. So, I bought a little bag of these bones (4% fiber) and have given the pups one (immediately after Sadie's enzymed meal) and Sadie has had zero issues!!! To say we were beyond excited would be an understatement. We would like to don'tgive her one once or twice a week. But we won't do anything that would be detrimental to her.

Honest opinions please - are we okay to continue to do this since her poops are still perfect, she is acting perfect (no belching, no gas, no burping) and we have seen zero issues. The one thing we have noticed is how happy and excited she gets when given one. It has warmed my heart to see her so happy again. Looking forward to your honest opinions....even if it's not what I might want to hear - because the only thing that matters is keeping her healthy.

Thank you!

Lisa & Sadie
Sadie is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever ("Toller" for short). She eats Authority Grain Free Chicken & Pea kibble. To make sure she ingests the enzymes, we mix some No Sodium Chicken Broth and a small handful of meat - chicken, hamburger, pork - and stir it up with her dog food (she eats like a champ now!). With each meal she gets 5 scoops (1 1/4 tsp's) of Diane's Enzymes and a WonderLabs B-12 with Intrinsic factor. She gets 1 Proviable-DC probiotic per day. Diagnosed in September 2019 with EPI. She has some issues with dry skin we are dealing with now.

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jilbert57
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Re: New EPI Diagnosis - Feeling Overwhelmed...

Post by jilbert57 » 14 Apr 2021, 09:35

Hi Lisa, so glad to hear from you! Nice to know Sadie is doing well.
Personal opinion: I do not give my dogs bones, nylabones or hard plastic chews. I don't have nice chewers and end up with broken teeth and slab fractures.
Rawhides I do not give as mine are gulpers and I do not want to risk lodged pieces. I saw the longest piece of rawhide being passed by my sons golden and he was very unhappy.
The only chew I give are bully sticks. I buy long lasting ones they can't bite off pieces. I pick them up after a chew session. I cram the end into a tiny size Kong so they can't swallow the last two or 3 inches.
Kiya and Mickeys teeth were worn down and Kiya had 3 molars pulled by the end due to slab fractures. I didn't know one tooth had to be pulled due to splitting in half! Sheesh.
Can you post a picture of the chew? Thanks and good luck.

Jill
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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Olesia711
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Re: New EPI Diagnosis - Feeling Overwhelmed...

Post by Olesia711 » 14 Apr 2021, 17:06

i didn't give rawhide chews for a totally different reason.... they were enjoyed a little too much by my 3 dogs in my home, that as soon as one dog was done with their chew they tried to steal the chew from whoever still had one or part of one... and then we had to deal with dog fighting..... so... no rawhide chews at our home.....and why we switched to real heavy big soup bones.

And i too have heard of horror stories of bad experiences with the rawhide chews.... so IMHO.... it is a personal choice if you are comfortable or not giving them to your dog.

NOW........... with regards to giving it to an EPI dog ............. you did everything correctly... You gave the chew and watched, waited and watched to see if there were any adverse effect with her EPI... and since there weren't then as far as giving Sadie rawhide chews... go for it if it makes her happy and if you are comfortable with it. ....And maybe just observe her, or be in the room with her when she is enjoying one............
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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Sadie'sMom
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Posts: 172
Location: Wisconsin
Country: United States
State: Wisconsin
Pet name: Sadie
My name: Lisa

Re: New EPI Diagnosis - Feeling Overwhelmed...

Post by Sadie'sMom » 15 Apr 2021, 16:01

Hi Jill & Olesia!!!

So great to hear from you both. I appreciate you both taking the time to respond. We have always given all of our dogs rawhides and have never had a problem --- but it sure sounds like something that could happen from your stories!! (Thank you for sharing them). Bella & Sadie get along great - so no issue with fighting. They both are chewing at the same time and finish at the same time for the most part. I totally agree with you, Olesia, if they were dog fighting --- the item would be permanently gone. Jill - I am going to check into the bully sticks you mentioned. I really like the idea of stuffing them into something to slow the chewing down and so they don't finish the last few inches - great idea! Sorry to hear about your pups teeth. I'm a dental phobic - so wouldn't want to make my dogs go do something I don't like doing. :lol:

Jill - I will figure out how to do an attachment and send you a photo of the chew. It's about 2.5 to 3" long and it is knotted on both ends.

Olesia - thank you for letting me know I am doing everything correctly. You both know how much I worry about every single thing there is when it comes to Sadie --- so hearing I'm doing something right makes me really happy.

I hope all is well with both of you. Take care. Stay safe. And thank you for the continued support on our EPI journey with Sadie.

Lisa
Sadie is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever ("Toller" for short). She eats Authority Grain Free Chicken & Pea kibble. To make sure she ingests the enzymes, we mix some No Sodium Chicken Broth and a small handful of meat - chicken, hamburger, pork - and stir it up with her dog food (she eats like a champ now!). With each meal she gets 5 scoops (1 1/4 tsp's) of Diane's Enzymes and a WonderLabs B-12 with Intrinsic factor. She gets 1 Proviable-DC probiotic per day. Diagnosed in September 2019 with EPI. She has some issues with dry skin we are dealing with now.

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Olesia711
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Posts: 3858
Location: North Carolina
Country: United States
State: North Carolina
Pet name: Izzy
My name: olesia

Re: New EPI Diagnosis - Feeling Overwhelmed...

Post by Olesia711 » 15 Apr 2021, 22:38

Lisa,

You are dong a GREAT job with Sadie... she is such a lucky pup!!!! And please do continue to keep us updated. :)
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.........

Tuckaboo Pam
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My name: Pam H.

Re: New EPI Diagnosis - Feeling Overwhelmed...

Post by Tuckaboo Pam » 16 Apr 2021, 20:03

Here's why I stopped giving soup bones, though----

https://thebark.com/content/bone-marrow-mishaps
Tucker was a shepherd/lab mix--- TLI 1.3, Folate 9.7, Cobalamin 666, Lipase 38. Took Diane's Enzymes 4 teaspoons/day, Wonderlabs B12 one capsule per day, and Tylan 1/16 teaspoon/ morning (to hold SID at bay). Taste of the Wild High Prairie, 1 1/2 cups/day, with a total of 4 cups of Fresh Pet. Stopped eating everything in sight, and went from 60 to 85 pounds! Tucker was my boyfriend, and my husband was OK with that. Tucker succumbed to hemangiosarcoma, but we cherished every day we had with that wonderful, beautiful boy. I will always, always miss my sweet big boy.

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