Dog with EPI and IBD

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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Madelon
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Posts: 1317
Location: Nashville, TN
Country: United States
State: Tennessee
Pet name: Doc

Re: Dog with EPI and IBD

Post by Madelon » 20 Nov 2019, 10:11

Thank you for the "Pupdate" - what an adorable cutie pie you have!!! Congratulations on the weight gain - as long as you're going up and not down you're going in the right direction :) . Keep us posted on how things are going.
Madelon, owned by DOC. DOC dx EPI 5/2015 = TLI < .4, B12 406; Folate >24. DOC taught me so much and together we battled and overcame EPI, food sensitivies, environmental allergies but we lost the cancer battle. DOC was dx with hemangiosarcoma 5/2022 and crossed the rainbow bridge July 24, 2022. He is and always will be the love of my life, my soulmate, my heart dog.

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

Re: Dog with EPI and IBD

Post by Barb » 21 Nov 2019, 15:40

Hello. I'm just catching up with your thread. So glad your pup is feeling better. Wonderful news about the weight gain!

You are doing an amazing job of dealing with more than "just" EPI.

I also think that setbacks are very hard to deal with because once we get our pups stabilized and they are feeling better, it is hard to see them start to have issues again. Glad his energy is back and he is his playful self again.

Please let us know how he does. He is fortunate to have you.

Barb

Ben j v
Member
Posts: 20
Country: Australia
State: Washington
Pet name: Rorschak
My name: Ben

Re: Dog with EPI and IBD

Post by Ben j v » 02 Jan 2020, 05:56

Hello everyone, and happy new year.
Thought id give you a "pupdate" since alot has happened in the past couple of months.

Since my last post, in which pup had a short term antibiotic, initially he was on a rollercoaster. He gained a bit of weight while on the course, but lost it just as fast and managed to escape and eat something disgusting, probably a rotting kangaroo. He ended up with bloat and katelyn rushed him to our ever patient vet at about 2 am.
Finally after that fiasco, we got him on tylan capsules, 400 mg 2x a day.
So he responded brilliantly initially. He has finally plumped up a bit, and looks like a healthy but slender dog. And he is full of energy and mischief.
His poops were apparently brown for a change(i was away) and all was good, so we weaned him off his steroids, which he cannot take forever (20mg prednisolone)
He was fine with that for about a week, but his poops have started to deteriorate again.
They first went yellow and had that distinct undigested smell, and have been getting softer still, some of the more recent ones completely runny.
I am concerned he will loose weight again, if i dont figure this out fast.
Our vet is not a believer in oral b12, but as long as it wont cause any harm i am willing to spend the money, so i ordered some wonder labs pet b12 as i see some of you use it.
Hopefully this helps him absorb more of his food. Im guessing he may need to go on a long term steroid to keep his rumbly tummy under control.
I think he somewhat got used to being on the steroid, either that or he got better at being ravernous, because he is insatiable on the stuff. I gave him half of one when he first had a dodgey poop, to see if it helped but it made him stay up all night looking for food inside and out, even standing on my chest at 2 am barking at me, he is quite demanding sometimes.
Anyway thats where we are at now, i just ordered the b12, so its probably at least a week away(coming from usa) i will probably have a chat with his vet and see what he wants to try.
I took pup off his kibble again, just because it upset him in the past, but he has been dooing ok on it for some time.

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jilbert57
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Posts: 2092
Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: Dog with EPI and IBD

Post by jilbert57 » 02 Jan 2020, 09:19

I would definitely supplemen with the oral B12 . It is a crucial element in getting your pup stable:
ENZYMES, DIET, ANTIBIOTIC ,B12. all need to be implemented.
The EPI animals B12 needs to be 600 or greater and excess will come out in the urine.

What diet are you feeding?

Thank you for the pupdate.

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.

Ben j v
Member
Posts: 20
Country: Australia
State: Washington
Pet name: Rorschak
My name: Ben

Re: Dog with EPI and IBD

Post by Ben j v » 02 Jan 2020, 11:05

Hi jill.
He is on hills zd cans and kibble, 1.5 cans and 1 cup of kibble per meal.
Im dropping the kibble and only feeding cans for a bit to see if his tummy improves.

On that subject though, i used to chop the canned food up into small chunks with a spoon, and either sprinkle the creon ontop or poke the capsule into a chunk.

Today i tried to mush the food and creon together with my hands. Big mistake.
It turns into a very sticky mush, which he really struggled to eat. Makes me wonder how it breaks down effectively in their guts.

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jilbert57
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Posts: 2092
Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: Dog with EPI and IBD

Post by jilbert57 » 02 Jan 2020, 11:13

The Creon little spheres inside the gel cap are enteric coated and meant to be swallowed whole. Will your dog eat it if you just open the capsule and sprinkle it over the canned food? You might gently warm the food first so he gets the smell.

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.

Ben j v
Member
Posts: 20
Country: Australia
State: Washington
Pet name: Rorschak
My name: Ben

Re: Dog with EPI and IBD

Post by Ben j v » 02 Jan 2020, 12:14

I meant the actual hills zd canned food, he struggled to gulp ot down because i mushed it up with my hands. It comes out the can as a solid chunk, so i usually chop it up and he polishes it off in about 30-60 seconds. But because i mushed it up, trying to mix in the creon, it turned into this sticky goop. Like i gave up trying to scrape it off my hands it was so sticky and let him lick it off as best he could. But it took him at least 3-5minuts to eat his meal because it was all tacky. I think it might have been getting stuck to his cheeks or something, he was visibly having a hard time with it.
I was thinking along the lines of getting it mixed up early and mabey incubatind, which i didnt do.

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faye grimm
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Posts: 35
Location: Rogue Valley Oregon
Country: United States
State: Oregon
Pet name: Daisy
My name: faye

Re: Dog with EPI and IBD

Post by faye grimm » 02 Jan 2020, 21:20

Hi Ben,
I just joined this group in on Christmas day and boy, did Daisy and I get the best gift!

I was reading your posts and the replies and I swear, after all the encouraging attention and advice I got, plus knowing how many other people have come here when they first get their diagnosis, I am astonished at how these lovely people never seem to tire from composing such thoughtful, caring and personalized responses to each of us.

Being so new, I have no advice to offer but I just wanted to say hello and wish you the best.

We both came to the right place.
Bless the people and dogs who are here and a special thanks to those who built this house.

Warmest wishes for you and pup .. faye & Daisy
Daisy and I live in rural southern Oregon. In June of 2013 I saw someone selling 5 week old puppies from a van and I swear I was "only looking" when Daisy's head popped up from the back of the box and she jumped across her liter mates straight to me, got up on her hind legs and started licking my face.
She had just chosen me. The guy wanted $100 a pup. I told him I only had $50. He said no way.
I replied, "This is my dog now. Take it or leave it. But she is coming home with me."
So I gave the man his $50 and we have been joined at the hip every since ...

Ben j v
Member
Posts: 20
Country: Australia
State: Washington
Pet name: Rorschak
My name: Ben

Re: Dog with EPI and IBD

Post by Ben j v » 03 Jan 2020, 05:48

Great to meet you Faye, and your little daisy is gorgeous.
You are right, the level of help and compassion on this forum is honetly breathtaking and second to none.
It was such a load off our shoulders to have prompt and direct contact with everyone here, and to know there is a whole team of us battling the same problems.

All the best to you and Daisy for the new year.

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jilbert57
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Posts: 2092
Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: Dog with EPI and IBD

Post by jilbert57 » 03 Jan 2020, 09:09

Hi Ben, I get it.
You do not incubate Creon. You just feed capsule whole or open the capsule and dump over the food and serve immediately.

From Creon site:

"CREON and food need to be taken at the same time. Along with food, the CREON capsules enter the stomach. ... CREON enteric-coated spheres dissolve in the small intestine, releasing pancreatic enzymes to mix with food. In the small intestine, these enzymes work to break down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in food."

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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