New member: Daisy's story

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

Re: New member: Daisy's story

Post by Madelon » 14 Jan 2020, 22:06

Glad you got the WonderLabs pills ordered. So far the company is AMAZING and have been continuing to give the discount so as far as we know it will continue.

In my personal opinion, I did not do shots and my boys B12 was low at diagnosis - I just did the pills, so you should be okay. The pills work for most EPI dogs - there are few rare cases that require the shots but that's not the norm.

As far as retesting - if you can afford it okay - if not, just keep an eye out for signs of low B12 - loss of appetite, weight loss, loss of energy etc. I had my boy's retested after 3 months to be sure we were where we needed to be but haven't retested since - almost 5yrs ago.

Please compile a list of any questions you have - that's what we are here for!!
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.

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

Re: New member: Daisy's story

Post by faye grimm » 14 Jan 2020, 22:58

sounds good Madelon.

So to be clear ... I add one capsule to each meal or just 2 meals if I am feeding more than twice a day, correct?

It's interesting how differently things are priced between various veterinarians.
I did find out the shots were only $8 at the other less pricey vet I go to so if Daisy does run into trouble in the future that will be where I go. But their test for folate/cobalimine was quite a bit more expensive that the at the expensive vet.
I assume it is the labs they use.
Both have been nice enough to let me just bring Daisy in for a blood draw without an office visit and I suspect many vets will do that for established patients but you do have to ask or they assume it will be an appointment.
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 ...

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

Re: New member: Daisy's story

Post by Madelon » 15 Jan 2020, 13:49

The amount of B12 depends on Daisy's weight. The WonderLabs pills are 1000ug
0-20lbs give 250ug (so 1/4 pill)
20-40lbs give 500ug (so 1/2 pill)
40lbs and above give 1000ug (so 1 pill)

Now the tricky part and this is true even with shots - you have to figure out how often to give that dose to keep Daisy's B12 level where it should be. The shots say once a week but a lot of people notice towards the end of the week before the next week's shot, their dog will lose energy, appetite, etc.

If I were you I would give the correct dose once a day. Then when Daisy is stable in a month or two I would have the B12 retested to see where it's at - if she's stable and the B12 is over 600 then you could try reducing the B12 a little bit - maybe give the dose every other day and watch for changes. Once she's stable you'll be able to tell when her B12 level goes down without having to constantly retest it.
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.

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

Re: New member: Daisy's story

Post by faye grimm » 15 Jan 2020, 14:44

well the good news for me is the product I chose is a capsule so i will be able to adjust her dosage easier it seems.
Will I need to let that fully incubate with her food or add toward the last few minutes?
I'm also adding some slippery elm twice a day and have been doing that both ways because I am not sure which is best.
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 ...

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

Re: New member: Daisy's story

Post by Madelon » 15 Jan 2020, 19:59

No need to incubate the slippery elm or the B12 - yes the capsules are easy - just open and divide equally into whatever dose you need.
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.

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

Re: New member: Daisy's story

Post by faye grimm » 16 Apr 2020, 11:54

Hello everyone .. been a while. I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy.

I thought it was time to pop in a give you all an update on how Daisy was doing.

The enzymes are working great. She has gone from 29lbs to a "that's enough" 38lbs and is feeling great.
I have had time to figure out what works best and it seems 1/2 tsp is plenty and also she seems to do perfectly well with not waiting the 15 minutes.
While the enzymes I am using are panatex I did call Diane who was amazingly gracious and helped me understand how to use them which gave me the courage to reduce the dose and try waiting a little less each time.
I may switch to Diane's although I am wondering that if the Pantenex 10x is working, maybe I should just stick to it.

I also took the suggestion of trying the Sport Dog food and am very pleased. Daisy seems to be happy as well. :D
Very nice people and I believe in supporting small business, especially a family run op like Sport Dog.

I am giving Daisy the Wonderlabs B12 (half a capsule each meal) plus slippery elm.

Her stools have been formed although they remain moderately to fairly soft most of the time. But very little signs of runny poo.
Sometimes a little squirt will follow a regular poop drop. while it is not daily, I was wondering if this is indicative of any remaining issues?

Last month the vet told me that if she was doing well, there was no need to retest her blood.
We did go to the vet yesterday because her chronic itching was getting worse.Everyone has always told me it was alergies although yeasty skin was suggested. So I have stuck strictly to turkey instead of chicken for nearly a year and saw no improvement so it must not be a chicken allergy. So my vet suggested we try an Rx med called Apoquel.
https://thehappypuppysite.com/apoquel-for-dogs/
I gave her her the first dose last night and WHAM! NO SCRATCHING AT ALL!
I have to say I was as relieved not to hear her suffering and scratching all night.
I have looked into the side effects which seem to be minimal if any, this seems to be considered a pretty safe option.
My only concern is long term use and also how/if it may interact with EPI dogs.

Does anyone have experience with this?
I am also wondering if I need to use it daily as prescribed. Can it work if used every other day?

I ask because I have found certain medications do not actually need to be used as prescribed. A perfect example is Nexguard which I do get for her in the summer but she does not get it every month. Maybe every 2-3 months (so 2 times over the summer) seems to work just fine.

Well .. we are looking forward to the summer. We have beenspending more time in the garden and are walking more and I am adjusting to the financial output of keeping my baby girl healthy and happy. I live simply so it is not too difficult.

Please know I have been sharing Daisy's and my experience with EPI every chance I get and I ALWAYS tell people about this wonderful forum. You all made such a difference in our lives I can never thank you enough.

Please be well .. people and pooches.

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 ...

User avatar
Olesia711
Founder & Research Director
Posts: 3858
Location: North Carolina
Country: United States
State: North Carolina
Pet name: Izzy
My name: olesia

Re: New member: Daisy's story

Post by Olesia711 » 17 Apr 2020, 18:53

Hi Faye and thank you for the great update on Daisy!!!

Glad that she is doing so well.

Regarding the Apoquel.... it is perfectly fine to give to an EPI dog. I also give Apoquel to my Lulu... she has horrendous storage mite allergies.... and Apoquel fixed it all (and we struggled for years and years and tired everything-- it was so sad to see her so miserable itching, biting etc all the time.

Anyway, Lulu has been on Apoquel for 7 years now and has not had any adverse affects from it that i am aware of.
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.........

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

Re: New member: Daisy's story

Post by Barb » 18 Apr 2020, 16:49

You have done an amazing job with Daisy. I am so glad to be reading such a fine update. And glad to hear that she is doing well on the Apoquel.

Barb

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

Re: New member: Daisy's story

Post by Madelon » 18 Apr 2020, 21:26

What a wonderful update - glad things are going so well. As for the poop - my boy has formed poop but it's still sort of soft - loses form when I pick it up - I have finally given in after years of trying to get the perfect tootsie rolls - I think some dogs just are not going to have a perfect #2 poop - and as long as the weight is good, there's no signs of SID (gas, gurgling, burping, runny poo) then I've decided for me I'm okay with it. Ahhhh the allergies - they are a nightmare and worse than EPI!! Glad the Apoquel is helping, although I'm not sure about giving it every other day - maybe someone with experience will chime in on that. As for the enzymes - if you've got good poops I would stick with what you're using but just know that if something changes you can switch to Diane's :)
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.

Cheryl
Member
Posts: 12
Country: Canada
Pet name: Amber
My name: Cheryl

Re: New member: Daisy's story

Post by Cheryl » 14 Oct 2020, 10:16

Can I ask about the kibble ? which one are you using and what is the fiber %

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 241 guests