Poop

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.
Tuckaboo Pam
Member
Posts: 1346
Country: United States
State: Florida
Pet name: Tucker
My name: Pam H.

Re: Poop

Post by Tuckaboo Pam » 18 Jan 2020, 18:08

Hey Madelon! I just read with interest your note to Yogibear about slippery elm having less chance of sibo recurrence. I may be reacting to the word'slippery', and imagining I'm seeing wetter poo when I give it to Tucker, but here's my question---If I try again, should I continue the full dose of Tylan I've been giving him, add some SE, and slowly decrease the Tylan? Thanks!---Pam
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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Madelon
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Posts: 1317
Location: Nashville, TN
Country: United States
State: Tennessee
Pet name: Doc

Re: Poop

Post by Madelon » 18 Jan 2020, 22:36

Hi Pam. Yes you want to only make one change at a time. So, if you're going to try slippery elm then stay on the regular dose of tylan - wait 3 days and then try to reduce the Tylan. OR if you have good poop on the full dose of Tylan then try to reduce and if you notice it going south THEN try adding in the slippery elm and see if it corrects itself. If you're concerned about not really remembering the poops - I find it helpful to take pictures so you can compare them better - when you're looking at so much poop it's hard to remember exactly what they look like from one poop to the next.
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.

Tuckaboo Pam
Member
Posts: 1346
Country: United States
State: Florida
Pet name: Tucker
My name: Pam H.

Re: Poop

Post by Tuckaboo Pam » 19 Jan 2020, 06:55

Thanks! And no kidding, especially when you are chasing five dogs around the yard, trying to pick up after them. arrrrgggghhhh
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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Madelon
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Posts: 1317
Location: Nashville, TN
Country: United States
State: Tennessee
Pet name: Doc

Re: Poop

Post by Madelon » 19 Jan 2020, 10:02

Yep that's a lot of poop to be looking at and figuring out who's is who's LOL
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.

Tuckaboo Pam
Member
Posts: 1346
Country: United States
State: Florida
Pet name: Tucker
My name: Pam H.

Re: Poop

Post by Tuckaboo Pam » 25 Jan 2020, 17:24

I am currently waiting for Diane to get the ScheBo tests back in stock; should be there by next weekend. I will be happy to get a Yay or Nay on the EPI, since I've been treating him since May without a definitive test. I have to get something off my chest, though, and I hope I'm able to articulate without sounding angry. So, here goes---I learned about EPI from a GSD rescue post, googled it, and learned that my Tucker had 7 of 10 symptoms. I found a video by Dr. Karen Becker, who says that EPI is terribly underdiagnosed, and became even more convinced. My wonderful vet, Dr. J, had never treated EPI, but she was fine with me doing the research. After a couple of attempts, she sent me to another vet, who had been her mentor while she was an intern. Dr. C. was very thorough, I thought annoyingly so, since we had some trials under our belts & I felt we should just proceed from where we'd gotten. Little did I know that the tests he did in his office, as well as the time he spent talking to me in his office & on the phone, was all being done pro bono. He talked me through all of the steps, writing down all my observations, and in the end he likely spent 3+ hours on Tucker and me. That's a lot of time. The way we left it, he didn't think I needed the test, as he was convinced of Tucker's diagnosis. So we've been hopping along & Tucker is doing well. The way we left it, if I really wanted the EPI blood test, I could make an appointment at any time, and we would only pay for the test, without so much as an office visit charge. But here I am, making friends with all of you EPI parents, and now I want that test. So, I called the office last week, knowing Dr. C has retired, but assuming the promise he made would be honored. NOPE. The vet who called me back is not remotely interested in reading Dr. C's notes & picking up where we left off. No, we will start from scratch, doing stool tests to eliminate parasites, first, and going from there. I am so upset...he quoted around $650 for everything he wants to do, and I don't even know if he's ever treated an EPI dog successfully. So, back to my original statement, I will order the poo test from Diane, learn yes or no about the EPI, and then I will continue to rely on the valuable experience of the dog parents I have met through this wonderful forum. I wish vets would educate themselves about EPI, that it received more attention in vet school, and that they would google it like so many of us have, and end up here on this forum. Thank goodness for Diane, for WonderLabs, and Foy's, who may just be working together with EPI4Dogs to keep Tucker's life full of quality. Grateful to all of you---Pam
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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Patsy
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Posts: 266
Country: United Kingdom - England

Re: Poop

Post by Patsy » 27 Jan 2020, 15:59

Don’t I know it!
I had a great vet at first, he had a nervous breakdown because of new management, and left.
2nd one awful, I left.
3rd one excellent. Then he retired.
4th lot ,three different vets in the same practice, awful. I left.
Marti passed away peacefully at home , at night ,by my bed. Thank goodness.

I moved on again with healthy dogs, to a one man practice, who is excellent, and I quizzed him on his epi knowledge, and he passed my test!

My son had to use an emergency vet, I again talked about epi, and he told me he advises all epi owners to google Epi4dogs. Hooray!
That scores 50% knowledgable. What they had in common was that they were senior vets, and the remainder were bossy and younger. I think apart from more education, the new vets need to develop listening skills and patience. Yes we do refer to the internet which may annoy them, but it is a lifesaver.
Springer spaniel Marti had Epi, PLE , MMM just to confuse me. She lived till 12yrs, chubby and happy despite eight years of epi.
Capsule enzymes suited her best. B12 supplements made her into a new dog!
After a cocker with PLN kidney disease, I now have two healthy rescues, a lively, suicidal , small ginger terrier, adopted with pneumonia, and gum disease needing nearly all his teeth out, and a fluffy grey toy poodle/terrier from Greece.

Tuckaboo Pam
Member
Posts: 1346
Country: United States
State: Florida
Pet name: Tucker
My name: Pam H.

Re: Poop

Post by Tuckaboo Pam » 27 Jan 2020, 18:22

Patsy, YES! Dr. C was 80, and still practicing. He was so kind and practical. Thanks for responding---Pam
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.

Tuckaboo Pam
Member
Posts: 1346
Country: United States
State: Florida
Pet name: Tucker
My name: Pam H.

Re: Poop

Post by Tuckaboo Pam » 07 Feb 2020, 05:23

SOOOOOOO------Sport Dog Food Elite for Herding Dogs R O C K S the poo! Down to 2-3 times a day, dark & firm. Tucker's got good lookin' caca! Thanks for the help!---Pam
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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jilbert57
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Posts: 2092
Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: Poop

Post by jilbert57 » 07 Feb 2020, 09:14

Good to hear! Thanks for the report Pam.

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.

Tuckaboo Pam
Member
Posts: 1346
Country: United States
State: Florida
Pet name: Tucker
My name: Pam H.

Re: Poop

Post by Tuckaboo Pam » 08 Feb 2020, 10:55

I am holding off doing Diane's ScheBo test, until Tucker has finished a course of liver meds my vet wanted him to have. I just want him to be as clean as possible when I do it. Diane assures me the presence of enzymes in his food will not affect the results of the test(can't wrap my brain around this, still), but I'm worried the liver pills might skew the results. I can't wait to do this...has anyone else ever used this test? If so, can I hear from you? In reading the forum rules, I believe I am just supposed to keep adding to my own thread, rather than starting a new one, but I hope this doesn't make people think I am still talking about poop. Thanks! Pam
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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