Confused

[Ripley]

Ripley’s rest results came in, and he does not have EPI (it doesn’t even look close - he was in the middle of every range for all four tests that Texas A&M conducted). I could have sworn that he had it, as he had every symptom except he wasn’t aggressive nor was he trying to eat his own food.

We started Ripley on the enzymes while we were waiting for results. It has been a huge difference: He had diarrhea every 1-2 hours for three days before he started the enzymes. 48 hours later and he had his first firm poop in over a month!

Anyone heard of something that would give nearly identical symptoms and the enzymes help but it’s not EPI? My vet doesn’t have any ideas and said just continue taking the enzymes.

[Diane S]

Do you know what the TLI test results were and were they done after fasting? Some dogs will test boarderline and benefit from the use of enzymes. Some dogs will not even be close but have symptoms and do great with the addition of enzymes when we can not figure out what is wrong. Some of those dogs that do not have EPI may be able to come off the enzymes at some point or reduce to a lower dose. Sometimes we worry about the use of enzymes masking the real issue and seeing things go back to bad down the road-when that is just depends.

So no it is not uncommon for the enzymes to help. Perhaps they give the pancreas a time to rest and let things straighten out. I have a friend who had a bull dog with all signs of EPI but tested negative. As a last ditch effort they treated as EPI and after a few months of doing well took him off enzymes and he was fine. We all shook our heads. No idea why or what was wrong as every test they ran came up at a dead end.

Again this is talking about dogs with the symptoms of EPI but not testing positive for EPI.

[Ripley]

Hi Diane,

Thanks for the reply!

His test results, and he did fast for 15 hours before the test:

TLI - 17.1
Pancreatic Lipase - 70
Folate - 11.3
Cobalamin - 686

His blood work and fecal sample did not raise any suspicions about what may be wrong.

We will definitely keep him on the enzymes and try decreasing down the road when he has gained weight back and seems more like himself (he had lost 8 pounds in 2 weeks and 20 pounds overall). Thanks!

- Christy

[TerryBin]

I agree with Diane...
If you have seen improvement I would continue with the enzymes for awhile longer...if things remain firm try cutting back on the amount (start by cutting 1/8 tsp per cup of food) of enzyme and monitor and continue. If things go south again then you know you need to continue.
I agree too that one problem is not knowing what the real issue/problem is and maybe not treating something that should be. But if the enzymes are helping and you are able to cut back maybe it's just a "blip" of some kind and his pancreas just needs some support right now.

[Judy]

Hi Christy,

Just checking in to see how things are. Are the enzymes still helping?

[Olesia711]

Hi Christy,

Yes, please tell your vet we have had cases where the enzymes help and yet it is not EPI. Our members gave you some great insight into seeing this in the past.... i too second what they have said, and agree to continue with the enzymes temporarily as for whatever reason, it is helping, but to continue to look for the cause.

There are 2 possibilities (please share with your vet) that has popped up over the years that i know of:.

1. We have had people who had the TLI tested and the value came back in the teens. Could not find another cause. Lo and behold within 6 months to a year.... the TLI was re-tested and it had plummeted and the dog was finally clinically EPI.
SO.......... my suggestion is, if nothing else pops up.... re-test the TLI in another 6 months.

2. Another issue is that for whatever reason, we have had some dogs with small proximal intestinal disease not do well unless they were on enzymes. When removed, things went south. Why... i have no idea! However, I noticed your dog's folate score was not below 7.7 to indicate small proximal disease, but maybe it is something to watch for... i honestly don't know if this could be a brewing situation, but just thought i would mention this so you can share this to with your vet, as it might be helpful or not.............

[Madelon]

Hi there. My story is one of the ones Olesia wrote about. My boy was first tested for EPI at 3mos old due to chronic diarrhea and the fact that he was a GSD - his TLI was 16 - he was diagnosed based on symptoms with SIBO (now called SID). He did fine for 10mos and then he began to slowly lose weight. He was tested for EPI again at 13mos and the TLI was less than .4 - it takes time for the pancreas to atrophy so I am a big believer if the symptoms come back or never get better to test again after a few months.

[Olesia711]

thanks Madelon !!!

[Ripley]

Thank you so much everyone! I will definitely keep an eye on him very closely.

All of his poops today have been firm! I truly can’t believe the turnaround. I went from thinking we were slowly losing him and couldn’t figure it out to learning about these enzymes on Monday night to firm poop and my dog starting to act like himself on Friday!

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and all that you do!!

- Christy

[Barb]

So glad that things have turned around, Christy. Keep us posted.

Barb