New member. 11 month old GSD with EPI
Posted: 13 Dec 2020, 08:42
Good morning, all. As recommended from my German Shepherd forum, I have joined here after recently confirming my puppy's EPI diagnosis. Her name is Freya, she'll be a year old in just under two weeks, and her experience with this has been emotionally taxing for me (and obviously physically taxing for her).
Apologies for the huge first post, but I wanted to provide the entire timeline to keep the information in one place in case someone sees something my vet or I haven't yet seen. Her energy indoors has been significantly reduced over the past month, though she still fetches outdoors like everything is normal. NOW branded enzymes from Amazon have gotten her back to normal poop, but I have had multiple recommendations to seek a different, long-term solution.
Thank you for this place, and thank you for any advice you can provide us!
TL/DR: Looking for suggestions on enzyme potency and source. 6X? 8X? Enzyme Diane or other?
Background: Brought Freya home at 16 weeks (mid-April); two days after bringing her home, I took her to the vet to find her underweight (a little under 13 pounds) and with many ticks from 'breeder'; vet put her on 30 days of doxycycline 20 mg plus all the usual shots, started heartworm (HeartGard) and flea/tick (NexGard); UTI in early August, Cefpodoxime Proxetil 200 mg. Beginning July/August, finicky with food again and would sometimes only eat half a cup in a day (feeding Royal Canin GSD puppy). Regularly added a little bacon grease, plain Greek yogurt, or pumpkin to entice her to eat. Usual intake of 3-4 cups per day even with the additions, rarely more when a particularly busy exercise or play day.
October 16: Took to vet for biannual SNAP 4DX Plus test. Vet found whipworms. Provided Panacur C, 6 grams per meal (2x day) for six days (to repeat six days at three weeks, then six days at three months with retest). Changed heartworm meds to Interceptor. First night diarrhea. Prior, poops were solid, easy to pick up, and she went usually three times per day. Weighed 51.4 pounds.
October 18: Poops began more solid but ended softer, a little firmer than soft serve.
October 23: Began new regimen of Interceptor. Monthly NexGard also given.
November 6: Began second course of Panacur C, six grams each meal (2x day), for six days. Purchased from Amazon.
November 11: Last Panacur C given with evening meal. Through this point, poops had not returned to the firmness observed prior to October 16. Poops were softer but not liquid, pile rather than log. Horrible gas for next week.
November 13: Evening poop was a soft pile, pudding like in form. For the next four nights, between 3-5:30am, she whined to go out. Taking her out resulted in pudding poop. Same later at 7am, then the same three/four hours later. Kept adding a couple of tablespoons of alternating Greek yogurt or pumpkin, no change.
November 13-23: Pudding, puffy, greasy, stench poop. Usually five-six times per day, including double drops nearly every morning. Barely soft serve consistency.
November 18: Took stool sample to vet. Sample was clear.
November 20: Vet gave Metronidazole 500 mg for 15 days; Pro-Pectalin oral paste every 8 hours for two days; FortiFlora sachet for 30 days; Hill's Canine i/d food; told to slowly add boiled chicken and rice or other bland diet food to Hill's food. Significant reduction in gas after these meds began.
November 23-25: Liquid poop, cow patty style.
November 24: Weighed 47.6 pounds in the evening.
December 5: 46.6 pounds at weigh-in; Giardia test, negative; CBC panel (RETIC low at 5.8 K/uL; Cholesterol low at 76mg/dL; GLOB low at 2.4g/dL); urinalysis, clear/normal; rectal exam brief; fecal exam, clear
December 6: Fasted since 7pm prior evening, in around 10am; brought substantive stool sample from earlier in the morning for IDEXX COMP DIARRHEA PROFILE; blood draw for IDEXX GI Panel with Spec cPL; vet asked if I wanted additional anti-diarrheal medications, but I opted to wait for test results; began on NOW branded enzymes, Pancreatin 10X, with evening meal, prepared as recommended here and elsewhere.
December 9: Test confirmed Freya's numbers were consistent with EPI: TLI was .7 ug/L, Folate was >24 ug/L. First day of 'normal' poop--logs rather than pudding or patty.
December 12: Comprehensive diarrhea panel results received--all negative.
Apologies for the huge first post, but I wanted to provide the entire timeline to keep the information in one place in case someone sees something my vet or I haven't yet seen. Her energy indoors has been significantly reduced over the past month, though she still fetches outdoors like everything is normal. NOW branded enzymes from Amazon have gotten her back to normal poop, but I have had multiple recommendations to seek a different, long-term solution.
Thank you for this place, and thank you for any advice you can provide us!
TL/DR: Looking for suggestions on enzyme potency and source. 6X? 8X? Enzyme Diane or other?
Background: Brought Freya home at 16 weeks (mid-April); two days after bringing her home, I took her to the vet to find her underweight (a little under 13 pounds) and with many ticks from 'breeder'; vet put her on 30 days of doxycycline 20 mg plus all the usual shots, started heartworm (HeartGard) and flea/tick (NexGard); UTI in early August, Cefpodoxime Proxetil 200 mg. Beginning July/August, finicky with food again and would sometimes only eat half a cup in a day (feeding Royal Canin GSD puppy). Regularly added a little bacon grease, plain Greek yogurt, or pumpkin to entice her to eat. Usual intake of 3-4 cups per day even with the additions, rarely more when a particularly busy exercise or play day.
October 16: Took to vet for biannual SNAP 4DX Plus test. Vet found whipworms. Provided Panacur C, 6 grams per meal (2x day) for six days (to repeat six days at three weeks, then six days at three months with retest). Changed heartworm meds to Interceptor. First night diarrhea. Prior, poops were solid, easy to pick up, and she went usually three times per day. Weighed 51.4 pounds.
October 18: Poops began more solid but ended softer, a little firmer than soft serve.
October 23: Began new regimen of Interceptor. Monthly NexGard also given.
November 6: Began second course of Panacur C, six grams each meal (2x day), for six days. Purchased from Amazon.
November 11: Last Panacur C given with evening meal. Through this point, poops had not returned to the firmness observed prior to October 16. Poops were softer but not liquid, pile rather than log. Horrible gas for next week.
November 13: Evening poop was a soft pile, pudding like in form. For the next four nights, between 3-5:30am, she whined to go out. Taking her out resulted in pudding poop. Same later at 7am, then the same three/four hours later. Kept adding a couple of tablespoons of alternating Greek yogurt or pumpkin, no change.
November 13-23: Pudding, puffy, greasy, stench poop. Usually five-six times per day, including double drops nearly every morning. Barely soft serve consistency.
November 18: Took stool sample to vet. Sample was clear.
November 20: Vet gave Metronidazole 500 mg for 15 days; Pro-Pectalin oral paste every 8 hours for two days; FortiFlora sachet for 30 days; Hill's Canine i/d food; told to slowly add boiled chicken and rice or other bland diet food to Hill's food. Significant reduction in gas after these meds began.
November 23-25: Liquid poop, cow patty style.
November 24: Weighed 47.6 pounds in the evening.
December 5: 46.6 pounds at weigh-in; Giardia test, negative; CBC panel (RETIC low at 5.8 K/uL; Cholesterol low at 76mg/dL; GLOB low at 2.4g/dL); urinalysis, clear/normal; rectal exam brief; fecal exam, clear
December 6: Fasted since 7pm prior evening, in around 10am; brought substantive stool sample from earlier in the morning for IDEXX COMP DIARRHEA PROFILE; blood draw for IDEXX GI Panel with Spec cPL; vet asked if I wanted additional anti-diarrheal medications, but I opted to wait for test results; began on NOW branded enzymes, Pancreatin 10X, with evening meal, prepared as recommended here and elsewhere.
December 9: Test confirmed Freya's numbers were consistent with EPI: TLI was .7 ug/L, Folate was >24 ug/L. First day of 'normal' poop--logs rather than pudding or patty.
December 12: Comprehensive diarrhea panel results received--all negative.