Creon Advice

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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Moxmomma
Member
Posts: 1
Country: Canada
Pet name: Moxie

Creon Advice

Post by Moxmomma » 07 Feb 2023, 22:47

My vet and I have been working to find what works best for my Moxie. She is a Basset Cross weighing 20.3 kg. She first got sick Aug 2022 and was diagnosed with EPI in Dec. I am in Canada and we are now trying Creon 25,000. My question is about doseage. My vet prescribed 6 capsules per meal, but from what I see on these forums and from other groups most people are giving their dogs much less than that per meal.

The vet said that the previous Enzyme powder (that is unavailable right now) had 71,400 units of lipase per tsp. And the dose was 1 tsp per 10kg. So by that logic Moxie would need 142,800 units per meal and if my creon capsules are 25,000 units it is just under 6 capsules per meal.

Sorry for the long post, just wanting to make sure I give her what she needs, but the cost of the meds are a concern too. At 6 capsules per meal it will cost over $200 per month for her medication.

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jilbert57
Staff
Posts: 2088
Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: Creon Advice

Post by jilbert57 » 07 Feb 2023, 23:03

Hi. We usually start at 1- 10,000 CREON per meal. This is from another post and our founder:

"My thought is that you don't need so much CREON and WAY too much enzymes often triggers loose stools... In general, EPI dogs start with CREON 10,000 per meal and some have to increase that amount, usually up to CREON 25,000 per meal. Also... the way you give CREON/KREON often has an impact. (1) open the capsule, sprinkle pellets on top of "damp" food and serve immediately seems to work best for most... but some do better with (2) give CREON/KREON about 3 to 5 minutes with a bite of food to prior to a meal,... or a few have done best with(3) giving the CREON/KREON whole a few minutes after a meal a meal....."

Also, powdered enzymes like you were using are dosed at 1 teaspoon enzyme per 1 cup kibble, NOT by the weight of the dog.

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.

Chance
Member
Posts: 195
Country: Canada
Pet name: Chance
My name: Andrea

Re: Creon Advice

Post by Chance » 09 Feb 2023, 23:56

6 Creon 25 will be extremely way too much!!! That would be about the amount you might give a bear!! (I have a Lab. He's bigger than your dog, and likely eats more. 2 Creon 25,000 was too much for him, and caused horrible acid reflux. And his TLI was 0; so he's got no digestive enzymes of his own. So I know 6 would be very hard on your dog).

Creon is enteric coated, so enzymes survive the stomach acids to get into the intestines where digestion happens. With Powdered enzymes, about 70% is actually killed before it gets to the intestines. So Powdered, uou need a lot more.

If I were to hazard a guess, you might need between 25,000 and 30,000 per meal. But everyone is different, so it's hard to tell. You'd have to play with doses. But I would start lower

I suggest you ask the vet for a script for Creon 10,000 as well. (It's cheaper). It will be much easier for you to tweak doses. I couldn't do it with only Creon 25,000. It's a hassle, but I have even gotten quite good at breaking open Creon 10,000 capsules to make about 5,000. (Also handy for times you want to give a few treats! Give half a Creon 10, and give the treats)!

I have been told that giving capsules 5 minutes before meals greatly reduces risk of acid reflux. But I don't know if it's true or not! But it's what I do anyway. (I had also dumped capsules on his food at meal times; but now I give pills a few minutes before eating. For my dog it works the same either way)

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