First, I want to say I'm grateful you are all still here supporting each other and providing a great resource. Myah was diagnosed by Texas A&M University 8 years ago at 2 years of age. Like many here, I was bewildered and overwhelmed, trying everything to make my girl better. She stabilized and we move on with our lives, and it's been so long since I've posted, I had to make a new account! I guess that's a good sign, lol.
Myah was a "hot mess" back when she was diagnosed, with what I call "banana yellow squirts" poop, a loss of 30 pounds
and curling up on the corner of my bed miserable. I took a lot of what I learned here, combined with my own research (I'm a biotech/medical person) and my WONDERFUL vet who's seen his fair share of GSDs with EPI, and we rehabilitated Myah quite well and quite fast. (I will add, that is in retrospect...at the time it was stressful and seemed like forever!).Our plan is a little different than what is commonly read here, although it takes many of the same themes. I'm not judging, just providing what worked for us and why we chose to go that route.
*Low fiber, quality kibble (we've changed over the years, but grain free, limited ingredients is what we looked for)
*Enzyme Diane - oh my gosh, this angel needs a lifetime achievement award!!! We mixed and fed (didn't let "sit" but just for a minute or two)
*Trinfac B-12 Intrinsic Factor pills (one in the morning)
The ^^ above is her continued regimen.
Now, back in the day of total GI mayhem (those banana yellow squirts are SIBO!), we added the following as a "pre-meal slurry":
*Vitamin E 400 IU
*GastroElm Plus (they don't see it anymore, but essentially it's Slippery Elm bark with a little Milk Thistle)
And we gradually increased food to 150%. Also, we DID have a SHORT round of Tylan, but we DID NOT continue it beyond (I think it was) 2 weeks. Tylan has a little anti-inflammatory effect (which is why is works well) with its antibiotic properties, but antibiotic resistance (and thus encouraging dependence on it) was something we wanted to avoid. And it worked. She never needed it again.
Myah was at her rock bottom in October that year (me crying at the vet, her looking pathetically ill) and she was back to full weight, energy and beauty by December. We were thrilled. That was 2015.
A couple things I've learned along the way:
1. Don't freak out and don't keep stressing. Easier to say, right? Believe me, I know. But our dogs pick up on our worries, fears and anxieties, and their bodies are already a "hot mess", so adding YOUR stress to THEIR stress is just exponential and not helping. For the majority of dogs, once you get on a program, they WILL get better. Stick with the program. It will be okay. My EPI experienced vet wasn't worried, so why should I be? I backed off reading this forum (my own fault, as I was beginning to obsess about every little detail of EPI) and we settled in to our new lives with Enzyme Diane.
2. You will never fully stop being a "poop detector", but in most cases, you will mostly hang that hat up and unless you forgot to give enzymes, or your dog decided to find his/her own snack some other way. Otherwise, the poops will be fine and you will be too. We've had 8 years of great poops. You'd never know this dog was any different. But I'm lucky in that the family is well trained in feeding her regimen.
3. Diane, or "Enzyme Diane" as we call her, is a huge angel to us all. Once I had to call her, she picked up the phone and I said, "Is this Diane?" She said, "Yes." I said, "Oh my gosh, YOU are Enzyme Diane!" We chuckled. I'm sure she's heard it million time seven, as they say. Wonderful lady. Sometimes the price of the enzymes were a hardship, other times they weren't. We made it and trudged forward with a lot of healthy years with Myah, so money well spent.
4. Medications need to be given with food and enzymes! We supplement quality kibble with Honest Kitchen dehydrated, and let me tell you, medications given without a little food and enzymes just won't metabolize properly. Myah has anxiety (came on during her EPI crisis) and is well managed except for car rides, so we have to give her a little medication "help" to ride in the car. No enzymes? No effect, no dice. She'll be trying to exit the car, stage left - or climb up in front and try to drive the car herself, all the while crying her Whine Song. Medications with enzymes and a little food? We are traveling in peaceful bliss. So we assume the same effects/requirements with antibiotics, heartworm chewies, pain meds, etc. It all goes in her FOOD with ENZYMES.
5. A short note about "emergency" enzymes: If you run out of Enzyme Diane (God forbid) and use some porcine Pancreatin off Amazon (we did), please know that the lipase (fat enzymes) are not in the same ratio. In 8 years of perfect EPI balance and bliss, Myah's belly went to hell in a handbasket. Loud gurgling, diarrhea and boom - the banana yellow squirts. OMG! Aren't these supposed to work? Well, dog food has a higher fat ratio than the ideal human diet, so after calculating the lipase being only half of what Enzyme Diane is, I increased Myah's carbs by reducing her normal food and adding a baked potato without skin (she was fully GI upset mode). Why potato? Why not increase protein? Well, protein is going to bring FAT with it. And FAT is precisely the lowball issue with the Pancreatin made for human folks. The 50/50 mix of skinless baked potato/Honest Kitchen diet fixed it within 24 hrs. Hopefully, that helps you if you're in that situation. Confession: I didn't bake the potatoes, I microwaved them.
So, here we are at age 10, living with EPI for a full 8 years with 99% smooth saiing. We've traveled together, hiked, camped, swam in rivers, lakes the ocean and continue to make friends along the way. She's still doing great.
I wish I could figure out how to post a picture - just imagine the most beautiful, dark black and tan female with an amazing coat, strong build and smile on her face in the afternoon sunlight. EDIT: I just read now; will try a pic later.
I hope you and your fur baby are doing great as well.
Myah's Mom
