Putting enzymes in capsules

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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Btekrony
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Location: Omaha
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State: Nebraska

Putting enzymes in capsules

Post by Btekrony » 04 Apr 2019, 06:39

Can I put Pantenex in capsules? We are struggling to get George to eat when we incubate the enzymes in his food. We have tried so many different dog foods. We have tried putting cheese, cooked turkey, chicken, egg, wet dog food, green tripe, and carrots on his food, but he just walks away. I did an experiment last night to see if it was the enzymes. I made his food as normal, he of course smelled it and walked away. I then went ahead and put 1 tsp. of Pantenex in capsules. I gave him those and then fed him dry kibble. He ate it right up. If this is ok, what size of capsules should I use for 1 tsp. of Pantenex, when do I give the capsules to him, and what type of capsule fillers should I use?

Thank you!
George was diagnosed with EPI in May of 2018. He eats 2 cups, twice a day of Purina Pro-Plan Lamb for Sensitive Skin and Stomach. He gets 1 tsp of Pantenex per meal and food is incubated for 30 mins. He also gets 2 B12 capsules with intrinsic factor from Wonderlabs and a probiotic.

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Jean
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Pet name: Kara, lost 10th May 2019
My name: Jean

Re: Putting enzymes in capsules

Post by Jean » 04 Apr 2019, 06:53

hi

I will leave this to the US guys, as I dont know precisely, however you could try Creon, its a capsule with no taste at all, just sprinkle on food and no incubation

Jean
My name is Jean we live in Liverpool in Uk

I am the Forum Director which I am very proud of

My Kara born 21 July 2009 diagnosed with EPI by cTLI test August 2010 TLI = <1...folate 14 Cobalamin 408, shot down to 94, b12 injections every other day

Lowest weight 39 pounds

We used Panzym enzymes, Tylan and Chemeyes b12 capsules

Sadly, on 10th May 2019, we lost her to DM


Jeanx

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Riley's Mom
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Re: Putting enzymes in capsules

Post by Riley's Mom » 04 Apr 2019, 08:01

Hi, sorry to hear you are struggling so to get your boy to eat.
It does sound like you have tried a lot of the tricks......
How long have you been trying to get him to eat the food with enzymes? I had a terrible time in the beginning. I resorted to hand feeding my girl from a spoon to get her to eat. Once she got used to things she finally began to eat by herself. Also, have you tried a flat plate or a pie plate? That seems to reduce the smell of the enzymes since they don't have to stick their nose into the bowl. I will sometimes also use my plate from dinner to feed her, she seems to think she is getting my dinner so she is eager to get her meal. I also can not incubate enzymes in water, my girl absolutely refuses. So I make bone broth which is easy to do, just takes a little time in the crock pot. So that is something you could try as well. Broth instead of water to incubate. I know others have had to resort to putting enzymes in capsules before, although not ideal, it can work. I would watch carefully to see how your pup responds. Which means watch the poops.
As far as how to do it.....I think they sell a pill filler thing on Amazon, as well as empty gel caps. I have seen someone use a piece of Styrofoam with indentions to hold the capsules and a tiny funnel to fill them. Not sure of the size, hopefully someone that has tried it will come on and give you better details.
There is also Creon as Jean suggested which is a capsule filled with enteric coated enzymes. It is a human medicine.
Elisabeth

Riley is a 10 year old Labradoodle. She was diagnosed with EPI in 2014.
She currently eats Taste of the Wild, I cup in the morning, 2 cups in the evening, each meal with 1 Wonderlabs B12 sprinkled over her dinner. Enzymes are EnzymeDiane, 1 tsp per cup of food, mixed in home made bone broth. No other supplements or meds at this time.
Riley currently weighs about 44 pounds, which is pretty heavy for her.

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jilbert57
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Re: Putting enzymes in capsules

Post by jilbert57 » 04 Apr 2019, 09:26

Mickey had chronic pancreatitis. For about a year he ate enzymed food. Then other issues got involved causing lack of appetite. I got a capsule filler off Amazon and used size 0 gel caps but he was down to 1/8 teasp enzyme. Mickey was 18lbs so 0 size was good.
If you do it this way be mindful to keep a watch for bad poops if they happen and also remember some of the enzyme will get destroyed by stomach acid.

Here is a link that has a capsule size chart and also notes it takes 7 size 0 caps for a teaspoon and 5 size 00 for a teaspoon.

https://capsuleconnection.com/capsule-sizing-info/
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.

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Riley's Mom
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Re: Putting enzymes in capsules

Post by Riley's Mom » 04 Apr 2019, 10:14

Thanks for posting this Jill. I knew someone had done it but couldn't remember it was you!
Elisabeth

Riley is a 10 year old Labradoodle. She was diagnosed with EPI in 2014.
She currently eats Taste of the Wild, I cup in the morning, 2 cups in the evening, each meal with 1 Wonderlabs B12 sprinkled over her dinner. Enzymes are EnzymeDiane, 1 tsp per cup of food, mixed in home made bone broth. No other supplements or meds at this time.
Riley currently weighs about 44 pounds, which is pretty heavy for her.

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Btekrony
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Location: Omaha
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State: Nebraska

Re: Putting enzymes in capsules

Post by Btekrony » 04 Apr 2019, 10:20

Can you give them human enzymes? I found Dr. Clark's Pancreatin 8x enzymes. They are from pork. Amylase 137,500, Protease 115,900, Lipase 16, 900. He currently is taking Pantenex.
George was diagnosed with EPI in May of 2018. He eats 2 cups, twice a day of Purina Pro-Plan Lamb for Sensitive Skin and Stomach. He gets 1 tsp of Pantenex per meal and food is incubated for 30 mins. He also gets 2 B12 capsules with intrinsic factor from Wonderlabs and a probiotic.

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Olesia711
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Pet name: Izzy
My name: olesia

Re: Putting enzymes in capsules

Post by Olesia711 » 04 Apr 2019, 11:30

Hi Since Pantenenx is powder... yes you can put in capsules and serve that way.... BUT.... (there always is a but) as mentioned above, watch the poos .... sometimes when folks do it this way with the powdered enzymes they have to give a little more enzymes in the capsules.... and other times they don't have to... it all depends on the individual dog.

Regarding giving human grade enzymes.... yes and no.......

1. you have to make sure they are porcine enzymes
2. you have to make sure they are the right strength. If in powder form.... just as a general guideline.....you want something around 71,000 Lipase USP units..... and then 480,000 for Amylase & Protease USP units
3. If in pill form.... you will probably have to give more, crush them into a powder and incubate anyway.
4. MOST IMPORTANTLY..... scrutinize the ingredients/fillers to make sure there is absolutely nothing else in the product that a dog should NOT have. Many human supplements sound wonderful and you think they would be fine for a dog too... but then there often is a minor ingredient in it that can actually be harmful to a dog.... so you have to be very careful.

The product you are referring to (Dr. Clark's Pancreatin 8x enzymes) would be HUGELY cost negative for you.... as a general guideline (may need to be adjusted up or down) you would need 4 of these capsules/pills per 1 cup of food.... do the math, by the time you are done, you will be spending much more money than what you are doing now with Pantenenx or any other food grade porcine enzymes.

Products like Dr. Clark's are on the internet are a supplement to help aid with digestion (when things are not working as well as they used to) .... they are not designed to manage a condition like EPI where replacement enzymes are needed...................
Olesia, was owned by Izzy, a 35lb Spanish Water Dog (SWD), Diagnosed at 1.5 years old - TLI results 1.. Izzy passed away on February 13, 2020 at 15 years old. She lived with EPI for 13+1/2 years. It was because of Izzy that Epi4Dogs was started... she was the inspiration. May her legacy of helping others with EPI continue for as long as needed.........

Judith
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Country: United States
State: Delaware

Re: Putting enzymes in capsules

Post by Judith » 04 Apr 2019, 14:26

Hi

I import Chemeyes pancreatic enzyme capsule from the UK to the US (and Colombia when I am there). My EPI corgi eats 3 meals a day (1/4 cup am, 1/2 lunch, 1/4 cup pm) and I use 1 capsule per 1/4 cup. They have worked for us for 3 years now. Nate refuses to eat anything with enzymes on it.
Nate and Raymi's mom
Nate 4 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi
EPI, typical Addison's disease and epilepsy
TLI 2.0 June 2016
Chemeyes enzyme capsules
Hydroxocobalamin injections weekly
0.5mg prednisolone daily for Addison's
Percorten-V/Zycortal injection every 28 days for Addison's
Zonisamide 2x for epilepsy

Raymi 6 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Allergic to chicken and turkey

Eats Canine Caviar Venison kibble 3x

Nate and Raymi happily live in Bogotá, Colombia and Dover, Delaware.

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Sparkle Tangerine
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Pet name: Montgomery

Re: Putting enzymes in capsules

Post by Sparkle Tangerine » 04 Apr 2019, 14:52

I put Montgomery's Pank-Aid in capsules. He gets mouth ulcers if the enzymes are in his food. He gets two size zero capsules at each meal, but he's only just six pounds and eats small meals. There are larger capsules than the zeros. I get his from a local pharmacy - one thousand empty gelatin capsules for $26.00. Wear gloves to stuff them because the oil in your skin can damage the capsule. I put the jar of enzyme on a dinner plate and use tweezers to dip the capsule in the jar. When I started, I stuffed the capsule then emptied it into a measuring spoon and did this until I had the prescribed amount. The enzymes are not light sensitive. I keep the finished ones in a small container. I usually stuff two days at a time. Its awkward at first. You'll get faster, don't worry. I find it usually takes me about three Indigo Girls songs. I give him his capsules then hand him his food.
Montgomery was born 21 March 2012. He is a DSH orange tabby and white. Montgomery eats RCFHN Spayed/Neutered Kitten dry food and Royal Canin Ultra Light wet food. He is a catnip junkie who loves paper bags and his stuffed mouse, Ignatz. His Pank-Aid is put into capsules each day as he gets mouth ulcers if it is mixed into his food. He gets two size zero capsules with each meal and eats six times each day. He gets .5ml Ovol twice a day for his gas. He is an enormous 3.08kg and strong enough to give his veterinarian a hard time. He is smart as a whip, has the loudest purr in the universe, and is so, so loved.

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