Epi4Dogs

I’m new to everything about EPI, Abbey was diagnosed today, was only by phone and will hopefully get a copy of Abbeys actual numbers tomorrow when we go get the Enzymes. What I was told was that TLI levels were very low but her B12 and Folate were good as was her full blood panel.
I’m planing on using the vet enzymes to start and then switch to EnzymeDiane, just I’m in Canada so I wanted to get her on the enzymes sooner then later...
My biggest issue is food right now, she’s on high fibre food, which I’ll be switching tomorrow...but vet wants me to switch her to Hills I/d food and told me she won’t thrive on anything but an extremely low fat diet, which I’m having trouble accepting as I read on here that a low fibre moderate fat will be a good diet. The food I’m considering is a kibble LI of chicken and sweet potato with a fat of 11% and fibre of 4% and 23% protein.
I’d like to add a wet food to that but having trouble with that one...thinking another LI that’s lower in fat, as most are a >1% fibre.
Just to clarify I soak the enzyme in room temp water and then mix it in with the wet food and kibble and then let it activate for 20 minutes or more...
I am planning on a food and poop journal too!
I do feel overwhelmed right now and just want my baby to be ok...the ravenous hunger is killing me as I know I can’t do anything about it till I get the enzymes!!!

Hi Suzanne and welcome to you and your pup, Abbey.

THankfully you do NOT need to place an EPI dog on prescription food or low fat food (that is old protocol) unless there is another health reason for doing so.
So yes, try the food you were looking at... anything with 4% or less fiber content to start with, sounds good. With EPI dogs... the "majority" of them do better on low fiber content food, but not all of them... SO... start with a small bag and see how it goes. And sure.. go ahead an add canned/wet food to it also if you'd like. I always added real meat and sweet potatoes, cottage cheese, chicken livers, etc., etc.,.... little by little feel free to add as many different things as you want and just watch the poos to see how it goes. My motto has always been the more wholesome the better and variety is best if you can (unless you have a diabetic + EPI dog to where you have to be consistent with the ingredients )

Regarding the B12... make sure you see the test results, because a lot of vets think if the B12 is in the normal range that is good.... if it is not high normal then Abbey will need some degree of B12 supplementation... so let us know what the actual test results are when you get them

Regarding the enzymes..... they don't dissolve in water, but rather float around... my personal technique was to prepare a bowl of food, start with kibble but either add canned, or something wet, like meat,..... add a tablespoon of room temperature liquid to the food... mix and THEN add the powdered enzymes to the meal, mix and let sit for approximately 20 minutes.... and then watch the poo output!!!!!

THe best thing is to keep and EPI log/journal. I am assuming you just joined tonight... in which case... i will email you a welcome packet that includes some useful information on "how to" manage an EPI dog.

Yes we just joined today. Been a very long week, actually a long month...
Before this all happened I use serve Abbey wet food mixed with boiled mashed sweet potatoes and wet food(sometimes home cooked) and green beans...not sure if that will be an option again...
I’m not sure if she has acid reflux but she does lick her lips a lot and have been wondering since May if she may have acid reflux and was considering of getting her slippery elm and adding a bit of that to her diet as well...

Good morning from the UK

how old is Abbey

nothing much to add to what Olesia has said, some vets advise old school remedies because its what they were trained on when we started in 2010 it was still a grey area, and then research was done in Liverpool University, and it was realised that low fat was not the way forward to recapture weight loss from pre EPI diagnosis, the vets will always suggest prescription foods , we learned very early on that Grain free was essential for Kara she couldnt tolerate rice and chicken in dog food , white fish was another no no, they are an enigma

the best way, if you can fit it in, is to feed 50% over and above what the instructions on the bag of food for the weight she SHOULD be over a few meals all enzymed we used to give Kara a before bed feed of mashed potato and scrambled eggs, got her through the night

has the vet suggested any antibiotics for gut inbalance ? try to keep away from Metronadazole it has side effects

as for acid reflux, slippery elm does help, maybe Omeprazole might help, as might activated charcoal

just change one thing at a time and record the result so you know what worked

the big thing is not to panic, it will work out, get yourself a note book and keep records

keep the faith, you now have a map for your journey


Jeanx

Hi Suzanne! This is Shirl....I've been chatting with you on the FB page. I'm so glad you joined the forum. And the first person you heard from, Olesia, is our founder, who knows more about EPI than any other person I am aware of! I just wanted to say hello, welcome to the forum, and give you a link to a log template, in case you want to use it, either as is or as a guide. Enzyme Diane also has a similar log on her website. You should see some improvement from the enzymes within a couple days. Hang in there! https://epi4dogs.com/epi-log/

Thank you!! Oh Shirl you may be able to answer this question as your Sheltie has changed food a bit.
I’m going to start Abbey on new kibble tonight (as her weight loss food has high fibre, she was once a plump 27lbs)
because she hasn’t been absorbing her current diet do I need to slowly mix in the new kibble? Tonight will also be her first dose of enzymes as well.
Kinda glad I’m doing the first few days on the weekend.
Also a general question would there be issues with food activating for longer period of time...I work and I want to give her a third meal around lunch time...so I was wondering if I prepared her a smaller meal with the correct amount of enzymes and then cover it with Saran Wrap and leave it out for her dog walker to give her at 12:30, would food sitting for 4 hours been an issue?! I read that there was one dog who’s food was left to activate that long with no issues.

Ok to answer Jean she’s 4, and they have t said anything about guy imbalance, she really has none of the sibo symptoms, poops don’t smell, no gas...I started her on pre and probiotics months before any of this started when her poops were normal a 6 weeks ago! Perfect hard segmented brown!!!
I laugh about possibly putting her in omeprazole because I’m on it for gerd.....little copy cat!!!
I notice she licks her lips a lot at night and about 3 months ago she was having a lot of extra saliva and swallowing a lot but that went away.
So I have one more question! What is the shelf life of the 6x enzymes from Enzyme Diane?! If order enough for 3-6 months will it be ok...or do I have to order it month to month, again in Canada here so trying to do this the easiest way!

Sorry...I just got on here after work and saw your questions. You may have already fed her dinner tonight. Since the food you are feeding her most likely is not working for her because of the high fiber, I would just switch completely without slowly adding in the new kibble. It seems that most EPI dogs that switch cold turkey like that at the beginning of treatment do fine. Also, the fiber can interfere with how well the enzymes work, so you might not get the best results from the enzymes until she is completely switched over.
As for the food sitting for longer periods of time, that is not a problem in and of itself. However, we don't recommend letting it sit out unrefrigerated for that long, because with the moisture from adding the enzymes can start to grow bacteria. It would be similar to letting canned food out for that long. I wouldn't want to risk it. There are a couple alternatives. You could prepare the food, let it sit for 20 minutes or so, then cover it and refrigerate it. The dog walker can take it out of the fridge, let it warm up a little before serving it, and it should be fine. Some dogs can eat it straight out of the refrigerator without a problem. Another option would be to put the kibble into a baggie along with the enzymes, but no water. When your dog walker gets there, all she would have to do is put it in the bowl, add the water, mix, then let it sit for 20 minutes. Since you would be measuring out the amount of kibble and enzymes, it makes the process pretty easy for the dog walker.
How much does Abbey weigh now, and what is her goal weight?
Diane's enzymes have a long shelf life. There should be no problem ordering a 6 month supply. You can also store it in the freezer (sealed tightly) and take out smaller amounts as you need it. This will help keep the enzymes stable. I actually just went to Diane's website to see exactly what she says about storing the enzymes in the freezer. There are answers to your shelf life question and your premade meal question on her FAQ page here: https://enzymediane.com/info/faq/ Take a look.
Keep us posted and keep asking questions!

Hi, Abbey, and welcome!

I joined a little over two years ago, and the support I have received on this forum has made all the difference in Tucker's recovery & stabilization.

I have nothing to add, other than to encourage you to ask any question you may have. Peruse all the categories on the site, and read the signatures at the bottom of posts, to learn what is working for other members.

Also, Diane answers emails directly, and she even provides her phone number. Wonderful product, saves you big bucks, too!

---Pam & Tucker

So my dog walker doesn’t like coming into house so if I put food in a cooler bag until I can get a mini fridge would that work?! I may do a test run tomorrow with her lunch and see how it does...