Dog not responding after 5 months
Posted: 01 Oct 2021, 12:04
Hello, I'm new to this group, however I have been reading posts for some time now. I have a 4 yr. old GSD that was diagnosed with EPI about 5 months ago. Let me explain a little of his background. I received this dog at 10 weeks old so I could puppy raise him for a veteran to be used as his PTSD service dog. I noticed by the time he was 5 months old that he was not going to be a good candidate for a service dog (too much drive). I sent him to the training center for a couple of weeks and they agreed with my assessment (I have a PhD from Texas A&M in behavior science and agriculture). At this time we decided to re-home him. I kept him with me until we found a family to adopt him when he was 1 yr. That family kept him until about 5 months ago when they had to move and couldn't take him with them. They called me and I agreed to take him back. When I picked him up I was stunned to see his condition. They told me he had recently been diagnosed with EPI. Their vet had him on enzyme pills (3 before each meal) and 2 omeprazole per day. After a couple of days at my home I didn't notice any change in his stool so I decided to take him to my vet. My vet ran a complete blood test panel on him to rule out any other underlying issues and decided to change him to a powdered enzyme and antibiotic (metronidazole). He went 14 days on this course, and his stools became more formed, better color, but still soft and mushy with large volumes and continued weight loss. Since then we have added B12 shots (he is on his 4th shot of 6) and slippery elm. After about 3 weeks I was pleased to see 2 well formed stools, good color and not so voluminous. But after those 2, it's right back to mushy and large amounts. Two weeks ago he was rushed in for emergency surgery for bloat. Of course he had to be on pain and sedation medication. Of course I continued his enzymes. His staples were removed last week and the surgeon said he was fine to continue normal activity. He is still losing weight and at this point I am at a loss as to what to do. The vet is also stumped as to what to try next. I have switched his food (Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream), given slippery elm, B12 shots along with B12 capsules(Wonderlabs). He is still losing weight. He still has a lot of energy and loves to play catch, but I worry he may break a bone since he has no muscle. The people who had him never told me if their vet did a TLI test and I haven't been able to contact them for that information. I ordered the Schebo test and it showed positive, however when he has completed his current round of B12 shots he will then be tested with the TLI test as well as for his B12 levels. I hope someone here might have suggestions for things I have not tried. If I can't get this under control soon I feel I may have to euthanize him as I can't watch him stave to death. Thanks in advance for any help, and please, if I've left any questions unanswered, let me know. Barb Hamon