Epi4Dogs

I just have a quick question. I don't want to ruin any of the amazing progress I have seen with Harmony, but I hate only giving her sister treats even if Harmony has no idea. I finally found a store in town that sells her TOTWPS dog food, and it also had extensive treat options. I settled on Natures Balance vension and sweet potatoe dog biscuits. They have a max 3% fiber and no chicken or grain. Is that ok to give her with an enyzmed meal?

Yes, If you can give the treat right after having the enzymed meal that should be good. You will know by the poop if it is not working! The poop will go south.

Jill

I just wanted to give an update on Harmony. I took her to the vet today for a "check-up" (it was more to just say what I changed that he didn't know about). He was super impressed with all the knowledge I had and what I had done (thank you guys for that!), and said she no longer needs to come back for her EPI unless something happens. He explained a lot of signs when she was a puppy that were pointing to EPI that our previous vet brushed off, and he is more knowlegable than I think most vets are on EPI. He knew about slippery elm, a tsp of enzymes per cup of food, and the B12. Harmony weighed in at 54.5 pounds today which is more than she has ever weighed. She is now a perfectly healthy EPI dog with completely normal stool!

One thing I do want to try and tackle though. She has always been a poop eater which stems from her starving to death until recently. I know for a fact she is no longer starving and is still getting 150 percent of the amount of food a dog her normal weight should get. It is just a habit at this point....a terrible one at that. Any tips on how to get her to stop? She is an outside dog so just "picking it up" isn't gonna work as I'm not watching her 24/7.

Sorry, but I'm starting to think once a poop eater, maybe always a poop eater. Tucker stopped for a couple of years, and now he's back at it again.

I absolutely hate it, and when I catch him he knows I am displeased. One suggestion I have heard is to feed them pineapple with their meal, supposedly it tastes bitter on the other end. Another is accent meat tenderizer, but you should only do that for a short time because it contains MSG, which is an excitotoxin that can affect the nervous system. Neither of these techniques worked for me.

Early on, when his poo was still runny, I ran around the yard sprinkling cayenne pepper on his piles as soon as he made them, thinking if he kept eating spicy hot poo he'd throw in the towel. Made sense at the time, but I'm glad there is no video of me peppering the poop. I'm not sure any of this will help you, but please know that I feel your pain. --- Pam

Ahhh, that's kinda what I was afraid of. I mean what would taste worse than poop?? I'll try the pineapple and see what happens. Her sister picked up the habit as well, so they are a lovey bunch with their poop breath. The pepper trick is honestly genuis. Sounds like something I would do if they weren't outside all the time! The vet said there is a product called forbid that you put in there food but he said it doesn't always work. So I guess we will just experiment and see if I can find something because it is absolutely disgusting! Thank you for the recommendations!