EPI/SID Greyhound Questions

[Tuckaboo Pam]

Bryan, your first post was made about a week ago, so I have to say that in this amount of time that poop is amazing. Keep it up.

I use pepto bismol with my maltipoo that has IBS. It's pretty mild, and it keeps her under control. OR, maybe try breaking her meals into even smaller portions, and feeding more often.

How is the weight gain? --- Pam

[Supe]

I have not gotten a weight on her in the past week or so, but if anything, she may have lost some weight (she had been maintaining her weight well over the years despite the GI issues. She raced from 58-62 lbs, and was never heavier than 64 lbs - even with EPI she was maintaining 60.8 to 62 lbs consistently).

Her appetite is very high, and she is trying to nibble on mud stuck to the carpets and things in the yard as well. I am going to try upping her kibble intake through a mid-day meal, perhaps cut back some in the AM and add it to mid-day. The ProPlan has a higher caloric content than her old kibble, but there must have been more calories in the volume of chicken and rice she was eating than I had accounted for previously.

I have tried kaopectalin and other anti-diarrheal meds in the past with no luck, but will keep that in mind. Would really like to see a "good" poop out of her at some point, and my concern is that the OTC meds may mask a dosage/food issue.

As always, appreciate the feedback!

[Tuckaboo Pam]

Tucker always weighed 60, and his ribs and hip bones showed, no matter how much we fed him. When he was diagnosed, I just started feeding more, with the appropriate amount of enzymes. A year and a half passed, and I could tell he was heavier, but was I ever surprised to learn he had gained 20 pounds!

The rule of thumb is, if she weighs 60, but should weigh 80, you would feed the amount for an 80 pound dog, PLUS 50%!!! Add the appropriate amount of enzymes, and maybe make those small meals. You may have to feed her several times a day.

---Pam

[Barb]

Hi Bryan,
Some dogs are slow gainers in the weight department. It took Kolby over a year to get his weight back. It happened very gradually, and I think was directly related to getting everything in balance....the food, the enzymes, the B12, the antibiotics. Ours was especially related to the B12 levels. When we finally got them up, he stabilized and began to gain slowly.

I chuckled a bit that your vet went a little overboard with the enzymes. When Kolby was first diagnosed our vet suggested we give twice the recommended enzymes "to give Kolby a jump start." Naturally, Kolby got terrible diarrhea. With Olesia's help we got back on track. It's all about trial and error and a work in progress.

Hang in there. You are doing fine.

Barb

[Supe]

So another week has gone by since the last poop post, and things have remained virtually identical.

Outside of the occasional noisy stomach (usually occurs mid-day and then subsides after 2 hrs or so), Ursala's BM's have remained a pretty consistent 2x/day - always formed but soft/doughy khaki green color (darker at the tip, lighter towards the tail end), strong odor, occasional wet tip or wet nugget at the very end.

I have tried some mid-day meals, but they seem to have no affect on tummy rumbles or quality of the BM's (she eats at 9:30 am, tummy rumbles always seem to occur between noon and 2:00 PM). There is usually some sour gas in the late evening as well that subsides after an hour or two.

So, it seems like my options at this point are:

1) Do nothing, and monitor for any further change for some set period of time
2) Increase or decrease enzymes proportional to food in a small increment (1/4 tsp?)
3) Increase or decrease Tylan in a small increment (1/8 tsp?)
4) Try transitioning to the GE kibble, or if she won't eat it due to taste, try returning to the Hill's Science (both have a Max fiber content of 4% or less, lower than the HA kibble)

Thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!

[Tuckaboo Pam]

Hello! Did you up the tylan to 1/4 teaspoon twice a day? ---Pam
https://epi4dogs.com/antibiotics/

[Supe]

Yes, she is currently on 1/4 tsp tylan twice a day with meals.

[EllieandJoe]

Hi Bryan, how are you and Ursala getting on, any more improvements?

I'm a fellow greyound-with-EPI owner so wanted to say hi! It doesn't seem to be very common at all in greyhounds, and slightly complicated even further by the fact that they have such a quick metabolism when it comes to digestion already!

Hope you're both well x

[Supe]

No improvement, but no worse. I have added a mid-day meal and increased the size of her dinner while keeping the enzymes proportional. Still the formed, but thick-peanut butter consistency khaki-green poos. Occasional days with stomach gurgles, but typically very little gas. Reflux is mostly controlled. She's already at 1/4 tsp of the Tylan, so really not sure where to go from here to look for improvements short of trying an alternative kibble.

I have unfortunately had to schedule a dental for her for next week (terrifies me to put a senior grey under anesthesia), but with no crunchy foods to maintain her teeth, her teeth and breath are declining pretty quickly, and she's long past due, as we had to put it off multiple times due to medical issues that arose. So, I probably will not make any changes until after the dental, though I'm still not certain what to try at this point.

[EllieandJoe]

Ah that's a shame and of course a big worry for you, but it just has to be done sometimes - she'll be in good hands, I'm sure.

Do you know why her poops are that green colour? Is it just a factor of the food she's having? I don't remember ever seeing one that colour before! In terms of consistency, Joe's are often very similar to the second photo you posted - formed, but not always that firm to pick up, particularly as the day goes on.

I was going to suggest slippery elm for her reflux, but sounds like you may have that under control now, well done.