Epi4Dogs

Hello,
We are just coming up to our year mark with Koda being diagnosed with EPI. We started with Pancreplus and prescription GI food, but it become really expensive and I never found the right dose of Pancreplus to harden his stool.
I have switched to raw pancreas and I am feeding BarkEats Adult Grain-Free Turkey with Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Dog Food (4.0 Cups/Day). I also give him B-12 with dinner and his food has a probiotic in it. His stool starts off solid and darker and by the end of the day it is lighter and softer. He hasn't gained weight in months and his ribs are slightly visible now. I'm not sure if the raw pancreas isn't helping enough or if its his food. He is also very gassy as the night goes on.
I feel like we have been struggling this whole year but aside from his constant hunger and weight he acts like a typical German shepherd puppy. Has anyone had luck with feeding a full raw diet or just the raw pancreas? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

-Mary

Hi Mary, the gassy part makes me suspect SID/SIBO. Has he been on an antibiotic for it since diagnosis? Like Tylan?
I have not fed raw nor pancreas.

Jill

I can’t remember if he was on it when his EPI was first diagnosed but I brought it up to my vet and they just want to switch back to the prescription food and Pancreplus.

A few years ago, our veterinarian suggested that I might look into raw pancreas for Montgomery. I spoke to a local butcher, and he said that the only way to get hold of that would be to go to the slaughterhouse and see. I couldn't fathom doing that; I'd come home with a colony of liberated pigs. We solved his problems another way and he is thriving on Enzyme Diane.

Hi. I utilize a full raw diet and it works beautifully. In fact it's the only diet that Maya can tolerate. As a puppy until about 1 1/2 years of age she struggled with commercial and RX diets. Her trainer suggested the change and it's been really great. I personally use Maximum K-9 (based in NY). Other people have success making their own....just make sure it has the proper vitamins and minerals. I have yet to find a consistent source for raw pancreas, but I'm thinking about changing to that as well.

Montgomery is on a home-cooked diet, too, and boy, has that made a difference. I like having the ability to tailor it to his needs. I use a completer by Alnutrin. They make these things for dogs, too, for raw or cooked diets.