Page 2 of 7

Re: First time poster in need of help.

Posted: 22 Nov 2022, 20:14
by Chance
Ovol (Gas X) did also help Chance when he had gas pains during SIBO setbacks. It made it easier for him to burp out the gas to provide relief!

Re: First time poster in need of help.

Posted: 22 Nov 2022, 20:48
by HunnysMom
@Chance, I am going to go down to 3/4 teaspoon and see what happens 3x per day.

On the bottle it says 3/4 - 1 tsp per meal and I am understanding that meal doesnt necessarily mean 1 cup of food.

I started out with 1 tsp per cup and I was feeding her 2 cups.

Vet said to go to 3 cups so then I just gave her another teaspoon so 3 altogether.

I will try the 3/4 tsp per cup and see what happens.

I am really heart broken about all of this. My girl was healthy and happy and then after switching her food all of this started to happen. I do not know if she is genetically predisposed or what. I had successfully switched her food to an adult formula and it was easy peasy her poop was great. Then the store ran out and I grabbed a bag by the same company which was just the adult version of her original puppy food and then all hell started breaking loose at the end of Sept.

I am worried about her because its been almost 2 months and what I read about EPI is scary. On top of this her blood results are not really bad and not really showing the signs yet SHE is showing the signs.

I fear that if I can't get this right I will lose her.

Re: First time poster in need of help.

Posted: 22 Nov 2022, 20:56
by HunnysMom
I Just looked up taste of the wild salmon and i feel good about feeding hunny salmon.

Id rather not do kibble but I need something easy right now as I figure all of this out. I feel so alone. I have seen 2 vets and I dont know the plan. They didnt seem to know how much of the enzyme she needed either.

Re: First time poster in need of help.

Posted: 22 Nov 2022, 22:49
by Chance
I COMPLETELY understand where you are coming from! There has been more than once, very recently that I was certain I was losing my boy. I was living on adrenaline, looked and felt like a zombie. I was scared.

From a very nasty SIBO infection that my now former vet refused to treat. It got very severe. He went off food (which for a Lab, it's scary). He was losing the weight he'd started gaining. All while recovering from pneumonia. He didn't have much fight.

Finally found a new vet willing to take on a new client, and learn what he could about EPI.

Not long after, SIBO being treated, still recovering from pneumonia, I switched from B12 injections to the Wonderlabs B12. A few weeks later, he was so weak that getting out to pee took all the energy he could muster. It was scary how fast he was declining! He couldn't get up 3 steps to save his life. I didn't know if the pneumonia was coming back or otherwise affecting him, or what. A very healthy sized vet bill later, I found learned that the B12 capsules were 100% useless!! Back to injections, and the next morning he got up and started running around the house with my shoe in his mouth! He was sooo happy to be feeling better!

We've had a couple of setbacks since, but a vet that will listen, we got it sorted much more quickly. He's bright and happy. We are slowly building up his strength again. He can do 20 minute slow walks now. A month ago, 5 minutes at a time was his absolute limit. In a few days time, we'll go for 25 minute walks. He's ready. He's doing 20 minutes easily.

I still worry, and wonder when the next setback will be. But I am slowly gaining confidence that I can recognize symptoms and act very quickly, and prevent it from getting very bad. I know he's not stable yet; but I am determined to get there. I know we have the enzyme dose dialed in now(that took some tweaking. Mistakes going too high and Mistakes going too low). Gets his injections every other week. And his probiotics.

So I absolutely know how you feel. But it does get better. It does not get better overnight. But it does get better. You will get there!

Re: First time poster in need of help.

Posted: 23 Nov 2022, 08:06
by Olesia711
just wondering..... did you increase the meals to 3 cups per meal ?

If so.... this may also be an issue.... Usually with most gastro concerns..... you need to feed SMALLER portions of food. If EPI.... although you need to feed approximately 150% of what is normally required for the dog's weight.... what is strongly recommended is to feed small portion meals but feed more meals throughout the day to equal 150%..............

Re: First time poster in need of help.

Posted: 23 Nov 2022, 09:47
by HunnysMom
@olesia, maybe this is it too. She was eating 2 cups per day spread out over 4 feedings. So 1/2 cup 4x per day.

After seeing the vet she wanted hunny to be eating 3 cups because she’s so thin and wanted her calories to increase.

So then I decided to just do 1 cup 3x per day.

I could take the 3 and do 6 feedings throughout the day or just go back to her 2 cups.

What I have noticed over the last approx 2 weeks is her weight is stable. This seems like a miracle. It’s still so low at 29 lbs but I managed to weigh her yesterday on my own scale and she’s the same.

Further thoughts?

Re: First time poster in need of help.

Posted: 23 Nov 2022, 09:49
by HunnysMom
@olesia. I actually almost called you yesterday. I found the website a few days ago and have been searching and searching and I saw your number and thought maybe just call to get help. Thank you for staffing this organization. This is all so so brand new to me.

Do you have a food you recommend for someone just getting started? There are a ton of brands I see here but when I have too many options I worry about which is the best way to go.

Re: First time poster in need of help.

Posted: 23 Nov 2022, 09:52
by HunnysMom
Btw this is my girl right now at 29 lbs 😓
721A7093-CCB5-4BE3-AA6D-41FB234A607E.jpeg
721A7093-CCB5-4BE3-AA6D-41FB234A607E.jpeg (3.48 MiB) Viewed 705 times
CE0275AE-41DD-47EA-8BA4-6E5F5325A217.jpeg
CE0275AE-41DD-47EA-8BA4-6E5F5325A217.jpeg (2.51 MiB) Viewed 705 times
3BAA008C-B653-4310-B64D-754F522D59F9.jpeg
3BAA008C-B653-4310-B64D-754F522D59F9.jpeg (4.64 MiB) Viewed 705 times
And the of me and
The little girl was an accident. That’s my friends daughter!

Re: First time poster in need of help.

Posted: 23 Nov 2022, 18:48
by Tuckaboo Pam
The foods I have recommended are commonly listed, and I have used them all successfully. If you go to the Managing EPI tab, under Diet you will be able to read straight through for yourself. Here are links to a couple of the diet chapters. May be easier to understand, than it is for all of us giving our opinions.

Having said that, anecdotal evidence sometimes holds the key.

https://epi4dogs.com/why-grainfree-foods/
https://epi4dogs.com/epi-diets-are-tricky/

Re: First time poster in need of help.

Posted: 24 Nov 2022, 11:56
by HunnysMom
@tuckaboo pam - thank you. One question about the taste of the wild. i noted that peas are about 4th or 5th on the ingredient list but from what I am reading they should avoid legumes?

Thoughts?