First time poster in need of help.

[HunnysMom]

Thanks for your speedy Reply Pam.

Can you help me with this math please, lol . .

Hunny SHOULD weigh 38 - 40lbs

She weighs right now 29 lbs.

I know she is getting 1000 calories a day which comes to 2.5 cups of day. She is on the Taste of The Wild Salmon. I think you were the one to initially recommend. I pretty much believe this food completely changed her poop!

She needs to put on 10 more lbs.

So should I be feeding her more?

[Chance]

TOTW is a low calorie food. So typically not intended for those needing to put on weight.

I do think you might need to increase quantity of food to get the calories required for weight gain.

[HunnysMom]

It’s 400 cal per cup. So I’ll try 3 cups a day spread out into 6 feedings. What do you think?

[jilbert57]

400 calories is great. When my pup had chronic pancreatitis I fed him 4 small meals a day.
The Pacific Stream says 2 1/3 c a day for a 40 lb dog so you would go with 2 1/3 cup plus 50% more of 2 1/3 (1 1/6) so just a little under 3 1/2 c a day. I would spread it out over 3 or 4 meals. But if you want to do 6 meals thats up to you. Glad the food is working out!

Jill

[HunnysMom]

Hey everyone

Hunny is still pooping good and it’s been almost 2 weeks. Her acid reflux has gotten worse though. We were out for a walk the other day and she’s trotting along when all of a sudden her food just comes spewing out. Last nigbt she was barking at someone at the door and spewed out food as well.

I have to feed her more to keep the calories high for weight gain and I feel she is on the proper amount of enzymes.

Should I get slippery elm? What can I do to stop this? It’s gross and her food is constantly repeating on her throughout the day. She has to lick it back!

[Olesia711]

Yes, i would definitely try some slippery elm powder..... it is fairly cheap, you can order a bottle from WOnderlabs or get the NOW brand from Amazon or if you live near a health food store, they often have supplements and ask if they have loose slippery elm powder.

If you go to this page, it will give you instructions:
https://epi4dogs.com/slippery-elm/

Also.... if the poos are good on Taste of the Wild ...i would continue with it.... Taste of the wild, especially the Pacific Stream version seems to agree with many EPI dogs gut system.... and finding a food that agrees with your EPI dog can be a challenge sometimes.... so if you find something that works... stick with it .

As far as the weight gain goes.... with some dogs it takes a LONG time... i see where you are feeding 3 meals.... if you want.... let her body have a little more adjustment time on the Taste of the Wild 3 times a , and if you are still not satisfied with the weight, maybe give an additional mini meal with Taste of the wild... as some extra calories to put on the weight... or try adding 1/2 tsp of organic coconut oil to a meal and see how well this is tolerated. (if the poos remain good). If they do then try giving 1 tsp of coconut oil once a day and this should help with good quality fat / calories......that will also help with hair/coat / skin quality.

But again... weight gain can be tricky.... some will start to put on weight in a few weeks/month.... where as others can take over 2 years before they really start gaining weight..... jsut sharing this with you so that you can see weight gain can rally vary a lot from one dog to the next.

ALSO.... make sure you are not dealing with low B12.

[HunnysMom]

Thank you so much olesis.

She’s doing really well with taste of the wild. She’s eating the pacific stream one too.

Her poop could be slightly firmer but for almost 2 weeks now it’s completely different than how it was for 2 months.

I’ll get the slippery elm and hopefully this will make a difference.

I’ve got to stop this regergatation that keeps happening.

[Olesia711]

so glad the TOTW-Pacific Stream appears to have really helped .... that particular brand of food seems to work with a lot of EPI dogs, not all.... but a lot............

With the SLippery Elm please do read the slippery elm page.... as more is not always better since Slippery ELm has prebiotics in it and this REALLY helps with SID... but too much prebiotics can also trigger loose stools... so don't over do, especially when starting out.

If the Slippery Elm doesn't work.... next thing to try is talk to your vet about Omeprazole...you can get it over the counter, but your vet will have to work with you as far as the dose goes.

Good Luck and keep us posted!

[Tuckaboo Pam]

Hi Hunnysmom, and sorry I've been awol. Teenage grandson moved in, need I say more?

TOTW is not low calorie. When I mention the amount of food, I mean the recommended amount you find on the bag of kibble. If she weighs 29 but should weigh 40, look at the bag for the feeding guide. Feed her 150% of the recommended amount for a 40 pounder. If a 40 pound dog should eat 3 cups, then feed her 4 1/2 per day, appropriately enzymed & divided into 2 or 3 meals.

I wish Tuck would eat the Pacific Stream recipe, but he hated it. Actually, all my dogs snubbed their noses at it.

I'm glad he's doing well on the TOTW High Prairie version. It is at the top of the fiber limit, 4%, and I see peas & potatoes in the ingredients, but they are pretty far down the list. I just couldn't keep paying for Sport Dog herding dogs, and it's become pretty hard to find.

Take Care, and again, I am so sorry.---Pam

[HunnysMom]

Hi All -

I am back with another set of questions as Hunny continues on her journey

1. When Hunny was tested back in late Oct/early Nov for EPI her levels didn't show EPI but she had ALL of the symptoms. As I have been treating her as if she has EPI she has made progress. She has now officially gained 3 lbs (YAY) and her poop is no longer yellow/diarhea/like cow poop (YAY)

- Her test showed the following:
ALT = on the HIGHER end
Cholesterol = on the lower end
TLI = 4.6 so on the lower end where 5.0 - 35.0 is the range.
B12 = VERY HIGH at 963 where 284-836 is the range

Does it make sense to retest her at any point?

2. She was put on a purina probiotic that she finished about weeks ago. I did not refill it. She seems to be fine without it. Any thoughts on this? Do you think probiotics are a must? And if so, WHY and What brands do you lie and WHY? There is a local probiotic here I do like BUT it does have fiber in it. Can I still use it?

3. I got her Tylisin (spelling?) refilled today. She has one more refill left after this. Do most dogs take this for the rest of their lives? How do you know if they can be taken off of it?

4. I started her on the slippery elm 2 days ago.....so far today she hasn't spit up but yesterday she did a few times and the day I started her. Does it usually take a number of days to work? I have absolutely noted before all of her symptoms she never ever had acid reflux but over the past few weeks it has been bad. I now have 3 official stains on my couch that I never did before.

5. She is on the same pancreatic enzyme (powder) I started her with. It costs over $100 I think like $130 or $140 but she has been on the same one for probably about 6-7 weeks now. Does it make sense just to leave her on this since it seems to be fine for her? How do you know what enzymes are the best?

6. With the onset of all of this I have worked with 2 vets. One of them suspected EPI but then had me put her on The Hills prescription diet which was horrible but he did recommend the enzyme. I don't care for his personality tbh though. Big ego. I saw another vet and she also thought H should be on The Hills (I knew in my heart she should not be on this diet once I saw the ingredients and I do not like Hills anyway) and she is the one that gave me the purina probiotic. She also suggested a sonogram. How do you find a vet you like?