Epi4Dogs

This is a stab in the dark.

Daisy has been away at a pro trainer since June. Her weight was stable and the epi was under control.

I picked her up for a vacation at home while the pro was going to be away. That was on 9/29.

When we got home, I immediately recognized that her weight was down and the poop was not normal. The pro had commented that her marking was down. Don't need to go into all the retails of advanced retriever training but what it boiled down to, when the object to be retrieved didn't break the horizon, she didn't seem to see it. She'd still go and most times would hunt until she found it but clearly her visual acuity was reduced compared to when the object broke the horizon.

So, we had her eyes examined as she was due for a CERF/OFA exam anyway. Nothing was found.

The question is, is there anything about epi that would reduce vision?

So sorry to hear that this is happening......

As far as we know EPI does not have any impact on vision.....HOWEVER..... weight loss and vision problems.... first thing i would do is have your vet check for diabetes............

I hope your vet can figure out what is going on and that whatever it is is fixable....Please keep us posted!

No question is outlandish...but I have nothing to add. I will be following. Good luck .

All questions are good questions. I'm so sorry you're going through this but highly recommend talking to your vet about diabetes as Olesia mentioned. We have a tendency to think everything is related to the EPI but they get other dog diseases/conditions as well.

a question not asked is an oportunity lost

we have a staff member, Fiona, who's dog is having sight issues, but I dont think its related, but then, its possible

so the vets think everything is ok, maybe your pup just doesnt like the programme, or is not suitable, are you intending to show her etc.

but you need to sort out the weight issue

my advice is to go back to basics and keep a journal, did the trainer follow all of your instructions on food and enzymes, how much weight loss is there

jx

I've given instructions to the trainer and feel she has followed them. I just don't think she or I were aware of the heat and exercise issue. She probably needs a boost in her caloric intake and were investigating how to do this. WE can't just incfrease the amount of food as that would merely increase the amount of poop.

As for the sight issue, there is nothing this dog likes better than birds so it's doubtful that motivation is the issue. I didn't think epi and sight could be related but had to ask since both are in the same dog.

Thanks.

Eric

Its imossible to say with any assurance that EPI and sight issues are related without research results, and I am not sure there are any specific ones

If only they could talk !

my girl was totally movement motivated, sadly she has DM now, so, she still wants to do things but can't, it certainly is possible that calorie intake and more exercise has caused weight loss, so I am wondering if Olesia has any thoughts on adding caloriesand, or, more food , and poo output, I will ask the question, I have never had the issue, Kara has always been high drive but has eaten what we gave her,

I wonder if you could tell us why you are concerned about poo output, and what the weight loss was/is what weight is she now, I note Olesia asked about diabetes, has that been discounted

I am grateful of the question, as it starts debate, and you never know what a forum throws up

if you find anything out please let me know

Jx

i have looked through your other posts and see you have a Toller, I have never heard of them, totally beautiful

Hi Eric,

SOme of our EPI dogs will loose a little extra weight simply from the stress of an activity / anxiousness or nerves.
Other times, it can be a sign of SID becoming uncontrolled again
Then yet other times, it could very well be that the B12 is slipping.......

As you can see, the answer is not simple so it is a process of trying things one at a time to see what is triggering the weight loss.

As far as feeding more, if she has lost weight, i am assuming her body needs the add'l calories. If she is receiving the proper EPI balance of treatment.... then most of the extra food/nutrients should be absorbed by the body. If she starts pooing volumes.. that means something is not right...........

To put on healthy weight, with many of these dogs, we give them MCT fat which is usually very well tolerated by most of these EPI dogs, (and it helps dry skin) ... we give cold-pressed/extra virgin coconut oil. Just don't give coconut oil from Walmart ... i personally use Jarrow's extra virgin coconut oil i buy it fromw Swansons, but you can also get it from Amazon. Start with 1/2 tsp to make sure it is well tolerated.. if poo okay (not greasy/sloppy) after a few days, increase to 1 tsp per meal.

The other thing you can try is more protein..... just add real meat to the diet.

ANother thing you might want to try (as a 1-thing at-a-time) or weight, is to slightly increase the enzymes by 1/8 tsp... it might be that she just needs more enzymes now to effectively absorb all the nutrients in her food..................

Or you can swap foods to a more higher calorie food.......

These are jsut some weight gaining tips.... there are others, but hopefully this will help..

just one curiosity

have you been advised to keep poos at a low rate ?

j