Need help to stabilize our newly diagnosed dog
Posted: 02 Jun 2023, 14:52
Hello,
First, thanks to all for such great information! We've only been on this EPI journey for a few weeks, so this is very helpful.
Our German Shephard mix, Dagny got diagnosed on May 17th. Although our vet has never treated an EPI dog, he had been suspecting she may have it for some time, since she was a bit thinner than he would have liked. I immediately ordered by Enzyme Diane 6x order, but also went to the store and bought the closest thing to it I could find. I feel this was a mistake because the next day she got really sick and had symptoms of colitis (vomiting and diarrhea with blood). The vet put her on a 7 day course of Metronidazole, and we injected some fluids, which did the trick as she was back to herself in a couple days.
A few days later, our enzymes arrived. The vet prescribed Purina Pro Plan EN Gastroenteric, Low Fat.
We've made some good progress (much less poop than before the enzymes), and a much darker color. BUT, we're not there yet. I read the low fat wasn't necessary and since we're trying to put weight on her I've been mixing:
1 cup Purina low fat with 1/2 cup Whole Hearted, lamb & brown rice. I'm now using 2 tsp of enzymes and 1/2 cup of water. I feed her 3 times a day.
Her stools are still softer than I want them, leaving lots of residue on the ground when I pick them up, although they look well formed and segmented, I'd say a 3.5 on the scale.
My question is, how do I know what to adjust? I was doing 1.5tsp of enzyme, so decided to move up to 2tsp. I'm not sure there's a consistent difference. I'm also confused on food choice. I see here lots of recommendations on no grain to avoid interference with the enzymes. I also see avoiding fat isn't necessary.
My other question is related to how long I should wait after making a change to know if it worked or not and to try something new. I think I may be making small changes too often (ie adding in some full fat food, changing enzyme amt, using different foods) and that I don't really know what's working. I am logging everything.
We did a B12/folate test this week and will get the results soon. Does that have any impact on stool?
In general, Dagny has always had a similar amount of energy and a good appetite, and the only symptom we saw (until the bout of colitis) was that she was a little skinnier than she should be.
Am I right to keep tweeking to get the poops the right consistency? They're a pain to pick up, so for my sake as least, I'd love to get them a bit more firm!
Any thoughts on next steps would be greatly appreciated!
First, thanks to all for such great information! We've only been on this EPI journey for a few weeks, so this is very helpful.
Our German Shephard mix, Dagny got diagnosed on May 17th. Although our vet has never treated an EPI dog, he had been suspecting she may have it for some time, since she was a bit thinner than he would have liked. I immediately ordered by Enzyme Diane 6x order, but also went to the store and bought the closest thing to it I could find. I feel this was a mistake because the next day she got really sick and had symptoms of colitis (vomiting and diarrhea with blood). The vet put her on a 7 day course of Metronidazole, and we injected some fluids, which did the trick as she was back to herself in a couple days.
A few days later, our enzymes arrived. The vet prescribed Purina Pro Plan EN Gastroenteric, Low Fat.
We've made some good progress (much less poop than before the enzymes), and a much darker color. BUT, we're not there yet. I read the low fat wasn't necessary and since we're trying to put weight on her I've been mixing:
1 cup Purina low fat with 1/2 cup Whole Hearted, lamb & brown rice. I'm now using 2 tsp of enzymes and 1/2 cup of water. I feed her 3 times a day.
Her stools are still softer than I want them, leaving lots of residue on the ground when I pick them up, although they look well formed and segmented, I'd say a 3.5 on the scale.
My question is, how do I know what to adjust? I was doing 1.5tsp of enzyme, so decided to move up to 2tsp. I'm not sure there's a consistent difference. I'm also confused on food choice. I see here lots of recommendations on no grain to avoid interference with the enzymes. I also see avoiding fat isn't necessary.
My other question is related to how long I should wait after making a change to know if it worked or not and to try something new. I think I may be making small changes too often (ie adding in some full fat food, changing enzyme amt, using different foods) and that I don't really know what's working. I am logging everything.
We did a B12/folate test this week and will get the results soon. Does that have any impact on stool?
In general, Dagny has always had a similar amount of energy and a good appetite, and the only symptom we saw (until the bout of colitis) was that she was a little skinnier than she should be.
Am I right to keep tweeking to get the poops the right consistency? They're a pain to pick up, so for my sake as least, I'd love to get them a bit more firm!
Any thoughts on next steps would be greatly appreciated!