Trixie's new digestive upsets

[jilbert57]

This is just a thought. I had one jack who had gall bladder issues and had attacks like that. Reluctant to move much for 10 hours or so then be fine. He had a sluggish gall bladder that needed to be thinned. One of our current jacks just went through 3 months of off and on like that so had an abdominal ultrasound to check pancreas, gall bladder, etc. He had a benign tumor on his spleen, both of which were removed and now he acts like a puppy.
Just another thought for if he keeps having bouts.

Jill

[Olesia711]

Hi Trixie's mom,

SO sorry i missed all your posts back mid-Oct.... i was on vacation... so i am just now catching up.
Regarding EPI & Pancreatitis together.... my understanding from the an EPI researcher and a Pancreatitis researcher is that :
1. chronic pancreatitis can evolve into EPI.... and even thou we call it chronic, even one episode of what we notice as a pancreatitis attack can then trigger EPI.
2. End Stage Chronic pancreatitis is EPI.... however, this does not mean that every dog that has chronic pancreatitis will eventually develop EPI. some do, some don't.
3. THere is also a window of time ( a few years) where a dog can have both EPI & Pancreatitis at the same time.... this is when with some dogs, it doesn't seem to happen overnight but rather the dog is experiencing pancreatic attacks and simultaneously EPI is developing.

This was explained to me a few years ago. I suspect it is still basically true, unless newer research has debunked this.

With regards to Trixie, and how she is acting.... two things come to mind....
1. this might be something other than EPI or pancreas related and everyone is looking in the wrong place.... so for now... keep a written record and if you can even video Trixie when she is having a very uncomfortable episode so that you can show the vet. Sometimes how we explain things doesn't do the situation justice but a picture or video really tells the story.
2. your description of what Trixie is going thru is giving me a little deja vu.....with a personal situation ....... I'd REALLY watch Trixie closely and jsut because the vet said that the gallbladder is okay.... i wouldn't totally wipe this off the list of possibilities..... as i agree with Andrea...... this kind of smacks of gallbladder/gallstones.... and just because they didn't find anything doesn't mean that there is nothing there. There is such a thing as sludge that often does not show up on the tests and you will see symptoms like this... or it can be a bunch of such itty bitty tiny "stones" that, again, don't show up in the test.... try avoiding giving Trixie anything fatty and better yet, if you can, try giving her only very lean food. if she doesn't want to eat, li wouldn't push it.... just in case this is what is going on.
Again.... write things down what she had/her reaction and take a video of when she is not doing well, so the vet can see first hand.

And lastly... i looked up the Allergy Research Group... what i found was this, and this product doesn't sound like it is potent enough to treat an EPI dog, and at 1 she is an EPI dog... is this the product you ar using??? https://www.thenatural.com/allergy-rese ... rLEALw_wcB If yes... she might need different enzymes, in which case i would order a small amount of 6x from Enzyme Diane.... to try 250 grams for $93
https://enzymediane.com/product/pancrea ... e-product/

Not sure if any of this is helpful... but i sure hope so as we want Trixie to feel better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Olesia711]

ahhhh... i just saw Jill's post.... yep this is what it sounds like to me.... a gallbladder issue..... even though the tests were supposedly negative........

[TrixEPIMama]

Olesia and Jill -- Thank you, thank you, thank you. I feel we may finally be getting somewhere.

A sludgy gall bladder needing some thinning. Who knew that such a thing was even ... a thing? But you both point in the same direction my DV was pointing, and I'll follow up with this. And while I'm sorry you've both had personal experience with this issue, that makes your words ring so true.

Definitely no fatty foods for Trixie now. I've also been giving her 3-4 smaller meals a day instead of her usual two. That seems to help a bit.

And Olesia, yes, the link you posted is to the product we've been using to treat Trixie's EPI. It still does a perfect job of keeping her poops normal as it has from the beginning (as they remained even through her recent illnesses), but I've questioned, myself, how that tiny amount of powder can be doing the job usually done by much larger doses of enzymes.

Is it possible that this product, though seemingly okay for her pancreas, has led to gall bladder issues? Or is that likely unrelated?

P.S. Olesia -- Thanks for the primer on pancreatitis and EPI.

[Olesia711]

Hi Trixie's mom,

Sorry i'm a day late with this response.... but to answer your question.....although i don't know for sure.... i don't think you could have prevented "sludge" by giving more potent enzymes........

Please do keep us posted with what they decide might be going on with Trixie......... paws and fingers that they figure it out sooner rather than later and that it is an easy fix.