Need help for my 2 year old GSD

[Anwesha2312]

Hello everyone,

To begin with, I want to thank each and every member of this group who created this page with such plethora of information about conditions which are often neglected by vets. So grateful.

Coming to my dog, Luffy is 2.3 years old now and weighs just 24 kgs. She actually stopped gaining weight after she was diagnosed with mild pancreatitis at the age of 7 months and then nothing has been done from the vet’s end other than prescribing some prescription kibble.

I came across this page when she was just 4-5 months old but because I had no idea about anything as Luffy was my first dog, I just consulted numerous nutritionists from across the world, spent dollars and dollars importing various supplements but all I can say is, no diet worked, no supplement work and she just looks sick, starving and also now diagnosed with pannus.

Her condition became worse when I started fasting her for days after blinding following a facebook page which suggests extended fasting of 10-13 days to resolve every disease on earth.

Everything seems lost now. Her current blood reports are
B12 147pg/ml
Folic acid 3.74
Vit D3 35.6
Free T31.67

Symptoms which are always on and off:
Bile vomit
Soft smelly stool (most of the times)
Excessive itching
Dry skin (always)
Redness around the cornea(steriod eye drops have been recommended) (since 2-3 months)
Lethary during the day (always)
Excessive hunger ( for the last 4-5 months)
Stops on walks (since 2 months)
Pants heavily (since 2 months)
Zero muscle mass (since she was 7-8 months old)

Currently feeding (gently cooked) 800gms of food
Beef /Chicken/Lamb
Carcass or neck
Spleen
Kidney
Liver
Sardines/Mackerel
Millet
Veggies-Turnip,broccoli,beans,celery
Fruits-guava,pear,apple,blueberries
Bone broth

Supplements-
Cod liver old
Kelp
Probiotics
Joint supplement

Need your earnest help to start a protocol with a full proof diet plan. I am tired of trying so many recipes. I absolutely do not want to visit the vet. I am struggling financially and I know I need to be there for my dog and I must. Please suggest me a protocol which I can follow in India. I do not know if I can order enzymediane but I will try my best.

This is my last hope as I have been failed to give her some peace and better health since she came to me as a 35 days old pup.

Thanks so much
Anwesha

[Olesia711]

Anwesha,

I am so so sorry you and your beloved companion are going thru all of this, but thank you so much for posting the details.

Looking at the test results (thank you!!!!) the #1 is that she is extremely low on B12 and that can trigger so many adverse results, some of what you mentioned. (Lethargy, loose stools, not gaining weight, poor body condition, etc.)

SO the first thing i would do is start giving B12 right away. Here is the protocol... B12 is given by weight of the dog the UG measurement with B12 is equal to mcg.
Whtaever extra B12 your dog consumes, it will not harm anything, she will just pee it out.

THe Folate score indicate something else is going on, could very likely be a food sensitivity.... so.... many of her not feeling well might be due to a reaction to one of the foods you are feeding. My suggestion temporarily is to feed her a very stripped down meal...only 2 ingredients.... pick one carb, like rice (for now since she in not yet on enzymes)... or even just do cooked and mashed turnip for the carb and one protein... maybe go with lamb.... or can you get fish??? As Chicken and Beef are usually high up on the food sensitivity chart for dogs.... Anyway... try this for only a week or two at the most... and see if there is ANY improvement. If yes... then you know one of the other food ingredients is most likely a trigger.

Also, although not the best, you can get enzymes in INdia.

Go to this page https://epi4dogs.com/epi-quick-guides-outside-usa/ and scroll down to the INDIA section.... there is some information there about treating EPI in India and resources..... so you can get enzymes there without having to order from enzymediane in the USA

I have an appt so i can't type anymore right now.... BUT....my thought is that the #1 thing right now is to get some B12 for your dog....

[Anwesha2312]

Thank you so much for responding so fast. Yes, I can definitely do fish.

I wanted to know if it is 50mcg per kilo per day or 1mcg per kilo per day.

As Luffy is too low on B12, should I start on 25mcg or 1000mcg?

Also, do you recommend now foods pancreatin 2000
https://amzn.in/d/7LPODdP

If yes, how many should I use for her in a single meal?

I usually give her 2 meals, should I make it three?

[jilbert57]

Anwesha,
I suggest you ring Samir and get hooked up with Panlipase. You would need a lot of capsules of the NOW pancreatin per meal and yes, I would go to 3 meals a day if possible. Please join WhatsUp group and call Samir:

"In India, one of our members, Samir, created a “WhatsUp” group to help those in India with their EPI dogs.
Please contact Samir at: USA no # 1 312 854 9501 for assistance"

Olesia will be along with B12 info at some point.

Jill

[Tuckaboo Pam]

Anwesha---

Welcome to you and Luffy. Please look back often, to see if you have got more answers. I am sorry your Luffy isn't feeling well. Hopefully you will get in touch with Samir, which will make it all much easier.

---Pam

[Olesia711]

Anwesha,

Definitely get in touch with Samir...... he is very kind and extremely helpful.

SO..... to answer your questions ... the NOW Pancreatin you are using only has 4,000 USP Units of Lipase in it and it is in powder form tucked in a capsule and the capsule is not enteric coated..... the minimum amount of Lipase we would use in this form would be 35,000 USP Unit.... but typically we use 71,400 USP unit of Lipae.... SO...... this product is much to "light" in potency.
HOWEVER.... the rule of thumb is watch the poops... if the poos are sloppy, give more enzymes.
Look at the enzyme products in the link i gave you and scroll don to the INDIA section...
or
Check on your Amazon and see if you can get this enzymeproduct:
Vital Nutrients – Pancreatic Enzymes : Pills: 1000mg (35,500 USP units of Lipase) can be purchased on Amazon. Will need 2 -3 pills per 1 cup of food.

Regarding "As Luffy is too low on B12, should I start on 25mcg or 1000mcg?"
Luffy would need 250mcg of B12... if you buy B12 capsules... open the capsule and pour the contents on a piece of paper and divide until you get approx 250mcg. If you gt B12 1000mcg.... make a rectangle of the B12 power from a capsule and divide into quarter. Does not have to be exact. ... and give 1/4 daily.

REgarding "I wanted to know if it is 50mcg per kilo per day or 1mcg per kilo per day. "
I didn't understand what this is in relation to...... enzymes to food or B12 or what ???

[Chance]

I am really sorry to hear your baby is struggling so much. It certainly is stressful when they are unwell.

Given the history with pancreatitis, and the symptoms, EPI is possible. However Given the really low folic acid level, it's likely something else is also going on. IBD is possible.

Your ground kelp and probiotics is very wise!

The low B12 levels is certainly going to cause a lot of problems and symptoms. So is the folic acid. So really, you'd be best to try to supplement both. Real Folate is a good supplement which can help for the folic acid levels. Chance was also critically low in B12. Going outside to pee took every ounce of strength he could muster. He'd have to go outside, then come back to rest in order to get strength to stand up to eat after. We started B12 injections, and the next day he woke up and started running around the house with my shoe in his mouth. He was just sooo happy to be feeling better! It didn't take long to get him built up enough he could easily handle walking a couple of miles.

For enzymes, I'm quite certain that Creon is available over the counter in India. It's a human drug for EPI, and there's thousands of dogs with EPI who are thriving on it. I've had 2 dogs on it, and it works very well and is very easy to give. Just pill the dog and feed.

If that's not an option, Micrazym should be. Here, it's available on Amazon. But their website claims to ship worldwide. It's also very similar to Creon. I don't know Indian currency, so I don't know which is most cost effective for you.

[Anwesha2312]

Thank you so much everyone for taking your time to reply and for being so kind and empathetic. I can't find any option to reply you guys individually so replying to everyone here.
@jilbert57 You are right. I just realised. Paid a hefty amount to purchase it. Yes, already got connected with Mr. Samir. Will keep in touch with him for getting more guidance.

@Tuckaboo Pam Yes, already connected with him, it's always better to connect with people from your own country as lot of factors are similar and we can get things easier.

@Olesia711 Regarding B12 - I again paid a hefty amount to import Pet Factor B12 I thought I need to start very high dosage of B12 as of now and that intrinsic factor is very important.

Diet- Lamb will be too hot and fatty for her and it's summer here so I am doing just chicken as the meat and some millet. Hope that's fine.

I just got Now foods Pancreatin so started giving her since last night's dinner. Will get Creon or Panilapse very soon.

Vital Nutrients Enzyme is 115 Dollars
I will follow the B12 dosage you recommended. Also, For Creon, how many do I need to put and should I put the whole pill in the food and serve immediately?

@Chance So good to know that your dog is doing good now and so good to know about Chance, your soul dog.
I am still confused whether to start with oral B12 or give Luffy B12 injection as of now to stabilise her situation. Please guide me.
And regarding raw food, may I know what you feed and the quantity and the frequency.

[jilbert57]

Start with the B12 shots 1/week for 6 weeks. Then start the oral B12.

On the Creon , they are enteric coated spheres in the gel cap. Make sure the food is damp and open the Creon cap and spread on food right before serving.

Jill

[Olesia711]

with the CREON..... as Jill mentioned..... open 1 capsule (we usually start with CREON 10,000 or 12,000) and sprinkle on top of "moist" food (moist so that the little pellets have something to stick to) and serve IMMEDIATELY... never incubate with CREON or any enteric coated enzymes.

Watch the poo for a few days... if the poo is soft/loose/sloppy looking..... THEN increase the amount of CREON to 2 capsules