Newly Diagnosed Corgi w/EPI - Suggestions?

[Olesia711]

Probably not.....i suspect her tummy is having big conversations with SID (poor baby)

PLEASE let us know how she is tomorrow with the increased dose of Tylan.

You are giving it to her with food (at meal time), correct?

[Bri S]

My poor little baby. I will say she wasn't as gas-y last night but her tummy sure was talking. Yes she gets the Tylan with her breakfast kibbles (about 6am and then the Tylan again with her 4th meal of the day at about 7:30pm).

Opal eats 3/4 cup of Hill's Prescription I/D kibble, with 1/16 TSP PancrePlus Powder, I mix in some water and stir well... & I've been giving her the usual 1/16 TSP Tylan plus an additional 1/2 of her 1/16 TSP Tylan mixed in there too.

She had the additional amount of Tylan both last night and this morning. I am happy to say she's still spunky, happy, and wanted to play this am so we will continue with the little extra Tylan and hope that helps even out her tummy/gas issues.

Thanks Again,
Bri & Opal

[Madelon]

I would ask the vet what B12 you are using to be sure it's the right one. Most of use WonderLabs Pet Factor B12 as it has intrinsic factor which helps with B12 absorption.

Have you thought about changing foods? It might be something in that food is not agreeing with her - I'm dealing with that myself now after 3 1/2 yrs.

I hope she gets better quickly.

[Bri S]

This is the B12 chewable that she gets once a day, it's called Cobalequin: https://www.vetrxdirect.com/product/vie ... q0QAvD_BwE

Is this the one you'd recommend from WonderLabs? https://www.wonderlabs.com/itemleft.php?itemnum=K96882

It looks like they both have 1,000mcg's of vitamin B12 - but the WonderLabs has folic acid which from my research is good for dogs with SID or malabsorption opposed to the one I have which has 5MTHF which generally speaking.... acts the same as folic acid. However the difference looks like the dosage is much higher of folic acid in the WonderLabs brand. I am getting close to needing a new bottle of B12 for Opal so I'll definitely ask her vet about trading those out and trying WonderLabs. Thank you for the suggestion! I know it's been brought up before but everything was going well at that point so no need to switch but it might not be a bad idea soon.

Opal just switched to the Hill's Prescription I/D dry food when she was diagnosed with EPI and she is processing it much better than her last food. So I'd like to keep her on the food if possible and see if adjusting her meds will help first. Keeping my fingers crossed that she tolerates more Tylan & if so perhaps a B12 change is in order

[Olesia711]

for now, i'd stay on the current food .. lets see how the upped Tylan dose handles the SID... and i would definitely ask the vet about swapping out the Cobalaquin for the Wonderlabs.... not that there is anything wrong with the Cobalaquin, it is just that we have observed real good results with actual EPI dogs on the the Wonderlabs product via many, many before and after B12 blood test results. The cobalaquin product was used in a small clinical trial regarding oral B12 that Texas A&M did.... good study, finally confirmed what we have observed for years, that a high dose of oral B12 can work with low B12 in dogs..... the difference is that Cobalaquin uses 1000mcg of Cyanocobalamin B12, Wonderlabs uses 1000mcg Methylcobalamin B12 and Wonderlabs also includes 800 mcg of Folate and 40 mg of Intrinsic Factor (porcine).

But do keep in the back of your mind that eventually you might want to look into possible other foods..... depending on how things go.

[jilbert57]

I am sorry Opal is having an issue with SID. Mickey had pancreatitis so I had to limit the fat intake. He loved the I/D! That being said like Olesia and a couple folks mentioned the ingredients are not optimal for EPI. Brewers rice and corn are the first 2 ingredients and pea meal the 5th. Sometimes these ingredients invite SID . As long as your pup is doing well I would stay the course but once the course of Tylan is run if the SID returns you might need to look at foods. Keep up the good work with Opal.

[jilbert57]

I am sorry Opal is having an issue with SID. Mickey had pancreatitis so I had to limit the fat intake. He loved the I/D! That being said like Olesia and a couple folks mentioned the ingredients are not optimal for EPI. Brewers rice and corn are the first 2 ingredients and pea protein is the 4th. Sometimes these ingredients invite SID . As long as your pup is doing well I would stay the course but once the course of Tylan is run if the SID returns you might need to look at foods. Keep up the good work with Opal.

[Stacie & Dizzy]

How is little Opal doing today? I hope the stomach noises have quieted and the SID is more under control. When I started my girl on the b12 from wonderlab her weight really increased. You sound like you have a really good vet.

[Bri S]

Thanks so much everyone for the advice and asking how Opal is doing!

Opal's tummy noises have stopped since I increased the Tylan... but she still is a bit gas-y though. It isn't that awful skunk gas 24/7 though. She's still has gas but not as frequent and not as smelly. Is that normal in some EPI dogs perhaps? I mean the poor little thing is on so many meds that I am suppose that might just be inevitable?

I did order her the WonderLabs B12 today as she has about 7 days left of her chew-able B12. Would you all think that due to her size (20lbs) and sensitive tummy - that she should have a full capsule once a day? Or should I try half a capsule once she's done with her current B12? The slippery elm from WonderLabs arrived really fast so I figure the B12 will arrive in plenty of time before she finishes her current B12 chew-ables. WonderLabs had a code listed on their website for 20% off of purchases today.... so that made it cheaper than on Amazon. Score!

As far as a diet change in the future I am certainly open to that. Do you guys have recommendations on dry food? I know my vet had mentioned that they also carry Royal Canine brand of dog food but have to special order that in. I have gotten this below food from Petco approved by the vet that she thinks it'd work well for Opal.... but she said to hold off on any diet changes until she is consistently doing well with everything else. Changing too much at once hasn't worked well with her thus far. So in the future when she's doing really well for a month or so I'd like to change foods - hopefully to something I can get at Petco or Petsmart (convenience factor) and hopefully a little less expensive than Hill's Prescription I/D if possible.

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostor ... t-dog-food

I had looked for foods that are both grain free and labeled as easy for digestion since she is doing well on the I/D food. Any suggestions on the food portion that I can keep in mind for later down the road would be great

Right now - Opal's stools are solid but still that tan-ish somewhat yellow-ish color. The solid part is really great though - that is a huge improvement from the cow pattys she had going on. Will EPI dogs ever have a both solid and brown stool consistently? Just curious since hers still isn't brown consistently if I'm missing something she needs....?

Thanks again everyone.... we really appreciate everything!!!!!!

[Olesia711]

Once again, i must say.... you have a great vet.... very very wise to suggest one-thing at a time!!!!
Okay... the easy answer... I would not go with that food, cause of the heavy pea ingredients. EPI dogs do NOT do well with peas. If you think little Opal has issues with gas now, you have seen/smelled nothing until you feed her peas............. seriously. There is EPI research to back this. Peas are the least digestible for EPI patients and greatly encourages gas/SID.

Some dogs do fine on some of the dog foods available in the pet stores, but more often than not, many of our dogs do better with foods ordered on line because there is a larger variety and more with the criteria we like to start with. However..... once she is stable the best way to really tell is to simply try things. I can even send you a little of the dog food i am now using and am VERY pleased with....so you can see if it "appears"to agree after a few days trial. But we can tackle this later.

With regards to the B12.... Opal is about 30lbs, yes? If yes, then give her 1/2 capsule every day. You can just open the capsule, divide the powder (make a rectangle of the powder and split in half) sprinkle one half on the food, and then mix it in and serve.