Epi4Dogs

Bronte, a Labradoodle, was diagnosed with a pancreatic disordered in January. I am now putting Pank-aid on her food. Her food was grain free. She started to gain weight and her poop hardened and returned to normal (firm, amount, and number/ day), but a new issue arose. She was emitting an odour that was like sour milk or a damp towel that needed to be laundered.

I bathed her but within 5 to 7 days the odour was unbearable so another bath. The vet noted that her hair was oily and this surprised her as she had been bathed twice in a 2 week period. I was prescribed a medicated shampoo, but the odour returned in a few days.

Bronte thyroid was tested and it was extremely high. Another test was done and it was still high. I was advised to change her food. I was to try to find s food with no organ meat. I chose the brand GO Salmon-No Grain. (A friend with a dog on Pank-Aid said she used GO food).

The change of food and reducing the amount of Pank-Aid from 1.5 tsp to around .75 tsp has helped with the odour but it is still there. I was able to go 3 weeks before a bath with the medicated shampoo.

Has anyone had this problem? The odour is not from her breath, it seems to be from her pores and is emitted randomly.

Looking forward to hearing about some things that might help. She’s a beautiful dog but sometimes stinks!

hi there and welcome


Ingredients in Pank-Aid

Each 2.8 g (1 tsp.) of Pancrelipase USP 100% w/w contains: Lipase (67,200 USP Units), Protease (280,000 USP Units), and Amylase (280,000 USP Units).


this is one ive not heard of but its fine

so was the diagnosis positive for EPI ?

The smell is horrid, but it actually goes in time

so the vets have tested for thyroid and its high, so you have to change the food, is the vet thinking of surgery for the tyroid gland , I only say this because my cat had this issue, and the foods change didnt sort it , so surgery, and it was sorted instantaneously

jeanx

Hello and welcome to you and Bronte.

I am assuming that when you said Bronte has a pancreatic disorder, you are referring to EPI? (There are other disorders) Can you tell us if he had the cTLI test and what the results were? Also, was the cobalamin (B12) tested at the same time and what was that number?

It sounds like he is responding to the enzymes and his stools are improving. That is very good news. You are doing a good job.

Yes, some dogs emit an odor when they start the enzymes. There is a section here (from the Home Page) about the odor and the research that has been done concerning this, but so far there are no conclusions (yet). For some, the odor will disappear in a few weeks or months. For others it takes longer. You can read the survey that was conducted and the information contained in the results.

I am wondering about Bronte's thyroid. Has it improved or have they found a cause? Is Bronte taking medication for it?

Please let us know how he is doing.

Barb

Oh this is very common the smell it either goes or you just get used to the pong...some say adding B12 which EPi dog needs helps anyway.

Hi and welcome. We are almost 4yrs into EPI management and sometimes my boy smells and sometimes he doesn't, but I've gotten used to it. What researchers are now saying is they think the smell is actually related to SID - the food that has not digested in their stomach. If you did not have the B12 tested and are not supplementing B12, I highly recommend getting it tested so you have a base number and then start supplementing. Many of us use the WonderLabs Pet Factor B12 pills. B12 supplementing is critical to properly managing EPI and they will need it for life. I would not recommend reducing the amount of enzymes being used in order to decrease the smell - the most important thing is they are digesting their food and having good poops.

We had the horrible odor at the beginning...it did finally go away. Mostly. Ours smelled like sour vomit mixed with cat pee. Not pleasant for sure.
I'm like Madelon, sometimes my girl smells better than others. Overall she smells good more than bad. She does have a different smell in general than she did pre diagnosis, but the good news is that the horrible stench does go away for most.
In the mean time, bathe her as often as she (and you) tolerate, wash her bedding frequently as well.
I have a Labradoodle too <3