Mike’s little Fiona’s EPI journey….
I brought Fiona home from the breeder in August of 2012 as a ten week old puppy. I was ready for a new Cairn Terrier following the passing of my beloved 14 year old Toto-dog Fergus. My other old Cairn McKenzi was a bit lost without him as well.
The first few months were fine. Fiona was growing rapidly…and catching on just fine to housebreaking and command training. By 7 months of age she was up to 12 pounds. I first noticed something was wrong when one day she had a bad round of soft stools. I chalked it up to eating something she should not have. After 3 days she was not improving, so off to the vet she went where she was put on a bland diet and given some meds for a possible intestinal infection. She improved for a few days but soon her stools again became soft and very frequent.
The vet tried some stronger meds as well an antibiotic shot…fecal samples came up with high levels of fat. At the same time Fiona’s weight was beginning to drop. After a week my dog was back at the vet….stools loose, yellow, looking like mud. Her weight had dropped to a scary 7 pounds. Blood work was done again and the vet was concerned that either her liver was shunted or she was suffering from a pancreas issue called EPI. An ultra sound and tests would be required. That afternoon I took my dog immediately to a specialist at a 24 hour animal hospital down in Connecticut. I didn’t know what to think as I turned my beautiful Cairn Terrier puppy over to the vet. She would be spending the night…having an ultra sound and a battery of tests. Would I get her back?
The following afternoon the vet called with the results. She was EPI positive 100% no doubt. I picked her up along with a big jar of enzymes as well as instructions for diet. During her overnight stay….my skinny and ragged little dog had made friends with everybody there. Her spirit and sweet kisses told everybody there she was a fighter.
Within 2 days….with the help of her powdered PancrePlus enzymes and her new food…Dave’s Grain Free Chicken kibble…her stools firmed back to normal. Within 2 weeks she was back to 13 pounds!
Fiona is now coming up on her second birthday….she has matured into a beautiful blonde black tip Cairn Terrier and weighs in at a chunky 17 pounds!!! She happily takes her enzyme loaded food and other than an occasional B12 check….is healthy and happy.
Who knows what bumps she may hit….but the doctors called it right when they said she had spirit and a will to survive.
