New Diagnosis

[Jd3dortch]

First post here but have been reading a ton in the last week or so since discovering this site.

After nearly 2 months of issues and waiting for test results we have a diagnosis of EPI today. Kylie is a German Shepherd that will be 2 years old next Tuesday.

I have ordered enzymes from Diane and have gotten a different food to transition to instead of our typical chicken and rice Purina pro plan. Our vet has scheduled B12 injections for 4 to 6 weeks and then potentially transitioning to an oral B12.

Our vet sounds like EPI is something she's relatively familiar with but initially discussed enzymes as a certain amount twice per day and not with any food given.

Kylie is currently relatively skinny but it's not super visible unless you've seen the progression. She's definitely lost nearly 8 lb in the last 2 months at a point in her development that she should have been filling out. She's had gross poos (including 1 while walking thru Lowes) since Christmas and we're (I'm) tired of waking up multiple times in the middle of the nightbfor her to poop or more recently drink to fill her tummy.

Looking forward to figuring out what works for her to find a new balance for her. Super appreciative of the info I've found here already.

[jilbert57]

Kylie ia a beauty! Sounds like you are being very proactive with your vet.
Enzymes must be given with all food Kylie eats from now on. The dose is 1 level teaspoon enzyme for every 1 cup kibble. Mix together with a little tepid water and stir and let incubate 20 minutes. Stir before serving.

Jill

[Jean]

welcome from the UK

the mantra is FOOD IN ENZYME IN

the only exception is water and medication

you have a beauty there

they are literally starving until the enzymes start to work and thay can process food , so the suggestion is to feed several smaller meals during the day all enzymed to 1 teaspoon per cup of kibble, and to feed 50% over and above what the food bag instructions give for the weight the dog SHOULD be, we also fed scrambled egg and mashed potato not long before bed enzymed, it gets them through the night, are there any stomach noises ?

[Jd3dortch]

I don't really think so other than lots of farts.

Enzymes expected to arrive on Saturday so will be starting then.

[Jean]

I have been there with the nocturnal pooing , the evening meal I suggested might work, it did for my Kara

Is Lowes a Walmart type of store ? we had an issue with Kara at a dog food shop, its so embarassing, but once you have enzymes things should improve, ask your vet about antibiotics, we suggest Tylan twice daily for 45 days to get rid of gut bugs which destroy the b12 reserves

[Tuckaboo Pam]

So glad you're here! Yep, the dog farts can be a sign of SID. Tylan is definitely the right antibiotic. Some vets prescribe metronidazole, which can cause long term complications, so DON'T give her that.

https://epi4dogs.com/sidsibo-in-brief/

Another option is to start with slippery elm, which can be bought online. I use one capsule per day, Wonderlabs brand, and this has recently put an end to the green cloud that had settled over my house. WHEW!

At the bottom of my post, you can see what kind of food I feed my shepherd mix, and it seems to be working pretty well for him.

This process can take some tweaking, and just when you have it figured out, something may change, but this group is a great place to bounce all your questions & thoughts off others. Good job!---Pam & Tucker

[Olesia711]

What a gorgeous GSD Kylie is!!! you have been given good suggestions regarding the enzymes.... hopefully you do indeed get the Saturday!
Feel free to ask us any question you might have.... and please know that effectively managing EPI is all about find the right balance of the recommended EPI protocol that best suits YOUR dog...... this means that when things don't come together as expected.... this happens often and all it means is that there is going to be some "tweaking" in your future... and that is what we are here for... to help you step by step get your dog's EPI under good control

[Jd3dortch]

Enzymes arrived yesterday afternoon so she's had a few meals with them at this point. Changed to a low fiber food right after diagnosis and it has seemed to help a little bit even before getting enzymes. Got her first B12 injection this morning with at least a couple more to go before potentially switching to oral B12. Looking forward to seeing her get better. She had been up to about 64 pounds before losing weight down to 56 in the last few months.

I also got the actual results of her testing from the vet this morning. Her results were:

TLI: 1.8
B12: 216
Folate:17

Thanks for all the info to help us get started in figuring this out!

Jake & Kylie

[Tuckaboo Pam]

Jake, you are headed in the right direction! Remember to feed her 150% of the portion you would feed her at her ideal weight.

I know it's self explanatory, but if she should weigh 70 pounds, and if the bag says a 70 pound dog gets 4 cups daily, you are going to feed her *6* cups daily, with the appropriate 6 teaspoons of enzymes. Divide into three meals if possible, but definitely at least two meals.

Mix enzymes with kibble & a bit of water or broth,, room temp. Some people barely moisten it. I add more because I want to. Let sit for 20 minutes, to activate enzymes.

Keep posting & asking questions. You will get there!!!

---Pam & Tucker

[Olesia711]

also... in case this hasn't been mentioned....... when starting to treat EPI, with the 150% of food.... don't try to cram it all in into two meals a day... Rule of thumb is to feed more BUT feed smaller portions which in the end means feeding 3 or 4 meals a day instead of 2.

If you work and just are not home to do a "lunch" meal... then what many of us do/did was feed breakfast before we go to work in the, lunch when we come home from work, and dinner a little bit before bed time... that allows for 3 meals vs. 2 meals.

After the dog settles out/gains back most or all of what it lost and you go back to regular amounts (or there about) of food portions.... then you can go back to 2 meals a day..........