Help I think my dog has epi

Epi4Dogs Foundation Inc.’s mission is the advancement of science and education relating to EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency), yielding useful insights and positive outcomes in better managing EPI in dogs and cats. Our goals are to support and/or collaborate with veterinary EPI research and researchers, and to promote EPI awareness by educating the general public, pet owners, pet organizations, rescue and shelter organizations, veterinary schools and veterinarians.
Chance
Member
Posts: 622
Country: Canada
Pet name: Chance
My name: Andrea

Re: Help I think my dog has epi

Post by Chance » 07 Nov 2024, 01:28

This is all really interesting! If anyone does try this, I'd love to know the results!

I did try PEMF a couple of times with Chance. It was a lady that had bought all the equipment (pads, table, etc, etc) and was going to go into business. When just starting out, she offered free sessions for humans and pets, hoping to get reviews and word of mouth.

Chance, who had beautiful skin, and never, ever scratched; came home a big itchy mess each time! It took days for him to start feeling better. First time, I thought it coincidence. I didn't know why he was so miserable. When it happened after the 2nd session, I figured it wasn't coincidence. I asked this lady; and she said it's unusual, but it is possible to be allergic to magnets! We tried one more session after he'd recovered, and he was worse than ever. He was scratching himself raw. He was put on high doses of Benadryl until he'd recovered. Spoke to the vet, who also said magnet allergies are very rare, but can happen. I never brought him back again, so I never did find out how beneficial it could be for arthritis.

Leave it to Chance to be different. He couldn't tolerate PEMF, and could not tolerate Tylosin! To my knowledge, those are the only two things that he ever showed such severe reactions to...the two things that would be the least likely to react to! (PEMF had him scratching non stop, to the point he could not sleep at night. Tylosin caused such severe diarrhea, I had to sleep on an air mattress by the back door, so we could make it outside on time, every hour). Have not tried PEMF or anything with Rylee, but I know she's fine with Tylosin.
Chance was my 4 legged soul mate. My mobility assist service dog. Pure yellow Lab, 75 lbs. After struggling with weight all his life, finally dx with EPI. cTLI < 1, folate and B12 very low. Fed Raw. Maintained with Creon, Garden of Life probiotic and intermittent calcium bentonite clay. (Tylosin was a big nightmare for him)!

Rylee is Chance's successor; also pure Yellow/Fox red Lab. Started with symptoms at 8 weeks. At 6 months of age, also prescribed Creon due to suspected EPI (due to passing large amounts of undigested food). Currently suspected of blockages in pancreatic ducts. She is maintained VERY nicely on Creon and probiotics. Also raw fed.

User avatar
Olesia711
Founder & Research Director
Posts: 4532
Location: North Carolina
Country: United States
State: North Carolina
Pet name: Izzy
My name: olesia

Re: Help I think my dog has epi

Post by Olesia711 » 07 Nov 2024, 10:21

WOW!!!! That's some reaction. I do know that with PEMF, depending, whether human or pet, for some, you have to lower the frequency cause it might be too strong for certain "beings". With people, if using the wrong setting/ too high... it can give you a headache. with dog and cats... sometimes you simply have to lower the setting if they appear "uncomfortable" however... WOW... i have not heard if excessive itching.... but yeah.. that makes sense if Chance was having an allergic reaction to the magnets.

Also... there are certain brands of mats that are good and others... well.... not so much... so you REALLY have to do your homework. I did a LOT of research before i bought my PEMF pad for my back and i actually when to a clinic that had one to try. Of course the one that the clinic used was a high grade pad that (back then) costs like $30,000 !!!! and it gave amazing results..... the one that i purchased for myself is an excellent pad for home use but way weaker, however... using PEMF is accumulative... so it took about 3 months before i started seeing really dramatic results with my pad ... which i only pad $2,500 for... so just on price alone you can guess the difference. What you ahve to do is understand the technology and then do your own research into the product that you are considering and dig into the gauss strength/frequencies, types of wave forms and Intensity... etc... of that product. If you want to really learn about it... dig into Tesla's research... his theory is where this all started.
Olesia, was owned by Izzy, a 35lb Spanish Water Dog (SWD), Diagnosed at 1.5 years old - TLI results 1.. Izzy passed away on February 13, 2020 at 15 years old. She lived with EPI for 13+1/2 years. It was because of Izzy that Epi4Dogs was started... she was the inspiration. May her legacy of helping others with EPI continue for as long as needed.........

Chance
Member
Posts: 622
Country: Canada
Pet name: Chance
My name: Andrea

Re: Help I think my dog has epi

Post by Chance » 07 Nov 2024, 15:17

I can't recall how much this lady had spent in total on the equipment. But the pads themselves were over $25,000 and the table was $600. So she had gone all out. Definitely trying to do the best for the upcoming business.

She had s 13 yr old Golden that loved the magnets, and would just go plop herself on a mat when she wanted a treatment. lol. I don't recall what all she had, but there was more than one type of pad. She had shown me the specs for them, but it was all Greek to me at the time.

I didn't try going back for lower intensity or reduced sessions. I pretty much just gave up. He was miserable, and I was miserable not able to sleep because he was scratching all night.
Chance was my 4 legged soul mate. My mobility assist service dog. Pure yellow Lab, 75 lbs. After struggling with weight all his life, finally dx with EPI. cTLI < 1, folate and B12 very low. Fed Raw. Maintained with Creon, Garden of Life probiotic and intermittent calcium bentonite clay. (Tylosin was a big nightmare for him)!

Rylee is Chance's successor; also pure Yellow/Fox red Lab. Started with symptoms at 8 weeks. At 6 months of age, also prescribed Creon due to suspected EPI (due to passing large amounts of undigested food). Currently suspected of blockages in pancreatic ducts. She is maintained VERY nicely on Creon and probiotics. Also raw fed.

Nat_99
Member
Posts: 19
Country: Thailand
Pet name: Nobel
My name: Nat

Re: Help I think my dog has epi

Post by Nat_99 » 16 Nov 2024, 08:07

Hello guys
I would like to give you an update about nobel.
I had his bloods test done a few days ago and his cpl has increased to 395. Yesterday night Nobel pee all night with little blood cot. At 12 am I took him to the only available 24 hours at night and did x-ray and ultrasound. Now he has bph, prostate enlargement. His prostate has crash to his bladder makes him piss with blood clot and non stop peeing and might possibly crash to his intestine.
I return home with nobel and rush him to regulate vet att 7 am. They give iv fluid to help his bladder and have insert tube in his penis for urination and gave some anti inflammatory medicine that might affect his pancreas.
The regular vet said they did another ultrasound and his prostate has double the size. The 24 hours vet has recommended to see ultrasound specialist to look through his abdominal area. The regular vet said it’s ok to have second opinion and wait for the second opinion first but she said the treatment for bph is to have a dog neuter.
Nobel is 13-14 years old and I am scared of anesthesia for him. The vet said it’s a short 30 min surgery. My brother’s pet is a female Pomeranian and she is in heat right now might be the cause of nobel’s prostate enlargement.
However the vet said he can take the medicine too but this medicine is expensive and quite complicate to feed and it’s dangerous and will take months to see his prostate reduce. You need to wear glove to feed this medicine to dog too.
I don’t know what to do for my dog. It’s like I have short good dream for him to be healthy for a while and then have another recurring nightmares. I don’t want to see him suffer. Last night is already painful to watch him pee all night and he didn’t sleep at all. I couldn’t sleep as well.
What do you guys think?
IMG_6301.jpeg
IMG_6301.jpeg (3.17 MiB) Viewed 8088 times

Tuckaboo Pam
Member
Posts: 1624
Country: United States
State: Florida
Pet name: Tucker
My name: Pam H.

Re: Help I think my dog has epi

Post by Tuckaboo Pam » 16 Nov 2024, 08:22

Nat, I am so, so sorry. It's hard to watch them suffer, but only you can decide if having him neutered is worth the risk. There is so much going on.

My Tucker died last year from cancer, and there was no cure, but I remember the last couple nights when he couldn't sleep, and I ended up on the couch with him for two nights. We all love our dogs so much, and it is really hard when we have to make tough decisions.

Please feel free to share your troubles with us here. ---Pam
Tucker was a shepherd mix--- TLI 1.3, Folate 9.7, Cobalamin 666, Lipase 38. Diane's Enzymes 4 t/day, B12 1 capsule/day, and Tylan 1/16 teaspoon/day. Taste of the Wild High Prairie, 4 c/day. 60 to 85 pounds! Tucker succumbed to hemangiosarcoma Nov. 2023. I will always, always miss my sweet big boy.

Now there's Nina. 5 year old GSD. TLI 1.0 B12 323. We are still tweaking her routine, and getting lots of help from the forum. She is klutzy and goofy, and we love her dearly, too.

User avatar
jilbert57
Staff
Posts: 2325
Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: Help I think my dog has epi

Post by jilbert57 » 16 Nov 2024, 08:54

Hmm this is a complicated issue for sure.
You could have him neutered then do a detox protocol to help anasthesia clear his system.(there are a few, milk thistle is one).
If you think it is caused from the dog in heat can he be at the vets until she is over the heat?(easier said than done)
Mickey had surgery at 12 for his liver and came out of anasthesia fine, BUT each dog is unique. Nothing to say how it will affect them ahead of time.
I am sorry this new issue has popped up.

Jill
My name is Jill and we live on the Hood Canal in Washington State. We currently have 2 Jack russells, TJ is 8 and Sadie is 2.

Mickey and his pancreatitis brought me to Epi4dogs.com site in 2012 to help manage it.
He lived from 6/99 - 8/2014

Mickey, Jack Russell. Chronic Pancreatitis. Dianes enzymes, 1/8t 3x/day with meals.

Eddiespaghetti
Member
Posts: 455
Country: United States
State: California
Pet name: Eddie
My name: Jeremy

Re: Help I think my dog has epi

Post by Eddiespaghetti » 16 Nov 2024, 22:04

There is no right answer here. It is all dependent on how you feel. What I will say is; anesthesia and the process is world's better than it was before. The amount and the process is better. They typically use a shorter acting one and if there are problems, they can stop it and the dog will wake up pretty quickly. On top of that, is anything comes up they can usually act pretty quickly to fix whatever happens. I am not saying there is no issues, but the whole process is just a lot better.
When Eddie was first diagnosed with Meningitis, he stopped breathing while under, but they couldn't woke him up and he was all fine.

Nat_99
Member
Posts: 19
Country: Thailand
Pet name: Nobel
My name: Nat

Re: Help I think my dog has epi

Post by Nat_99 » 17 Nov 2024, 18:13

Hi everyone
Thank you for all answers
I am sorry for your loss, Pam. I can feel the pain you had been through. Tucker is in heaven and very lucky to have you. I wish I could give u a hug.
Hug!!!

It’s a bit overwhelming for me. I don’t know how to handle anticipatory grief. He is still in hospital with iv fluid, I can see it in his eyes how he wants to come home so much. I must be happy and healthy for my dog. I know my well being also affect his well being. He can sense it.
i couldn't sleep and eat well. I can’t stop crying. I know the cycle of life, birth, age, pain and death. It’s just hard to cope when I only have a short period of time with him.
I kept asking myself why didn’t I bring him sooner?
I could have help him better. The guilt is killing me.
I have asked regular vet about neutering and she said not now his health is not ready and it is not the first choice. I will wait and ask another vet advice as well. I have asked my brother to neuter his female Pomeranian to lessen Nobel hormone.
He said he will do it and have to wait until his dog is not in heat. Now nobel has to take finasteride for his prostate and will take months for his prostate to be reduced.
For anesthesia the vet said she is not sure that after operation the anesthesia will induce his pancreatitis or not. Have anyone’s dog with pancreatitis go through surgery? Did it really affect his pancrea?
The 24 hour vet said his prostate might affect his bladder causing him to not be able to pee properly and might affect his bun level.
Thank guys

User avatar
jilbert57
Staff
Posts: 2325
Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: Help I think my dog has epi

Post by jilbert57 » 17 Nov 2024, 21:06

So I had the opposite. Mickey was 12 and having surgery on his liver. During surgery he had trauma to his pancreas which induced pancreatitis. It turned chronic and he lived 3 more years.

Jill
My name is Jill and we live on the Hood Canal in Washington State. We currently have 2 Jack russells, TJ is 8 and Sadie is 2.

Mickey and his pancreatitis brought me to Epi4dogs.com site in 2012 to help manage it.
He lived from 6/99 - 8/2014

Mickey, Jack Russell. Chronic Pancreatitis. Dianes enzymes, 1/8t 3x/day with meals.

Chance
Member
Posts: 622
Country: Canada
Pet name: Chance
My name: Andrea

Re: Help I think my dog has epi

Post by Chance » 18 Nov 2024, 13:48

Oh that's sad that he's dealing with prostate issues now on top of everything else.

How strong was he getting, just prior to the prostate enlargement? Help you determine if you think he's strong enough to undergo surgery... Neutering is a very straightforward procedure, and they are only under anesthetic for a few minutes. And it does help to calm down the hormones so prostate settles and doesn't react this way anymore to intact females.

But if you feel he was already still too frail, dealing with pancreatitis, then perhaps the anesthetic might make it harder for him to heal. It's a very tough call. Age is not a disease itself when it comes to surgery. Lots of dogs, and people do undergo surgery for one thing or another well into their senior years. (I know a lady 89 years old, recovering at home after kidney surgery. She gets around pretty good for her age). Age isn't a disease, but other health issues are. Your vet might have some suggestions as to what is the best route.

Stay strong. It's certainly hard on us when our babies are sick! It really takes it's tole on our body as well. And our well-being. Do try to take time for yourself as well!

Keep us posted!
Chance was my 4 legged soul mate. My mobility assist service dog. Pure yellow Lab, 75 lbs. After struggling with weight all his life, finally dx with EPI. cTLI < 1, folate and B12 very low. Fed Raw. Maintained with Creon, Garden of Life probiotic and intermittent calcium bentonite clay. (Tylosin was a big nightmare for him)!

Rylee is Chance's successor; also pure Yellow/Fox red Lab. Started with symptoms at 8 weeks. At 6 months of age, also prescribed Creon due to suspected EPI (due to passing large amounts of undigested food). Currently suspected of blockages in pancreatic ducts. She is maintained VERY nicely on Creon and probiotics. Also raw fed.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests