Epi4Dogs

My vet called me and said she called the ER Vet and reviewed all the tests the ER performed...Comprehensive blood work panel, the TLI test, and the ultrasound...and especially after reviewing the ultrasound she's confident it's something called Protein Losing Enteropathy (PLE).

I can either get an endoscopy + biopsy performed to determine the underlying disease (eg. carcinoma, IBD, ulcers) in order to form an effective treatment plan or I can do a trial & error type of treatment where we assume it's something, like IBD, treat it and see if he improves.

Since Cody is only 18mo old, I'm tempted to do the biopsy so I know exactly what the problem is. It's a pricey operation so my kids will get no xmas presents this year!

Oh boy, I feel your pain. The vet who diagnosed Tucker's EPI told me he was going to say what he'd say if I were his best friend---he was sure Tuck had EPI, and if the treatment worked, he was confident I could save my $500. The forum convinced me to spring for the test, but in the meantime I had a student whose mom is a vet & she did the whole shebang for $180. It was a couple of years later, and it did confirm we were dealing with EPI.

These are personal decisions, and I understand both sides. I guess the possibility of carcinoma makes yours a little more tricky. Good luck---Pam

If the epi test was fasted, then that’s that BUT my epi dog had serious PLE. There is a connection between the conditions in malabsorption. I believe enzymes must help with the fat issue .
Marti lost weight but was bloated with fluid everywhere. The vet knew this was more dangerous than her digestive issues and treated her with prednisone for a months. It saved her life and then tackled the epi .. I don’t know whether the epi or PLE came first to cause it all . But she blossomed and lived a normal life .
We didnt dare do internal investigations because of her weakness. She deflated the fluid and then it was enzymes and correct food, and a few lesser hiccups en route.
Once you have a vet who dedicates himself to a pet, without doing tests for what’s obvious , you can test them . In the U.K. , I found that older vets were wiser and not glued to standard procedures like young ones
. Sadly they retire!!
I would use the enzymes, B12 plus the current treatment for PLE
This is our section on PLE. The last article is for non medical people to understand..
https://epi4dogs.com/ple/

Patsy,

That's a good point to not fully rule out EPI in the future. If his prognosis is good, then for several years I will continue to do blood tests and perhaps an annual TLI just to make sure.

I hear you about Vets and finding a good one. It's my first dog and my first Vet experience and it felt like a human doctor in the sense that... unless the patient is obviously in a life-threatening state, the doctor tends to brush it off like the visit is an overreaction. Like she sees that he's wagging his tail and he's only lost a few pounds - so he looks good to her! . That's why I came here because I knew I needed to advocate for my own dog and not 100% rely on whatever the Vet wants to do.

Funny thing, I was googling PLE like crazy yesterday and it brought me back to this website. I think I googled "PLE support group" and this site was top on the search result, referring me to that page you linked and I spent a long time reading through it.

This site is so valuable! Thank y'all so much.

Hi Mike,

SOOOooooo glad you had the labs done! Anytime you see a low albumin score..... it is wise to suspect PLE... which is what your vet is doing.... doesn't "always" mean it is PLE.... but definitely consider it!.

I am glad Patsy chimed in about her dog with PLE and then EPI.... her advice is spot on..... Also.... a while back in one of the research reports i was reading.... there does seem to be a connection with some dogs that have Parvo as pups go on to develop EPI.... i forgot the actual percentage... but there is one

I too Strongly agree with Patsy that if this or strongly suspected is PLE... prednisone is the first line of defense that should be considered....
SInce you sound like you are really doing your research.... which i truly applaud1!!!! what i found is very helpful when facing yet another possible health concern with one of my dogs, is to go online to GOOGLE SCHOLAR.....
https://scholar.google.com/
and type in the condition your are seeking to learn about "canine protein losing enteropathy" and read multiple research articles... don't get too hung up on only one or two publications but rather read as much and as many publications as you can and see what "trends" whether in treatment/ time-lines, etc that bubble up.... this will help you be a better steward for Cody, no matter what is going on and sometimes really help you learn if your vet is well suited to treating Cody.

The internet is fun to look up things, but you have to be careful, better to read tons of research and discern what is more accurate from there

I am always so amazed at the amount and quality of knowledge contained on this Forum! I'm so glad you are coming up with some answers and a direction for Cody. Figuring out what is going on with our dogs and how best to help them is not an easy or straight-forward task. Patsy, Marti's story is truly remarkable. Your perseverance and willingness to keep looking outside the box gave her a long and fruitful life. We wish the same for Cody.


Barb

@Olesia711,

I totally believe prednisone will be helpful, thanks for the suggestion. I'm choosing not to start treating Cody with any medication until first identifying the underlying disease that's causing the PLE. When he is given prednisone, it'll be within the context of a treatment plan targeted at a diagnosed disease. This is all assuming the endoscopic biopsy will lead to a diagnosis. If it doesn't, I'm gunna go bonkers.

My vet is taking into consideration Cody's history of Parvo, right now actually, before we move forward with the biopsy. She's talking with the internist who evaluated Cody last week when he had his ultrasound. I'm hoping she calls me today.

In the meantime, Cody has stabilized. His symptoms are still there but it's nice to see that he's loving the human food I'm feeding him and can't get enough. It's bland turkey and rice. I also just started adding B12 to his food.

Hi Mike... You are doing the absolute right thing... only give prednisone under a vet guidance! When giving prednisone, which is a prescription drug, your vet will advise how much to give and then you cannot stop it all at once or else you can cause serious complications.... but rather, the vet will advise you how to slowly withdraw from the prednisone.

Prednisone is used for many things and literally saved my EPI dog's life when she developed IMHA (a lot of dogs don't survive IMHA) ..... she was on pred for 4 months.... and i am forever thankful......but it can also do a lot of damage if not used properly.... so yes, only use under a vet's guidance.

Barb I agree 100%!

I'm looking up all these letters & learning so much, from just Mike's thread.

Mike, I hope you will keep us posted, and best luck!