Epi4Dogs

Some things that really help Johnny want to eat his food:

*mixing in a freeze dried/dehydrated food he loves and can tolerate (we use Grandma Lucy’s with a lot of success but there are a lot of options)
*goat milk
*cottage cheese
*eggs
*raw mixed in (for example this morning he got chopped raw beef tongue and a duck’s foot)
*canned green tripe

I usually mix the enzymes and the supplemental foods, and then mix those into the kibble!

Hi Sue,

You have been given some great suggestions and, as you already picked up on, sometimes the smallest little change can make a huge difference with these dogs.

But i do want to mention one thing.... your dog needs B12 supplementation.... her B12 is way too low for an EPI dog. with an EPI dog, although they "suggest" 400 is okay...we found that these dogs B12 plummets quickly, and especially when they have raging SID, which your dog also does (all that tummy grumbling, etc.)... well SID munches away at any B12 stores in the body... so i strongly suggest getting some B12 for Felina. (BTW...beautiful name!) You want to see a cobalamin level at the minimum in the upper 500's but we typically say at least 600's. Many of these dogs, after B12 supplementation, have cobalamin levels in the 1000s... and do very well.

You cn order Pet Factor B12 from Wonderlabs.... this product appears to be one of the better B12 products for our EPI dogs. It is made with Methylcobalamin B12 (excellent) with Folate and Intrinsic Factor....
https://www.wonderlabs.com/itemleft.php?itemnum=K9688

Or... if you want, in the meantime, go to the store and just purchase B12 pills.... she would need daily 1,000 mcg of B12 (Cyanocobalamin B12 is the most common version used in many B12 pills).... until you can get the Pet Factor B12... or if your vet prescribes one, he will probably recommend Cobalaquin....




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Hi Olesia,

Some great suggestions indeed! I have tried many of these, and it is still a huge struggle.

Dollops of yummy stuff on top (tuna, pate, wet food/gravy, dehydrated toppers, etc) and she just eats the yummy stuff and doesn't touch the enzyme food. Tried sandwiching the enzyme food (mixed w a little chicken stock, then into some pate) between the kibble and topped with yummies/dehydrated food, and same story.

This morning we did that last method, she ate half of it and is obviously still hungry but now doesn't even want food without the enzymes from her bowl. It's so frustrating and worrisome.

I'm going to try the 'meatballs' next. She always itches her nose after she's had it in her bowl of enzyme food (or plate of food) and generally looks bummed after she's eaten the enzymes. Poor girl

Thanks for the extra info on the B12. We actually met with a pet nutritionist yesterday, and she too said we need to be giving her that so we are going to start the B12 today. She also recommended a new enzyme that also has some probiotics in it, along with some superfoods. The enzymes smell awful, and she can detect them in anything. So fingers crossed new ones will be more palatable!

I appreciate all the info

Johnny and Pam- thanks so much for the suggestions!

We have tried many of those things, with not much success. But cottage cheese is new, and the canned trip I almost bought yesterday, but figured we'd try some other things first. So will prob go get that today. If she can detect it AT ALL, she just eats around it. I'm worried she's not getting enough food- with or without enzymes. Broth, pates, gravy/wet food, dehydrated toppers, etc. don't seem to fool her well enough. She eats some of it, but not all of it.

The struggle continues...

don't bother with the new enzymes..... if powder, she will most likely still ahve the same reaction... AND you are better off adding your own brand of probiotics to an enzyme since not all probiotics achieve what they are supposed to with an EPI dog... you often have to try various probiotics.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOoo.... do do the B12!
BUT.... for the enzymes.... take the enzymes you currently have.... get some empty gel caps. ... pour the designated amount of enzymes she needs with her meals and into empty gel caps.... let her take a few bites of food... (with no enzymes in it) then give her some of the enzyme filled capsules..... sometimes you have to tuck these capsules in something soft/pliable..... and some find they need to give 1 extra capsule filled with the powdered enzymes.....see if this works... not the best system... but will work.............

if she STILL won't eat.... then you might want to try CREON......... but quite honestly.... do whatever you can to get her to eat food with these enzymes on it. even if she has to go a couple of days without eating...... sometimes this is what it takes.....................

Also................. we have seen some dogs refuse their food with the enzymes in it..... BUT.............once you get their SID (small intestinal dysbiosis) under good control... then they decide that the enzymes don't taste so bad after all.......... just saying that this is another possibility..........although probably remote, but still a possibility.