Epi4Dogs

I wonder how many pets with EPI are dying or being put down because their owners can no longer afford the escalating costs of their life saving supplement? I get Zeus' enzymes from Enzyme Diane and have for may years. My complaint isn't with her. My question is, is there really a shortage of porcine enzymes or is it just another industry taking advantage of the economics that we went through because of the pandemic?

Yes, sadly there really is a shortage..... all companies selling porcine enzymes have been hit with higher prices from the manufacturers... some companies have even stopped selling porcine enzymes since their sources of porcine enzymes have dramatically diminished. It''s a real mess.

BUt to answer your other part of the question, is the industry also taking advantage of economics because of the pandemic.... i honestly don't know..... but i wouldn't be surprised if some of the price increase by the manufacturers are in some part also due to shipping/transportation issues, etc, in addition to the dramatic reduced availability of porcine glands................

For us Canadians, the $35US charge for UPS delivery and add 30% customs on top, 1kg of 8X cost just shy of $600 Canadian. With the incubation method, this lasts approximately 4 months for my dog. But using the delayed-release capsule, this can last up to 8 months so saving a bit of money. The last parcel I purchased was delivered to my nephew in Austin, Texas. I paid 75cents USPS delivery. My sister brought it back for me. So saving about $150.

Sushi was not formally diagnosed with EPI and for some crazy reason, Cotazym, Creon 10,20 require a prescription. So I had no alternatives but to go with the enzymes suggested here. I do prefer EnzymeDiane over others since I know the product is made in US with porcine glands sourced from the US and Canada.

So yeah, who would want to adopt a pet with EPI should the sick pet be surrendered at the shelter?? And as for the industry taking advantage, well.....

Sorry if everyone is aware of this. Wonderlabs has Pet-Zyme 10X available. $58/6.7oz. They say US porcine. I don't get the 10X since 2.1g contains 63K lipase. Maybe one of the experts in here can explain about the potency and how they are graded.

Hi Beatrice.

The enzyme industry is a mess right now... and it is especially hard on those, like yourself, living in Canada.

SO... to answer your question regarding Enzyme companies claiming 6x, 8x, 10x, etc..... What you want to go by is the ACTUAL Lipase potency first and foremost, not by what the company "claims"
.
6x should have somewhere near 71,400 USP units of Lipase to be equivalent to the standard prescription enzymes. Give or take approx 20,000 USP units one way or another. So Lipase in the 90,000's is fine, or you might need to use a pinch less and Lipase in the 50,000's is also fine, but with some dogs, you might need a pinch more. The Amylase and Protease should be approximately around 280,000 to 495,000 USP units.

In short READ the actual Lipase potency and use accordingly. Just as long as the product uses porcine enzymes..... and even better if you can identify where they are sourced from or made in a USDA facility. .... but this is getting harder and harder nowadays with all the enzyme shortages.

This pig pancreas shortage affects multiple industries, i am sure you have heard of the baby formula shortage..... i know what we hear on the new is contamination issues.... but pig pancreatic enzymes is also used in baby formula..... and i personally wonder if that is part of the shortage equation too.... we sure live in crazy ties! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8207344/

There's a product called Dipan 9X. I read in the description and it says raw pancreatin is 9X potency. To get to 8X, 6X, the raw pancreatin is then diluted with lactose. If this is correct, how would one get 10X?

don't go by 10x, 9x etc.... go by the LIPASE USP units. the product you are looking at is very low in Lipase and you would need a bunch to equal the recommended enzyme powder dose:

To equal the same strength of 1 tsp of EnzymeDiane's enzymes or 1 tsp of Viokase, PancreVed, Pantenenx, or Biocase (no longer available) You would need
7+1/4 of these pills to equal 1 tsp of the recommended enzymes for EPI. IN short you think you are saving money cause they are much cheaper, but in the end you spend more money because you have to use so much more.


Here is the full disclosure of the ingredients: https://ca.fullscript.com/catalog/products/dipan-9-pancreatin-enzymes-250-mg-cap

Medicinal Ingredients:

Pancreatic Enzymes (Porcine pancreas) 250 mg
Provides: Amylase 83,250 USP units/capsule
Protease 62,250 USP units/capsule
Lipase 9,300 USP units/capsule

While I do believe there has been a shortage of pancreas to enzyme manufacture has been an issue; I do also wonder if some companies are using the pandemic as an excuse. Not so much Diane or others trying to get the pancreas; but someone in the line somewhere.

I feed raw meat. During the pandemic, I was having trouble getting different meats at different times. (One time it was poultry meat. Some farms had issues with workers getting COVID, and were forced to close. Another time, beef was hard to get. Things slowed down, and cows were not being slaughtered regularly. What beef there was was sold for human consumption first). And of course there was thd panic buying. All this drove up prices a lot. Pandemic improved, but prices did not. I do question if someone
is trying to make up for lost time, so kept prices higher. So there were issues, and do believe pancreas was harder to source. But I think it's easier to get now, but prices are still higher. (I do believe Diane is still paying more for her supplies).

As for enzyme potency, I don't understand how that all works and potency is brought up. I do know many are using lactose to bring it up. Pantenex claims they do not use lactose; but will not disclose what is used. (I do believe it isn't lactose, as my very lactose sensitive dog was okay on it. With enzyme Diane, he did require lactaid pills on that. Yet with the lactaid pills, I did find it worked better than Pantenex. I've since switched to Creon, as with a prescription, it is easier to source than than trying to import to Canada. I find Creon works the best). Canada is definitely not the place you want to live when trying to keep an EPI dog going!

michaelwilkshire wrote: ↑27 Jan 2023, 11:10 I wonder how many pets with EPI are dying or being put down because their owners can no longer afford the escalating costs of their life saving supplement? I get Zeus' enzymes from Enzyme Diane and have for may years https://terraria3.com. My complaint isn't with her. My question is, is there really a shortage of porcine enzymes or is it just another industry taking advantage of the economics that we went through because of the pandemic?

It is not possible to determine the exact number of pets with EPI that may be put down or dying due to financial reasons. However, the cost of treatment for EPI can be a significant financial burden for some pet owners. It is important to discuss any financial concerns with a veterinarian to find affordable treatment options, including alternative enzyme sources or utilizing financial assistance programs. The reasons behind the rising costs and potential shortage of porcine enzymes are complex and can involve multiple factors such as supply and demand, production costs, and market forces.

For a long time, Enzyme Diane has been my go-to for obtaining Zeus' enzymes. There's nothing wrong with her in my book. Is there really a dearth of swine enzymes, or is this just another industry cashing in on the recession caused by the pandemic?

sadly, there really is a problem obtaining porcine pancreas to mfg porcine enzymes.....some companies have even stopped selling enzymes cause they can't get it /price too high. .... it is also used in SOOOoooo many other things too, not just in enzymes. (like baby formula, make up, medicine, etc)