Epi4Dogs

Hello, Gracie,

You are in good hands with Olesia and Jill. I just wanted to re-emphasize that the beginning stage of dealing with EPI is the most difficult. You are trying to get everything balanced while you are so concerned for your pup. It will get easier once you get more familiar with the treatment. It will become just a part of your routine. You are doing a fine job and your pup is lucky to have you. So try not to get discouraged. I know it isn't easy. We had a lot of trouble at the beginning trying to find the right food, Everything we gave Kolby, our German Shepherd , did not work. And he did not like the enzymed food. He used to look at us like we were trying to poison him when we would give him his meals . But eventually, we found a food that agreed with him and he eventually got used to the enzymes. He lived for 11 years and was a total delight. When people saw him, they couldn't believe he had EPI.

So hang in there.

It will get better.

Barb

So just an update. The internal medicine vet is going to have me start Cisapride(whenever I receive it by mail) and switch from Pepcid to omperazole. He has gained weight and poops are normal. Disadvantage is puking/regurgitation isn’t better. Today was the first day of omperazole and he regurgitated water and a little bit of food. Doctor is worried about this because in time those muscles will become more weak and turn to megaesphogus & aspiration pneumonia which will most likely end of his life of caught to late. Currently attempting to train my dog to use a step stool to eat his food and drink water so he’s more upright while eating. I’m so worried that we might have to make the decision that nobody likes to think about.

So sorry to hear that Bandit might segue into Mega E... i hope not, but the on top of a step feeding that you are doing is very proactive..... or else you can resort to the Bailey chair. HOwever..... Dr. Leigh Anne Clark over at Clemson UNiv (Clemson Canine Genetics) does a lot of studies with Mega E....

https://clemsoncaninegenetics.webs.com/megaesophagus.htm

and i don't think the prognosis is as dire as it used to be. If i remember correctly, do your own research on it, because i think i read in the past year where they were able to reverse some of severity of some Mega E cases with a new treatment.....

found it !

the article that more clearly articulates what may help with some Mega E cases: "liquid Sildenafil"

Efficacy of liquid sildenafil as a novel treatment for canine generalized megaesophagus: https://rex.libraries.wsu.edu/esploro/outputs/99900890781601842?institution=01ALLIANCE_WSU&skipUsageReporting=true&recordUsage=false