Help I think my dog has epi

[Nat_99]

Hello I have 14 years old chihuahua dog. His weight is 4 pound. He has chronic pancreatitis. He has been in and out of hospital 3 times in a month. The vet gave him iv fluid and anti biotic for 3 days and monitored in hospital for another 3 days. I took him back home. I fed him low fat royal canine 2 times in the morning and afternoon. I put half a capsule of lypex in each meal. He hates water so I have to syringe water in his mouth. He doesn’t eat from a bowl or drink any water and only eat food from my hand. I syringe his medicine 0.6 clavamox drop and 1 ml of metronidazole. I took him for a walk and first time his stool was in solid shape not dry but I can pick them up. During the walk he pooped 3-4 times in small amount, his stool was still in shape but very watery. I can’t really pick it up. After the walk I tried to feed him but he ate a little and ran away. The next day he didn’t want to eat at all and seem grumpy. I took him to vet and his pancreatic had flared up again. Now he is in hospital and still iv fluid and antibiotics. I suspect that my dog has Epi. I ask my current vet to do cpli test and b12 test and they don’t have any of the tests in Chiangmai, Thailand. They still think my dog only has chronic pancreatitis. I ask if they have b12 supplement for dog and they don’t have as well. Now I am ordering Pantenex and slippery elm but it will take 2 weeks from USA to thailand. I don’t have B12 supplement. Can I use human b12 supplement as a substitute? I live in Chiang Mai and it is very hard to find good medicine or lab here. I love my dog so much. He is my family and my only friend. Please help I just want to live with him a little longer. Any helps would be appreciated!! Sorry for my bad english it is my second language. Thank you

[jilbert57]

Hi Nat. you can ask your vet for a plain B12 shot. Here is the information on B12 from our site:
https://epi4dogs.com/b12-in-brief-2/

https://epi4dogs.com/b12-protocol/

https://epi4dogs.com/epi-quick-guides-outside-usa/
Not sure this link is of help

Did the latest retest for pancreatitis show an active case?
Mickey had chronic pancreatitis and used powdered porcine enzymes at every meal.
I never used Creon or Lypex.

Jill

[Tuckaboo Pam]

Jill, I think she said they can't do the test in Thailand because there aren't any tests there. ---P

[Tuckaboo Pam]

NAT---A warm welcome to you and your sweet little dog. Your English is perfect.

Do you have health food stores where you live? If so, here is something that might help while you wait for your enzymes to arrive.

https://enzymediane.com/emergency-enzymes/ This is a list of enzymes you might be able to find in a health food store, listed by a person some of us buy our enzymes from. This way, you won't have to wait two weeks to get started. No problem with switching to the new enzymes when they arrive. Health food stores should also carry slippery elm.

Like Jill said, you could ask your vet for a B12 shot. Amazon carries the B12 I use--- the link was a mile long! Wonderlabs PET Factor B12.

Pantenex enzymes are fine, too. I have used them many times.

I understand how much you love your little dog, and I hope you can get him feeling better soon.

Take Care---Pam

[Nat_99]

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Hi everyone thank you so much for answering

Did the latest retest for pancreatitis show an active case of Epi? I am not sure. How do I look in his test to look for active epi. The vet only told me that his pancreatitis blood test is 1,000 and normal pancreatitis is around 200.

It seem that my vet don’t have cpLi and b12 test. I called many vet in Chiang Mai and I have no luck. I think Epi test is only available in Bangkok but it’s 12 hour drives. My vet only has multi b injection and I heard it would sting rather than helping my dog so I postpone it. They try asking outside lab for epi test but now the lab is closed due to flooding. Now my vet treat him with iv fluid, antibiotic and now some pre+ pro biotic.

I suspect that he has Epi because 1st attack acute pancreatitis happened in August. His pancreatitis was approximately 1,000 and vet said normal pancreatitis is around 200. My family didn’t treat him well after his first treatment. I work in another city which is 12 hours drive from my dog. The reason I didn’t take my dog with me because my family refuse to give him back but they poorly take care of him. A month later in September 2nd attack happened again and his pancreatitis flare up to 1,000 again. I decided to bring him with me to Chiang Mai and my family only gave him back because now they knew they mistreat him.

3rd time and 4th time in one month his pancreatitis flare up to 1,000 again and minimized to 200 after treatment with iv fluid and antibiotic. He is still very energetic and begged me to come home. He is stressed while being hospitalized. I will try to call if any of vet in Chiang Mai have b12 injection or any b12 supplement. The only b12 I can only think of is ordering supplement from usa. Many pet owners in thailand don’t know about epi but only know acute pancreatitis or chronic pancreatitis.
Nat

[Chance]

Welcome!

If the dog is still testing positive for pancreatitis, it's probably not EPI. But can't say that for sure. If TLI and PLI can't be tested, it's hard to say. But either way, because of the chronic pancreatitis, you have to remain on low fat foods. But it is possible for Pancreatitis to slowly damage the pancreas enough that it does have trouble with enzymes.

The Lypex enzymes you are giving is perfect, regardless of weather it's EPI or Pancreatitis. Lypex is very good. I give Creon (which is the exact same idea as Lypex). It's easier than powdered enzymes really. And if the pup is not eating great, he might not take too kindly to enzymes in the food. If you are able to pill the dog, it is easier, especially if he's harder to feed. (My dog is bigger, so I can just pop the pills down her throat, and let her eat like a normal dog)!

As for drinking water... what about maybe some homemade bone broth (or any bone broth without the added salt or onions)? I make bone broth periodically. They love the taste, and lap that up quickly!

B12: can the vet test B12 levels? You can ask them about giving B12 injection. With the age though, you don't want to give more than necessary. If the kidneys are slowing down, giving too much B12 can be a little more taxing on them. You still want the levels near the high range of normal. But not go too much higher.

[Nat_99]

Thank you all for your answers. I am so grateful for many helps and kindness. I just visited my dog this morning and my vet said her outsource lab doesn’t have ctli test and no b12 test. I asked them if they can provide b12 supplement, they said they will tell me later.

For water I have tried the chicken bone broth but I seem to boil it incorrectly so he doesn’t like it. Now I tried pumpkin, chicken, cabbage, stem of broccoli and baby corn. I filter the broth for the dog and I ate the remaining meat and veggies. very healthy for human as well!! Hope he drinks it. I also bought native pet chicken broth. I will try later. My dog no longer have any teeth but he is still my little man. I hope I am in the right path. I will try to find a way to get his blood test for b12 and epi. Thank you

Nobel2

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[Eddiespaghetti]

This is hell and I am sorry you have to go through this.
The good news, chronic pancreatitis and EPI can both benefit from enzymes. The amount needed will vary depending on the condition. You can experiment with different amounts and see if any helps.
You can use B12 for people. As with any thing made for humans being giving to dogs, you need to make sure it doesn't have anything they shouldn't have. Xylitol is the most common. It would also be safer to give the powder inside not the capsule itself. You will also want to give less since it's for a 4 pound puppy and not a 100 pound person. Most of the time, too much B12 isn't an issue. It can be if they have kidney issues though

[jilbert57]

Thanks Pam. I redid my post.

Jill

[Nat_99]

Hi everyone
Just want to update!! Yesterday my vet said they can do CPLi test and b12 test but have to wait one week. The blood need to be sent to Bangkok!! However for the b12 supplement they said it’s better for me to order it cos they have difficulty importing the supplement.

Thank God now finally my dog can test for epi and b12 level. Finger crossed!! My vet said B12 is not quite necessary for pancrea but it is suitable for small intestines. I am a bit confused about this but I think it’s better to maintain his b12 level. They have a bit of doubt of Pantenex. If Pantenex arrive then I will try switch Lypex to Pantenex, slippery elm and wonderlab b12. When I get test result i will share with you guys. Thank everyone for your help
(He is still hospitalize with Iv fluid and vet will see his pancreatic test whether they will remove the iv fluid or not. They prefer him to stay one more week to monitor him without IV fluid)