Epi4Dogs

Margaret, just wanted to welcome you and your pup! Once you get a routine down it will get easier.
Some folks use chipped ice as a treat in the beginning.

Hi everyone,

Update on Gibbs.

1. we are now religious in allowing 20 to 30 minutes of enzyme action before giving Gibbs food. we are also very careful to make sure all of the food comes in contact with enzyme (very thorough mixing).

2. we are giving NO treats at this point. they were not treated with the enzyme before and may have been a major cause of return of problems.

3. talked to vet about B12. he is now taking a B12 pill.

4. we are trying to feed an additional 50% food. he has gained weight but not much.

result:
he does seem better. during the day he might have one of those strange yellow/orange productions. but doesn't happen everyday.

question:
is it common for the quantity of poop to still stay pretty high even after enzyme treatment starts. it's not as much as it was but it is more than he was producing pre-symptoms of EPI.

thanks again for everyone's help. I find it reassuring that I can go to a group like this for shared experiences, possible solutions, and everything else related to EPI.

thanks.

Margaret

Thank you for the update. Are the poops solid ?

all this fun talk about poops....they are solid but not particularly firm. the kind that you think is going to be easy to pick up...but turns out not to be.

Margaret

Margaret, it sounds to me like either the pea protein or peas in the kibble, as mentioned by Olesia, or SID might still be present. The usual course of antibiotics is 45 days for SID. You said your vet had him on a short course of Metro. Maybe it was not long enough time? Maybe you could request Tylan, it is gentler on the system long term.

hi there

well it seems like things are going in the right direction, but it does sound like SID is rearing its ugly head so, Tylan is the answer and the one we all turn to, twice a day 12 ish hours apart and weight of dog dosed

JEAN

thanks everyone for your comments.

if this doesn't stop In the next day or so we'll head back to vets for antibiotic.

Margaret

Hi there - just popping in to give my suggestion and confuse you more (hopefully not). If you do not want to change the food, then you could either try Slippery Elm Bark Powder (https://epi4dogs.com/slippery-elm/) and see if the gut flora restores itself OR do the 45 day course of Tylan (be sure to wean slowly off Tylan - don't quit cold turkey). If you still are not seeing optimal results, then it's probably time to look at changing the food. Sometimes reducing the fiber even as little as 1/2% can make a big difference and sometimes it's just the particular ingredients that don't agree with the dog.

What B12 pill are you giving?

Hi,

I'm appending this post to my original one. Just wanted to pass along an update on Gibbs. He's doing well. We finally worked out a routine that has him pretty stable. He's gained back two to three of the pounds he lost. He's pretty reliably at around 15 1/2 pounds now.

We mix 2/3 cup kibble (barking at the moon), some yoghurt, pumpkin and green beans and two level teaspoon of Viokase and one Cobalequin (vitamin B, 250mg) in the morning. We let it sit for 30 minutes or so and then feed him 1/2 of it. The remaining 1/2 goes into refrigerator. In the late afternoon we take out the remaining mixture, let it sit out for at least 30 minutes and then feed him. He does get a few treats during the day but they are just five or six cheerios spread out over the day.

We were having a hard time with the second feeding and preparing it earlier, refrigerating and then warming to room temperature seems to have made late afternoons less hectic.

indiscretions still occur and we can always tell. But in general these are few.

The help and information I received from this forum was incredibly helpful. I have passed the information on EPI4Dogs to several people.

Thanks again for all the help. I wish for others that you find a routine/diet/drug regime which helps you and your dog.

Margaret

Hello Margaret and Gibbs

Thank you so much for rhe Pupdate

Its so good you have a routine that works, and that will help others

I am so grateful on behalf of EPI4DOGS, that you have chosen to pass our website to others

We need to fly the flag

Keep in touch


Jean