Possible Relapse?

[apmcfalls]

I have a 3 year old GSD, Cash, who was confirmed EPI in July 2017. His lowest weight was 69 pounds, and after treating with enzymes, B12, Tylan, and new diet, he reached 86 pounds which the vet said was a healthy weight for him. He's a very tall GSD, so the vet recommended he stay on the leaner side as to avoid any joint issues.

Cash is currently on Enzyme Diane 6x, 4Health Salmon and Potato (2.5 cups, twice a day), Wonderlabs B12 with each meal, and I still give Tylan on occasion if he's gassy or when I hear his stomach rumbling.

However, I have noticed that he's lost weight. I weighed him at home, which is not the same as the scale at the vet's office, but per the scale and my guess, he's down anywhere from 7-9 pounds. His ribs are sort of noticeable (of course not as bad as when he was at his lowest weight), and his spine and hip bones are more prominent. I've noticed that he's cranky - he's been snapping my other GSD frequently, most of the time over a chew toy, but sometimes out of the blue. He's never shown aggression when they're playing or when it's feeding time and not towards me or my husband. His energy levels are still good, and he sleeps through the night with no issues. Stools are okay - there was one day when it was soft, one day it was cow-patty, and then another day they were normal; but they're not consistent.

A few weeks ago I placed an order through Enzyme Diane, I had to order the 8x because 6x was out of stock/backorder. Could this have caused an issue? Maybe he doesn't tolerate the 8x? I was able to order the 6x today, so I will resume those when I receive them.

Also, I have just ordered the slippery elm bark from Wonderlabs, so I will be trying that too. I have also contemplated on switching to a high protein dog food. I ran across Victor on Chewy's website, and it's less than 4% fiber and grain free. Has anyone tried a high protein diet and it was successful in weight gain?

And lastly, I would like to start giving him puree pumpkin. It calls for 4-5 tablespoons/day according to his weight, but do you have to add extra enzymes to his meal with the pumpkin added? Does anyone else give their dog pumpkin?

I apologize for the long post, but any advice and suggestions are much appreciated!

Alicia

[Riley's Mom]

Sorry Cash is having troubles again.
Some of the changes you are contemplating are good things to try, but I would caution you to only add/change one thing at a time. That way you can track to see if it is helpful or not. Keep careful notes to see what kind of response you have.
We tend to blame everything on EPI when we have an EPI dog, but sometimes problems are caused by something else entirely. So a visit to the vet might be in order to rule out any other cause for the new weight loss. As far as the aggression, that can be caused by low B12, but it looks like you have that covered....
I would choose one thing to modify, perhaps start by adding the slippery elm in to see if that helps with the occasional loose stools. Sounds as if SID is trying to rear it's ugly head and slippery elm should help with that.
As far as the change from 6x to 8x goes, some dogs are very sensitive to any little change, but some are more tolerant to change. So if you adjusted the dosage down to account for the stronger enzymes, technically you shouldn't have any trouble between the 2. But each EPI dog responds differently.....
I know, clear as mud. But be patient as you change things. And maybe go to the vet for a check to see if it is something else.

[jilbert57]

Hi. I looked up the food and it contains peas, cracked pearled barley, and pea flour.

It might be that one or all of these ingredients isn't setting well maybe with enzyme activity or SID forvsome reason?

Just a thought.

**Be careful with the Victor line and read ingredients online. All of their formulas have changed, mainly the grainfree is now having pea, lentil, chickpea being moved further up the ingredient line and moving some meat meal down the ingredient list.

[Madelon]

Thank you Jill - I too was suspecting the food could be an issue. It is likely that although he gained weight he has been dealing with SID for a long time and it's never been completely controlled AND if you are not using the right dose of the 8x that could be an issue as well. With 8x the dosage is 3/4tsp per cup of kibble not 1tsp per cup of kibble like with 6x. If you are already using the right dose of 8x then I would consider a food change. Some of us have recently switched to Sport Dog Food Elite which is grain free, low fiber and does not have any peas!!! If you are not currently using the right dose of 8x then I would try that first. As mentioned, whatever you do, make only one change at a time and give that change 3-5 days to see the results and keep a detailed log.

[apmcfalls]

Good to know about the peas. I just read that it can cause gas and digestive issues in some dogs and believe me, sometimes his gas could wipe out an entire species! Should I switch his food cold turkey or gradually introduce it by mixing some with his current food?

Also, after the food switch, and if there isn't a difference, should I try increasing his enzyme intake by 1/4 tsp per cup?

Lastly, you mentioned that maybe his SID hasn't been controlled very well. He received Tylan 1/4 tsp bid for 6 weeks, and I still give him some occasionally when he has bad gas or belly rumbling. Should he be getting this every day? I've read that some dogs need it every day because they have chronic SID that keeps returning.

P.S. - I've been checking his stool for the past 3-4 days and they've been normal. The only change I made was increasing his food intake to an extra 1/2 cup per meal.

[jilbert57]

I would first start with the enzyme dosing per Madelons instructions. Give it 5 or 6 days to see a change. Keep the same food during this time and see if it helps.

If not I would look at food. If/when you change you would do it over a 5-7 day time frame.