Possible Porcine Allergy
In very rare cases, some EPI dogs “may” have a pork allergy. Unfortunately the most effective enzymes are those that are made from porcine (pork) pancreas.
So… what do you do???? This is where you get creative.
The FIRST thing we suggest is to try to continue using whatever source of pancreatic porcine enzyme you are currently using and talk to your vet about taking something to control the allergy, whether it is an allergy antigen, shots or pills.
If the above doesn’t work… the SECOND thing we suggest is using CREON (porcine) capsules…. these are enteric coated and for whatever reason, some dogs with a pork allergy can tolerate CREON. Well worth trying as this type of enzymes is effective.
But, if none of the above work….this is where you need to get creative. What we suggest is starting with other animal sourced pancreas glands. You can try beef, sheep, ox, goat, we have even had people use deer pancreas…. and yes these very well may work, although in each case you do have to use much more than what is suggested and you will have to play around with the dose to best suit your individual dog’s needs..
Alternative Animal Sourced Enzymes:
If you suspect your EPI companion has a true pork allergy, you can try BEEF powdered enzymes …check with EnzymeDiane https://enzymediane.com/
to see if she is carrying any powdered beef pancreas) or you can try raw beef or lamb pancreas, or another possibility is Ox Bile. You can even try deer pancreas (this has been done with success but IMHO i would be very careful due to some possible wild animal bacteria/virus. The only thing to be aware of is that when using other animal enzymes (powdered) instead of pig enzymes….. you often have to use more of the enzymes to get the same effect. Start with 1+1/2 times more and watch the feces elimination to assess if you are using enough.
An example of one commercial source for pilled beef pancreas, lamb pancreas and ox bile is : Nutricology https://www.nutricology.com/
Ox Bile: https://www.nutricology.com/ox-bile-500-mg-100-vegicaps
Lamb Pancreas: https://www.amazon.com/Nutricology-Pancreas-Lamb-Vegicaps-90-Count/dp/B00125Z9ZI
Beef Pancreas: Special Order Archives – Enzyme Diane Contact EnzymeDiane, she often has alternative beef pancreas powder available
Beef Pancreas: Thrive Bovine Pancreatic Enzyme – True Carnivores
Beef Pancreas: https://www.nutricology.com/pancreas-beef-90-vegicaps
Alternative plant enzymes:
You can try plant enzymes … either by giving a reduced amount of pig enzymes with added plant enzymes or…using a combo of plant enzymes with other animal sourced pancreas as mentioned above, or if the pork allergy is really severe, then try all plant enzymes. Some people have used plant enzymes alone and they actually worked (temporarily), but so far, in every case, they only worked for a limited amount of time, whether just a few weeks, months, or we have even had a few “small” dogs” where plant enzymes alone worked for almost a couple of years, but in each case…. a time came where the plant enzymes weren’t enough to continue working and they had to resort back to pig enzymes. (just saying…………….)
Some plant enzymes to try would be:
TotalZymes https://www.k9medicinals.com/pet-products/digestive-support/total-zymes/
Prozyme https://www.amazon.com/Prozyme-Original-All-Natural-Enzyme-Supplement/dp/B00AR91EV8
Dr. Goodpet https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00028O8CG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Dr. Goodpet actually worked better then the 1st two for one of our EPI members
Also… if using plant enzymes…. try adding Ox Bile enzymes add to whatever mix you settle on and see if this further helps things.
The best you can do in a situation with a dog that has a true pork allergy, is to try alternatives one at a time.