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???? It is best to manage the source vs. treating the reaction.
We highly recommend changing the current type of porcine enzymes (whether powder, tablets or raw) to enteric coated porcine enzymes. CREON (made for humans with EPI), or MICRAZYM (same as CREON, but non-script, can be purchased on Amazon. If you are in the UK, you can use LYPEX for dogs. All these products are enteric coated.
CREON (your vet will need to write a script: https://www.creoninfo.com/about-creon?cid=ppc_ppd_ggl_CREON_Branded_creon_Exact_USCREO220148&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAk8G9BhA0EiwAOQxmfkzK0ZXjabDh50aAbg3PyHRwy_pNfhdk8HqI6hQWPyBixuROvuOrYhoC34sQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Here is the explanation:
EPI dogs typically are recommended pancreatic replacement enzyme powders… with 71,400 USP units of Lipase, and approx 300,000-400,000 USP units of Amylase and Protease.
The reason why the Lipase is SOOooo high is because approximately 70% of the Lipase gets destroyed via digestive pH ( acids) before it get utilized.
HOWEVER, the reason why powder is considered the most effective even with approx 70% of it getting destroyed is because of the size of the powder particles make it the best to be utilized in the digestive system. (there is more science to this, but to explain it really gets into the weeds)
SO….. when a dog has a true pork allergy, we recommend to NOT stop the enzymes but rather switch to CREON or MICRAZYM (Micrazym can be purchased on Amazon.without a prescription).
CREON is also pancreatic replacement enzymes like the pancreatic replacement powders etc that we use… BUT… the Lipase in CREON is only 10,000 USP units. The reason for this is that the enteric coating protects the enzymes from the digestive track pH (acid destroying) and these enzymes get to the digestive system all intact… approx 70% is NOT destroyed (like in the unprotected powders) therefore the the 10,000 USP units all all gets utilized without any being destroyed first.
The best that we can figure out why this type of enzymes (enteric coated) appears to work with dogs with pork allergies is because there is so much less potency of “pork” enzymes that is needed… that if the dog does have a true allergy/sensitivity to pork, that it is not enough to cause a reaction in the dog.
We do not have not scientific prove of this via research, (that is why we are “guessing at the reason why this works) but rather… case after case of EPI dogs that have been diagnosed with a true pork allergy, and yet needs pork enzymes because of their EPI, those that we recommended switching to enteric coated enzymes (CREON, Micrazym, etc) has worked. None had allergic reactions (diarrhea and/or itching) and their EPI was well controlled.
Of course this present another problem… CREON etc is designed for humans to withstand a pH of 4 or 5, whereas the dog’s stomach digestive pH is 1….. so…… we do have to play around with “how” we give the CREON, Micraym, Lypex, or other enteric coated enzymes. etc
First we suggest starting with a product with 10,000 USP units of Lipase, opening up the capsule and sprinkling the enteric coated pellets on top of moist food and serving immediately .. DO NOT INCUBATE!
If the poos go sloppy, then try giving the capsule whole with the food, if this still produces sloppy stools, try giving the capsule a few minutes just after a meal or before a meal.
If the above still produces sloppy poos… then we suggest increasing the enzymes… usually go to 1+1/2 capsule, or sometimes two 10,000 enteric coated capsules are needed.
Please share this with your vet. THere used to be some bru-ha-ha that enteric coated enzymes won’t work, but Dr. Alex German first proved it back in 2012
https://bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/art … 6148-8-127
and then again Dr. Joerg Steiner & Jan Suchodolski did so at TAMU in 2018 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30221800/
If this doesn’t work for your EPI dog……. You can try a different type of protein enzyme such as 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/
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 … starting with enteric coated enzymes first.