Can managing a dog's EPI really cost $500 a month for treatment?

Here is a website with information on EPI. If your dog has the disease than he would need to have digestive enzyme replacement, like Viokase-V. He may also need an antibiotic, metronidazole, and vit B12 injections. Adding a probiotic to his diet may help, too. Without having a vet to diagnose and treat the disease will make it hard to manage. http://www.allshepherdrescue.com/info/display?PageID=9888

I would monitor her weight, fecal production and her general clinical condition. If she is playful, happy in herself, full of energy with normal faces production and good body weight, the daily food intake and the treatment you are providing are enough to keep her healthy. If she has diarrhea or she is underweight (probably Zula's case) her diet/treatment might need an adjustment. It might be necessary to increase her daily ratio or change the ingredient balance. If there isn't any specific reason to provide raw food, you could gradually switch to a highly digestible commercial diet (i.e. Hill's gastrointestinal diet), continue the treatment prescribed by your vet. Treats might be detrimental in dogs with this condition Please post again on the forum if you would like to discuss it further. I hope my answer was helpful.

EPI can be a very frustrating condition to manage, weekly B12 injections, a hydrolyzed diet such as royal canin hypoallergenic and lypex supplement all help to control symptoms and maintain weight but any treats or stolen snacs can be expected to create flare ups

Thanks for using Boop by Petco! There are really no good at home remedies for this. She just needs to be supplemented with the appropriate pancreatic enzymes that she lacks. Usually this is easy and straightforward to treat. Good luck and have a great day!

Not all dogs with EPI require B12 inj or supplementation but I would recommend it for any dog which is not maintaining their weight despite treatment. I also recommend feeding a highly digestible, hydrolysed diet such as royal canin hypoallergenic in these patients as it requires much less digestion by the pancreas than other diets and can compensate for reduced function

There are a number of pancreatic supplements on the market. Some of the really inexpensive ones do not seem to work as well as the more expensive ones and since we don't yet have a diagnosis on Dexter, I would start with a proven product first to see if it works. (If it does, you could consider changing to a less expensive product later to see if it works as well.) The least expensive company I have found that has a good quality product is Enzyme Diane. http://www.enzymediane.com/ordersusa.htm The dosage instruction is based on the amount of food fed because you mix the enzymes into each meal. So, I would follow their recommendations for dosing instructions. If you go with a different product, I normally recommend dosing a dog at their ideal body weight, so I would dose Dexter at a 70 pound dose. Good luck with Dexter! I hope that helps! Thanks for using Boop by Petco.

Thank you for your post regarding Wally! I am sorry to hear that he has Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. This can be managed and it sounds like your vet has you on the right path for treatment. However, I am not familiar with Pancreatin and I know that it is a human formulation. I would suggest switching to a veterinary-specific pancreatic powder such as Pancreved, Panakare or Pancrezyme. The doses for these are specifically labelled on each of the bottles. The origin of the enzymes in the veterinary-specific enzymatic powders are different from that of the human formulations, which is why I would encourage you to use one of the powders mentioned above. I hope this guides you in the right direction. Please do feel free to contact me with any further questions / concerns.

Princess has probably been diabetic for a while (possibly many months). When the diabetes continues on untreated, the dogs can become ketotic. If she still has a good appetite, the she may be able to start insulin shots, anti-nausea medications, pain medications, etc. at home without needing specialized hospitalization. If she is very ill, her best chances are in the hospital. You always have the option of declining in-hospital treatment and trying to treat at home, but you may not always be successful. You should discuss all available options with your vet, even if the outcome is not ideal or leads to a poor prognosis. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a very serious problem in pets and causes life-threatening abnormalities. They need aggressive IV fluid therapy and a special type of insulin to slowly decrease their blood glucose and manage them through the many ups and downs. The monitoring and hands-on-vet care required means high bills. Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas - the

I believe you are asking about Pancreatic Insufficiency. The pancreas does not make the appropriate enzymes so the food is not digested properly. These dogs often very thin as they cannot properly absorb nutrients. Tests can determine if the pancreas is the cause and treatment is an enzyme supplement. If you suspect Kia has this problem, take her into see the veterinarian for an evaluation.

I am sorry Holly is having that problem. I would make sure to take her back to the vet for some basic blood work and exam. It is possible the disease needs more mediation to control her symptoms. Also, she could have developed a second disease like IBD or food sensitivity that is causing her to have issues.