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Pancreatic Deficiency


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I was wondering if anyone has or had a dog with pancreatic deficiency...what were the symptoms, how was it treated and how much did the medical treatment cost?

My vet suspects my GSD Azzo may have pancreatic deficiency. He has had very loose stools despite the fact that we've given him four different types of food, dewormed him twice, treated him with Panacur, treated him for IBS and given him EN (VERY mild food by Science Diet) to soothe his stomach. My vet'll be running the pancreatic deficiency bloodwork today.

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With EPI the stools are like cow patties and very light in colour, like a cream/tan shade.
The treatment is a strict diet, I think high in protein and low in fat and fiber? Maybe I have it the wrong way around? You would have to look it up, and a homemade diet is the best because you can't buy kibble that meets those requirements. Your dog also can't stay alive unless he is on something like Pancreas V Powder or another synthetic pancreas suppliment or real pig pancreas ground up in a blender (I think you need a note from the vet to buy it). The powder has to sit on top of the food for 20 mins so that it works properly. I think for a GSD it costs (if I remember correctly) 60-80 dollars a month but much less if you buy real pig pancreas at the butcher.
The only other things I know about EPI is that if it occurs before the age of 2 then it is genetics and if it happens after the age of 2 then it is cause by diet. It is hard to keep weight on a dog with EPI, I think because you have to be strict about diet and experiment with the amount of Pancreas powder your dog needs.
I know there is a BB if I find the link I will post it for you.

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Thanks for the link! Sooo informative.

Azzo's about 13 weeks now. He had firm stools the day we got him and when we transitioned him to Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken (puppy) he got the squirts. We've tried Authority brand, Iams (which his breeder had him on) and Royal Canin. Same result every time. Grayish/dark brown, smelly cowpatties.

Azzo has lost weight but his energy level is fine. He doesn't have two of the common symptoms of EPI...a greasy backside (from the undigested fats) or the desire to eat his feces from hunger.

We ran a blood test on him today for EPI and we should get the results Monday. Currently, we're treating him for IBS with a stronger medication because his stools tend to have a jelly-like casing around them.

Strange dog.

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Are they doing the TLI test? If they are let us know the score when you get back the results. :wink:

EPI is such a problem with GSDs. Magic doesn't have it but has soft stools all the time, I think GSDs genetically have problems with enzyme digestion. When I use Prozyeme her stools are nice and solid.

My parents dog has EPI but he doesn't like to eat much. Actually the only noticable signs of it without the powder is he is underweight, has cow pattie light colour stool and is tired because of being malnourished.
I work at a kennel and whenever dogs come in that have it, its the same thing, again, light colour cow pattie stool.

Good luck

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We should get the results back Monday. Fingers crossed it's either a weird strain of IBS, something curable or it is EPI and nothing horribly worse!

Have you tried Royal Canin GSD formula? I've heard it's good on the GSD's stomach and have even had people in my local SchH club tell me their dogs do well on it.

Azzo LOVES to eat...but it's not like a starved-dog hunger...more of a normal, food-loving puppy hunger. His stools tend to be dark and grayish yet foul smelling and loose. His activity level is actually pretty high. He loves playing fetch and will do so until he wears ME out. I dunno if it's because his possible EPI hasn't hit him hard yet or if he has something else or what.

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I noticed you mentioned jelly poop - I've seen that with dogs with colitis, it's smelly too but I don't know much about colitis.

I've tried Royal Canine GSD, I have a 5lb sample bag from work. I use it as treats, I don't like the ingredients though and it is so over priced. I guess they have to charge a lot to pay for all the free bags of food they give out and the nice dog food tins. I have a nice Royal Canine German Shepherd Encyclopedia too I got free.
The only concerns I've heard from GSD owners is that the feeding recommendations are too high and their dogs got fat.
Someone worked with us for awhile who was a Royal Canine Rep. she said they didn't recommend they read the book "Foods Pets Die For."
I hope little Azzo is okay. Have you mentioned it to his breeder to see what they have to say?

For now I might try homemade food like chicken and rice, pumpkin or stuff that might help firm up that poop. TDG can help you out there.

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Depending on what the tests say, I'm going to talk to his previous owner.

Currently Azzo's on the mildest food possible...EN by Science Diet.

This morning his stools were reddish brown and slightly formed by still far from normal. This after one day of IBS meds...I'm hoping within the next few days his stool will improve.

Until then...I just gotta keep my fingers crossed.

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Paws crossed too.
I just have to say that it seems he's gone through a lot of different types of food recently “He has had very loose stools despite the fact that we've given him four different types of food,” and that's not good for sensitive stomachs. It takes awhile for them to recover from that change and the result is almost always diarrhea. It might be contributing to your loose stools?

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We got Azzo at 7 to 8 weeks old or something around that age and he's about 14 weeks old now and he's had the problem ever since. He's currently on Science Diet EN and will be for the next three weeks or until we find out what he has and how to change his diet accordingly. Our vet said we should possibly get the results in this afternoon. I've read about so many things it could be I'm about the explode from anxiety.

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Well...we finally came to a conclusion on Azzo's crap. Nope, he does not have a pancreatic disorder but it is believed he DOES have SIBO...small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. We'll be giving him B12 shots twice a month for two months, Metronidozol (sp?), Vitamin E and some lactobacillicus (dairy-free). He may never have perfect stools but atleast this medicine combo will help him to absorb the nutrients he's lost. It's an intermittent thing and will come on and off throughout his lifetime...atleast it's not EPI! Phew!

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