I have been posting on here for at least a year and a half..to make a long story short...dealing with issues of soft poop, too much poop, weight loss, switching diets etc, itching scratching and you have all been extremely helpful...Abbey has lost 10 lbs since January...i think the worst was only in about the last 2 months...i chalked it up to being outside more and her having endless energy. i swear her eyes starting sinking in her head?...A trip to the Vet on Tuesday said it wasnt allergies...she probably isnt allergic to anything which is almost funny to me because i have been beating my head on the proverbial rock trying to figure out what has been ailing her. Adding enzymes and digestive help ...you name it, i tried it.....For those of you who dont know what EPI is, its Endocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency...her body was starving itself because she lacked the enzymes that her pancreas makes to digest and absorb her food...so i would buy it, she would eat it, and poop it out and wasnt full, and didnt get any of the nutrients from her food...She is currently on Natures Recipe Grain Free Salmon flavor....i have come to learn that EPI dogs do better on grain free diets, so the last switch was one thing i did right....The Vet ordered the powder from 1800 petmeds as i was still in the office....it got here....i have been giving it to her since Thursday. This is a difficult situation, where i have seen some improvement, there are no guarantees that she will do well on the powder, some dogs reject it?......so far though, her energy is up...have to feed 3X a day...add water, add powder and then she sits there and has to wait 20 minutes...very different from just scooping 2 scoops in AM and PM..and forgetting about it, now its all in the timing....OH and no treats....she is loving that....
Sorry for ranting, but is this a genetic disorder?...and what part of responsibility lies with the breeder? I contacted her and she insists she has no dogs ever present with this problem.
I am so pissed and sad at the same time....i have been beating myself up for not noticing sooner. Also, this powder is SUPER expensive...so doing this for the next 10 years or so at 127.00 for 8oz...is presenting a challenge in itself.
Im hoping to after she gains some weight back, go back to a different food that isnt as expensive to make up for some of the cost of this powder...and im sorry if that sounds bad, but it is my reality.
So, anyone out there dealing with this?...How are you dealing with it, and any treat ideas?...Im all ears.....Oh that is the best part, if you look at my old posts...Abbey s a soft eared GSD...and the Vet said the reason her ears probably didnt go up was due to the EPI....
So, of course i love her, and im obviously doing everything humanly possible for her to get her better....but i am so angry that i spent so much money on her, researched a breeder for 6 months, visited a couple of times where they were being raised....i did everything i was supposed to to avoid problems like this. My mother had GSD's and she has never heard of so many issues with dogs has she has recently....dogs got ALPO, no shots...cost 50.00 and lived wonderful full healthy lives.....until 12 or so?
You have to wonder, what has happened in the past few decades?
:help:
Sorry for ranting, but is this a genetic disorder?...and what part of responsibility lies with the breeder? I contacted her and she insists she has no dogs ever present with this problem.
I am so pissed and sad at the same time....i have been beating myself up for not noticing sooner. Also, this powder is SUPER expensive...so doing this for the next 10 years or so at 127.00 for 8oz...is presenting a challenge in itself.
Im hoping to after she gains some weight back, go back to a different food that isnt as expensive to make up for some of the cost of this powder...and im sorry if that sounds bad, but it is my reality.
So, anyone out there dealing with this?...How are you dealing with it, and any treat ideas?...Im all ears.....Oh that is the best part, if you look at my old posts...Abbey s a soft eared GSD...and the Vet said the reason her ears probably didnt go up was due to the EPI....
So, of course i love her, and im obviously doing everything humanly possible for her to get her better....but i am so angry that i spent so much money on her, researched a breeder for 6 months, visited a couple of times where they were being raised....i did everything i was supposed to to avoid problems like this. My mother had GSD's and she has never heard of so many issues with dogs has she has recently....dogs got ALPO, no shots...cost 50.00 and lived wonderful full healthy lives.....until 12 or so?
You have to wonder, what has happened in the past few decades?
:help: