My dog is losing weight but always hungry. How much enzyme for EPI?

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.

Hello, sorry to hear about Kita. The short answer is that yes you can give 2 teaspoons. The recommended dose for the enzyme is 1 teaspoon for every 10 kg up to 2 times daily with a meal. Side effects have been reported to include bleeding from the gums. If the dose increase does not seem to help then Kita may need to be reevaluated as there could be other contributors to her weight loss. This could be anything from deficiency in vitamin 12 to other metabolic problems such as liver disease, kidney disease, and even cancer. Hope this helps and best of luck!

The history of poor weight gain without any vomiting or pain may be pancreatic insufficiency rather than inflammatory pancreatitis, a TLI blood test can be used to confirm. If positive, enzyme powders can be fed with a hydrolyzed diet such as royal canin hypoallergenic, once weight is restored most can be maintained on diet alone or a low dose of enzymes

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

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry that Angel has been so sick! Usually the need for pancreatic enzyme supplementation is based on blood work. Usually the TLI (a pancreatic enzyme) is low. Pancreatic enzyme are used to treat exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Which can result from chronic pancreatitis as can Diabetes. Use in dogs and cats is considered off label, so you would have to discuss the use in Angel with a Vet that has examined her. Cats reportedly hate the taste but may accept the powder if mixed with fish/tuna oil and then thoroughly mixed with a canned food. If using solid dosage forms (enteric-coated tablets or compounded capsules made from powder or crushed tablets) be certain that immediately after dosing, water or food is consumed to reduce the risk for esophageal damage. You may also want to consider a probiotic, like Purina Fortiflora. I hope this helps and I wish you and Angel the best!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Dexter! I am concerned about the weight loss. I hate to see older animals lose weight. Possible causes are: kidney or liver disease, diabetes, cancer, pancreatic or intestinal disease that is causing poor absorption of nutrients. Now with the diarrhea starting a lot of the above still applies as causes. He could have just eaten something that is disagreeing with him, have a viral infection, or parasites. I highly recommend a physical by your Vet and have some blood and urine tests run to help figure out why he has lost so much weight. For the diarrhea you can start feeding a bland diet of boiled chicken or hamburger with rice. Feed 1 cup per 20lbs per day for 3-5 days. Your Vet can also start him on some medications for the diarrhea. I hope this helps and I wish you and Dexter the best!

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry to hear that Uma is losing weight! Typically, EPI affects younger dogs, and you are correct, they typically affect German Shepherds. A lot of the time, the cbc and chemistry panels are normal. Occasionally, you can see elevated liver enzymes like ALT on the chemistry. However, to properly diganose EPI, you need to send out a special test to a specific lab. This blood test is called canine serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity. This is a direct look at the pancreas' functionality. Given Uma's age, she less likely has EPI since she is almost 10 years old. Therefore, there may be another reason she is losing weight. If her bloodwork is all normal, then I would recommend abdominal radiographs or an abdominal ultrasound. Good luck and I hope she gets better soon!