My dog has EPI. Can glucosamine absorb without pancreas enzymes?

Use caution when giving any fatty supplement to a pet with a history of pancreatitis. Too much may cause a flare up or aggravate an existing case of pancreatitis. Cosequin DS or Dasuquin are excellent joint supplements that can be given to dogs. Search www.pet360.com for products. Discuss an appropriate pain management protocol with your vet to provide relief if your dog has difficulty moving around.

Studies generally conclude that the human version of arthritis supplements are not able to be absorbed by dogs. Instead look for a supplement for dogs. The two I recommend our Dasuquan and Duralactin. Starting him on an additional omega-3 fatty acid for dogs will also help with arthritis. Lastly there is a food made by Royal Canin called mobility support. It is excellent for arthritic dogs. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! 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!

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.

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

Hi Annette! Managing arthritis can be tricky since Joe's kidneys did not seem to tolerate some of the more traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) like Metacam. I'm glad to hear that Joe is taking a glucosamine and chondroitin supplement, like YuMOVE, as this can protect his joint cartilage against further damage. Make sure that you are keeping him at a healthy body weight, as overweight dogs have more stress placed on their joints. Other strategies for managing arthritis include talking to your vet about a trial with Adequan injections for further cartilage protection or new classes of NSAIDs (such as Galliprant) that are much more sparing of the liver and kidneys. Acupuncture and water therapy can also be beneficial for some dogs with arthritis. I hope this helps!

I'm so sorry that Mary has so many health problems. There is no problem giving glucosamine, chondroitin or MSM to a dog with liver and kidney problems. They are very safe products. I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.