My dog's EPI symptoms are back despite medication. What should I do?

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

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

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!

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

I am sorry to hear Lilu has been dealing with this! It sounds like you have had a good work up and treatment so far. I would consider asking your vet to see if there is a lower fat diet that Lilu may benefit from, and also see if probiotics or further antiobiotic treatment can be of benefit. If a specialist is available, you can also ask if a referral is in order. I hope this helps and I am glad you are paying attention to her response!

I'm glad that Lyla seems to be doing well with her treatment. If the smell seems to be coming from Lyla's skin, I would have your veterinarian do some simple skin tests to see if she has a bacterial or yeast overgrowth that is causing the odor. If so, they might be able to recommend a shampoo that would help with the problem. If they can't find anything on her skin or a source of the odor, I would recommend trying a probiotic and see if that makes a difference. Sometimes when the digestive tract has been abnormal, we need to give the body its good bacteria back in order for everything to get back to normal. Entero TruBenefits is a nice product if your vet doesn't have a recommendation for you. http://www.vrshealth.com/canine-products/?petcoach=1977957 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Given the progression of her symptoms I recommend you get her reassessed by your vet to determine the underlying cause; unstable addisons, pancreatitis, kidney/liver disease and dietary sensitivities can all cause intermittent vomiting and can all be managed once diagnosed accurately. Your vet will likely want to run blood tests to assess what is going on and diet manipulation a change in her regular prescription may be required