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I have a German Shepherd that has EPI since she was 2 years old. She is now about 6-7 years old. She continues to lose weight and although she seems happy she is always ravenous. We have been supplementing her diet with freeze dried pancreatic enzymes and tagamet. Her diet is low fat geriatric dog kibble of good quality. Is there anything else that you know of that may help my poor dog gain some weight. She is down to 59 pounds. Thanks!

Submitted: 30 days and 19 hours ago.

Category: Dog

Value: $9

Status: CLOSED

Posted by Drew 30 days and 19 hours ago.

Info Request

Hi, thanks for your question. How are the supplemented enzymes given to her?

30 days and 18 hours ago.

Reply

Tagamet is given about 1 hour before she is fed. The pancreatic enzymes are ground up and mixed in her food. The food is moistened and mixed well with the enzymes and we let the food sit for about 45-60 minutes before feeding it to her. The Vet suggested cottage cheese once a day and 2 hard boiled eggs a day. she has been getting that also but there has just been weight loss instead. She has lost about 2 pounds in the last 3 months.

Accepted Answer

THanks for the reply. It sounds like you are doing everything correctly. I'd recommend some additional tests, to see if anything else is going on. I would suggest running a blood B12 level, which will help determine the health of the small intestine. If the level is low, then supplementation with B12 may improve nutrient absorption and help with weight gain.

I would also suggest an endoscopy with intestinal biopsies - it is possible that there is an inflammatory disease going on with the intestines, known as IBD. This can cause poor nutrient absorption, and may require medicines such as steroids or certain antibiotics to reduce inflammation and encourage nutrient absorption.

ANy dog who is losing weight should also have a urinalysis, to check for protein loss, and a fecal analysis, to check for parasites which could cause weight loss.

Accepts:
Expert:	Drew
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
Answered:	10/22/2009

Veterinarian

Canine Medicine and Surgery

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