Pets
Exocrine Pancreatic Insuffiency in German Shepherd Dogs
By Jillian Gallo
Oct 14, 2006, 21:25

The pancreas has two functions. One is to make insulin, this is called endocrine pancreatic function. The other is to make digestive enzymes, this is called exocrine pancreatic function.

When your dog has exocrine pancreatic insufficiency or EPI, his pancreas has most likely atrophied and does not make the digestive enzymes he needs to digest his food. The endocrine function of the pancreas is usually working just fine.

If your dog cannot digest his food, he cannot absorb the nutrients and vitamins from it. He will excrete the food almost in the same form it went in. It will be undigested. His bowel movements will look like cow patties, or large mounds of yellow or grayish diarrhea filled with fatty substances and undigested food. He will also have a movement like this each time he eats. He will also seem to get hungrier, not matter how much you feed him.

In a few days, he will try to eat everything. Your dog may even eat his own stools. You may not understand why at first, but when he starts to look thinner you will want to take him to the doctor. My doctor at first thought my dog had a virus that caused diarrhea. She suggested I do not feed him for 24 hours and then start him on chicken and rice. I did this, but the diarrhea persisted.

I took him back to the vet three times in one week. By the third I was getting very nervous. My dog is a large White German Shepherd. He had always been about 80 pounds and was on the thin side. When he lost 5 pounds, it was very noticeable on him. And that is quite a bit for a dog to lose. When my vet could not understand the reason for all this going on she suggested taking a blood test called Trypsin-like Immunoreactivity or TLI. This tests for reduced enzyme serum levels in the blood.

Once your dog is diagnosed with EPI the solution is easy enough. You will have to put an enzyme powder on his food so it can digest the food for the dog. Two brands available at your pet pharmacy with a prescription are Viokase-V and Pancrease. When your dog eats his food, he will then be able to absorb the nutrients from it.

You put the correct amount of enzyme powder on your dogs food, stir it up and let it sit for about 20 minutes. If you give it to your dog too soon, the enzyme can burn his mouth. Your dog also may need some metronidazole. This is an antibiotic that will kill any extra flora in his intestines, a job his digestive enzymes used to do for him.

The unfortunate part is the cost of the medication. If you have a small dog, it will be manageable. But in a dog as large as mine, (he now weighs 95 pounds) the amount you need will be quite substantial.

I was using a 12 ounce jar every thirteen days and the cost was from 140.00 to 180.00 per container, depending where I got it from. Sometimes one vet office would be out, and I would drive to another where the medication cost more. But there was no getting around not having it. I could not let my dog starve to death, which is what will eventually happen to these EPI dogs if they do not get diagnosed in time.

Today my dog is a healthy six year old, and he was diagnosed when he had just turned two years old. It seems to develop in dogs between the ages of two and five years.

Epi is a problem caused by an autosomal recessive trait. This means both the mother and father of the dog must have this gene in order for the puppy to develop this problem. If the father has this gene but the mother does not, the puppies will not get EPI, but they may be carriers of the gene, and if they are mated with another dog who does carry the gene, their puppies will have it.

Be very careful where and from whom you buy your puppy. Go back through the dogs lineage, and ask what problems there are in the line. A diagnosis of EPI could devastate your family, by destroying your dog, or attacking your wallet.

It could be very costly, as it was in my case to keep your dog alive. The decision will also have to be yours, whether you keep your dog, give him up to someone else who can bear the expense and is willing to, or lastly put your dog to sleep.

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