It Doesn't Have To Be A Death Sentence

Is there a treatment?

Yes!

The good news, is that with medications you can replace your dog’s pancreatic enzymes with pancreatic enzymes from other sources like the pig.

The bad news, this can be expensive and in most cases is a lifelong commitment of treatment.

Your Vet will prescribe medications such as:

PancreaPowder Plus, Panakare Plus, PancreVed Powder or PancrePlus Powder. These are formulated either as tablets or powders.

These powders and tablets contain large quantities of the same naturally occurring digestive enzymes that your pet does not produce enough of on their own. They begin working once they are in contact with your pet’s food.

The tablets are given prior to a meal or may be crushed and mixed with food.

The powder is usually mixed with food and allowed to set for about 30 minutes before feeding.

There are over the counter drugs that are a helpful addition to the enzyme replacement. Cimetidine or Tagamet is given before a meal, which decreases stomach acid, by decreasing the stomach acid more of the pancreatic enzymes found in their medicine will be intact as it passes through stomach and the treatment will be more effective.

I have found that by using both Cimetidine and a good supplement a smaller dose of pancreatic medication is possible. Since the pancreatic enzymes are the most expensive part of treatment, being able to reduce the dose will decrease the cost of treating EPI in your pet.

How well does treatment work?

It is hard to believe but the response to treatment can be immediate and you will see your pet return to normal health quickly.