Stitch Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Vet recommended I try Enzyplex for my old girl with IBD and I was wondering if anyone else has used it previously? She doesn't metabolise her food very well, is thin because she is on kangaroo stew diet and does large black poos twice or three times daily. Vet sold me a 1/4 of a container of Enzyplex which is mixed with her food twice daily and she is down to 2 poos a day.... but as it is such an expensive product I would really like to hear if anyone has had success with it in any way at all, not just for IBD. She has been on it for 5 days now, which obviously isn't a long time, and I will have to buy another container of it soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CavsRcute Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I think there maybe something that human's use and is also for animal use. You could then buy it on script. Someone else may know, but I will dig through my files. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackiemad Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I use creon, a human med for the same thing. Need a script though and if you chew it it doesn't work so probs not suitable for dogs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I've been using Enzyplex for about five years for my Cavalier who's prone to pancreatitis attacks if she eats even a tiny amount of fatty food. Since being on Enzyplex she's never had another attack. This dog is also on a raw BARF diet of kangaroo and vegies. It's an expensive product but it lasts for a long time because so little of it is needed. I think it's definitely worth the cost. From memory I'm only on the second tub and it's still at least one third full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 Thanks for that Cavnrott. I have been told to use 1 scoop of it in each meal, I feed her twice daily, and at that rate I estimate it will last about 2-3 months.....but if it works then it is worth it. Vet said there was a human grade one but I don't know what it is called or how economical it is. Budget Supplies sell Enzyplex for around $90, everyone else sells it for around $110. Cavnrott is your Cav skinny? I am the same as you..... I can't feed any oil or fat in the diet and my girl really needs a bit more weight on her. I was hoping that the Enzyplex would slow down the passage of the food in the gut or allow more nutrients to be taken up by the body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I was hoping that the Enzyplex would slow down the passage of the food in the gut or allow more nutrients to be taken up by the body. That isn't really what the product is designed to do. It is designed to replace pancreatic enzymes to help the dog to digest the food. You said your dog was having black poos, are they very soft? If the food is moving quickly you normally get very soft, light poos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 (edited) Thanks for that Cavnrott. I have been told to use 1 scoop of it in each meal, I feed her twice daily, and at that rate I estimate it will last about 2-3 months.....but if it works then it is worth it. Vet said there was a human grade one but I don't know what it is called or how economical it is. Budget Supplies sell Enzyplex for around $90, everyone else sells it for around $110. Cavnrott is your Cav skinny? I am the same as you..... I can't feed any oil or fat in the diet and my girl really needs a bit more weight on her. I was hoping that the Enzyplex would slow down the passage of the food in the gut or allow more nutrients to be taken up by the body. Goodness! How big is the scoop? How big is your dog? $90 for Enzyplex is a good price. I paid over $100 for the last tub I bought. The Cavalier I have on Enzyplex is lean but not skinny. I like my dogs lean. My other Cavalier tends towards chubby unless I'm careful with his diet. JulesP is correct. Enzyplex is designed to replace pancreatic enzymes. I think further discussion and explanation from your vet would be a good idea. He must have a good reason for suggesting Enzyplex for IBD. Ask him why he thinks it would help your dog. edited to add: I only give the Enzyplex for his evening meal, none with his morning meal. Edited July 8, 2014 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 By IBD do you mean Inflammatory Bowel Disease? I'm not fond of Kangaroo meat for dogs as whenever I've tried it, they don't seem to digest all that well and have issues. What other diets have you tried? If it is Inflammatory Bowel Disease, I had a dog with this for a few years and he was able to tolerate a few things quite well such as fish, he also had the Hills Ultra ZD etc. The medication that agreed with him the best was Salazapyrin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 I have been taking my girl to vets/specialists for quite a long time now. She has always had gut issues but they got worse over time, especially after 9 years old age....she is 12 years old now. She was diagnosed IBD several years ago by the internal medicine vet and after an episode of haemorrhagic diarrhoea that landed her in the emergency hospital for nearly a week. We thought we were going to lose her. She left hospital on Hills I/D which progressed to Royal Canin Hypoallergenic as it was a better fit. After about 6 months on that she started to scratch...she was always chewing herself etc. Skin specialist said she was not tolerating the hydrolysed protein in the dry food so he put her on a kangaroo stew diet with veges. Can't add oil etc. as that sets off the IBD. She is thin, the vet describes her as athletic but at her age if she gets sick there won't be anything left of her to fall back on. I suggested to the vet that she have a scan to see if we could narrow the diagnosis of IBD down to something specific but he suggested the Enzyplex saying that scans can be inconclusive. And that is where I am at, at the moment! She has two problems...itchy skin if fed on hydrolysed protein which is in the I/D diets and restricted diet from IBD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ish Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 What about doing the TLI (?) blood test which shows the effectiveness of the pancreatic enzymes to see if that is an area where she needs help or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 (edited) I haven't heard of that test. It was not offered. Can you tell me a bit about it? Edited July 9, 2014 by Stitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ish Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 My bitch had it recently because they suspected she had EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency) The normal range for dogs is 5-40 I think, less than 5 indicates EPI and over 40 indicates pancreatitis. It was a standard blood sample sent off to lab and back in a couple of days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 Thank you for that. I will ask the vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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