# Baltimore Craigslist - EPI girl



## rubytue (Aug 30, 2007)

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/pet/907816718.html



> Quote:
> So i am going to try to post as much information as i possibly can but any other questions you have, feel free to ask.
> First heres all the good stuff about my baby. Lexi will be 2 years old on X-mas. She is a pure bred German Shepherd. She is AKC registered. She has a microchip, but the microchip has not been registered yet, so her new owner can easily register it to themselves. (This is in case Lexi gets lost, she will be able to be returned to the address registered.) She is a truly awesome dog. She has been doing some search and rescue training and is very well trained in her basic obedience commands as well. (ie: sit, stay, heal, lay down etc.) She loves attention and is always eager to take a run by your side. She will not wander off to far without checking back for your approval. She loves cats and other dogs. Pictures of her and my kitten are enclosed. Its her baby. If u tell her to get the cat, she will happily go find her for you and attempt to bring her back. She loves playing with the other dogs in my home as well. Shes very good and gentle with children, and very curious of babies. Shes a little timid of new people at first, but easily adjusts to almost anyone. Theres so many more great things about her. Shes just a great dog.
> Heres the bad part. I believe Lexi has a pancreas disease called EPI. do not be alarmed its nothing serious. Its a simple disease commonly found in shepherds. Basically when Lexi eats she is not retaining the nutrients in her food, thus she does not gain weight. She is very skinny. I have recently started her on the tablets for this problem and i have instantly seen improvement. She is starting to gain weight already. The tablets cost about 50 dollars for 500 pills. Not to expensive but still an added cost. Lexi had a hemotoma in her ear that has been fixed but it still itches once and a while. Her ear flops tho! its very cute. If you would rather her ear stand up it is very easy and free to do yourself. Originally, before discovering the EPI i put Lexi through a series of tests and everything else you can imagine, only to find out she has a simple problem. It will not shorten her lifespan or cause her any problems.
> ...


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## SouthernThistle (Nov 16, 2005)

It doesn't say anything about her being spayed, and I wonder if she really does have EPI or whether it's merely pancreatitis.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

A volunteer I know evaluated this dog and she is truly wonderful.

The foster homes of the rescue that evaluated her are beyond full. They were hoping that the owners would foster the dog while she gains some weight. The fosters in this rescue have more dogs and family responsibilities than these people have. The rescue provided a bunch of enzyme tablets to see whether the dog would respond. After that they had a hard time getting in touch with the owners (to obtain feedback as to how the dog responded to the enzymes) who were usually not picking up the phone or returning phone calls after messages were left. The volunteers gave up chasing down the owners, the owners are not the only people who are busy and have lives. 

It seems that the dog may have responded to the enzymes, but the dosage was reduced and they were told that she lost the weight she initially gained. It was hard to get accurate feedback from the people. A very sad situation for the dog, overall. She definitely deserves a good home, but it won't be easy to find a home for a dog with EPI who is in such a bad condition. If she were treated for a while and gained weight, as the rescue tried, she would be an easier placement.


The dog is very sweet, she has a great temperament and she will be very pretty once she gains weight.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

She is spayed.


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## SouthernThistle (Nov 16, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: RebelGSDIt seems that the dog may have responded to the enzymes, but the dosage was reduced and they were told that she lost the weight she initially gained. It was hard to get accurate feedback from the people.


I am guessing because the volunteers can't get accurate feedback that we don't know why her dosage was reduced? Did anyone tell the owners HOW to use the enzymes? (No experience with enzyme tablets here - I only used the powder/capsules).


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

They tried, communication was necessary to see how she responds in order to adjust the dosage. The person who worked with them had a lot of experience with EPI dogs and she called them many, many times to hear how the dog was doing and to help them adjust the dosage. She left messages but the call was not returned. Last week they called her, but broke off the conversation because they had to go somewhere. They were vague about what effect the enzymes had. They were supposed to call back but apparently they are hoping to "get rid" (their term not mine) of the dog faster through the craiglist than through the rescue.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

It is really sad for the dog, if the owners cooperated with the rescue, the dog could have been on the mend by now. The rescue even ordered a new pack of enzymes for her.


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## Karin (Jan 4, 2008)

This is very sad. So many people would love to have a dog that gets along with other dogs, cats, and children. The pictures of her are really cute. You can tell she loves her kitty friend!









I hope someone can help her!


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

True. Unfortunately very few people want to deal with a dog that has a major health problem that will cost them extra cash.


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## SouthernThistle (Nov 16, 2005)

I wouldn't consider EPI a "major health problem," and it doesn't cost that much extra cash per month. As long as the dog doesn't have any additional health problems, EPI can be easily controlled, and the dogs can live a normal, active life.

I had e-mailed the owners asking about her EPI status, and they said that the dog has never been officially tested for EPI as they don't have the funds to do so - that the enzymes just "worked." 

This still could be a non-EPI dog that has pancreatitis or other similar digestive issues. Depending on how you look at it, that's either good news or bad news.

Either way, someone needs this girl that can keep her regulated on her enzymes (since they're working).


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

I had two dogs with EPI so I know what is involved and what the costs are as well as the issues involved with rehoming them. They started out as fosters and nobody adopted them, because of the EPI, so they lived out their lives with me. 

"Major health problem" is a relative term. Our adopters in 95% of the cases want a healthy dog and I know from experience that they consider EPI to be major. 

Obviously, the owners are the first who won't take on the expenses, nor the effort required to manage it. They prefer to pass her on to someone else. 
They have not done any EPI testing two-three weeks ago (and I doubt they did it since then) when they contacted the rescue and were not interested in investing into it.


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## MMSSSK (Mar 5, 2008)

If Lexie never had been officially tested for EPI. Then how would she know, how much of a dosage to give her?

This woman says, Originally, before discovering the EPI i put Lexi through a series of tests and everything else you can imagine, only to find out she has a simple problem. 

I guess, she had the money for the other series of tests and everything else. But not the most important one the EPI. It doesn't make sense.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

The owners were not able to show any test results to the volunteer 3 weeks ago. 

The vet I am using (and it is a good one) only had one patient with EPI prior to my dog and she had no idea about the different EPI meds and their efficiency, application and dosage beyond reading the instructions on the slip and the enzymes I purchased had nothing). Determinig the dosage was trial and error until the dog started having normal stools and gaining weight. Having a test result does not give a unique indication of the dosage. My vet told me to try the enzymes and by the time the test results are back we'll know whether the dog has EPI based on the response. She was right. The dog started gaining weight within a week. So the weight gain is the indication that the dosage was correct. I got much more help from the EPI group on the web than from the three veterinarians around me who never treated EPI dogs because the owners ended up euthanizing them rather than bothering with the treatment.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

Actually, just as curiosity, the dosage the first vet prescribed to my dog did not work, he did not gain weight. The vet recommended that I euthanize him because he was not responding. She gave up on him but continued prescribing the enzymes when I asked for them even though she told me there is nothing she can do for the dog. I kept increasing the dosage until he started gaining weight and I got his EPI under control with twice the dosage than that originally prescribed. He died of cancer a year later and I managed to get the EPI inder control in spite of the vet.
Apparently treatment of EPI is not exact science and there is a big gap between diagnosis and getting it under control.


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## rubytue (Aug 30, 2007)

This is even sadder when I read what the rescue went through to try to help


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## SouthernThistle (Nov 16, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: RebelGSD
> Obviously, the owners are the first who won't take on the expenses, nor the effort required to manage it. They prefer to pass her on to someone else.
> They have not done any EPI testing two-three weeks ago (and I doubt they did it since then) when they contacted the rescue and were not interested in investing into it.


This is true. That (EPI) is why my German Shepherd was dumped and abandoned at a veterinarian's office when he was 16 weeks old. His owners didn't want to deal with the added $15 extra per month on enzymes required to feed him. ($0.50/day). 

I know the owners haven't done any EPI testing on the dog as I spoke with the owners via e-mail. They said they didn't have the money to be able to afford EPI testing at the vet's office. I can't imagine that the owners ran "several other tests prior to" though. However, since you said that the owners could show no test results, etc. to volunteers a couple of weeks ago, I doubt they did do any testing.

The fact of the matter is, this girl needs a home with someone familiar with a dog with EPI or other digestive issues or someone willing to learn what it takes to keep her healthy (and take her to the vet).


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## SouthernThistle (Nov 16, 2005)

Any updates?


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