# Impatient owner or Tylan not working?



## FaithW (Jan 26, 2014)

Hello all,

I started my dog Cupcake on Tylan now that I know while he was boarding w. The vet a few weeks ago that helped him put on weight . It took me about a week or so to order and then receive Tylan; i am using the same dosage as the vet was giving him (1/4 tsp during feedings) My dogs appetite is still ravenous , his poop is still soft but in a form. I don't see much or any improvement in his weight. I also have him on B12 pills given twice a day . Maybe I am still in panic mode knowing that he may be involuntarily starving to death ( I can still see his ribs). He has seemed to be sleeping better ( I don't hear him getting up and moving constantly all night) . 
My question is anyone who used Tylan ; how long did it take for you to see results? I only started back on it this past Tuesday. I have also ordered him Sundae Sunday and Prozyme . I'm still waiting saving to go to the specialist and all that. Am I being impatient ???


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## _Zero_ (Sep 1, 2013)

It can take between 48 hours and two weeks for a dog to respond to Tylan. If you saw an improvement in his stools right away that's a good thing. Remember that Tylan is killing off bacteria in his gut, which have likely been causing inflammation in his intestines and making it difficult for him to digest food. It may take some time for the Tylan to kill off enough bacteria that the inflammation goes down and he can start processing his food normally again, and put on weight. 

I would give it two weeks from the date you started adding the Tylan to really see if it's working. If, within two weeks, his stools have not firmed up completely and he has not put on any weight, then you can assume it's not doing the trick for him.

In the interim, have you posted on the epi4dogs forum? Have you considered trying some pancreatic enzymes on his food? These symptoms still feel like EPI to me, and since you've been unable to find out for sure if the TLI test was done and what the values were, I don't think you can rule it out yet. You could try talking to the epi4dogs folks about trying some digestive enzymes with him to see if the Tylan and enzymes together will do the trick.


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## FaithW (Jan 26, 2014)

Hi Zero,

I have been posting on epi4dogs. I have been doing a lot of cross referencing from here and the site. Since I have done more research I have been giving him B12 pills. I just ordered Prozyme for him as well & Sundae Sunday . I missed both deliveries so I haven't tried them yet. I feel he's gotten stronger & he's back to his normal self . I just don't see any weight gain. His ribs can still be seen and felt easily. Sometimes I think he is filling out then I look again and it seems like nothing is happening . 
I am super paranoid that he is just gonna not wake up or something. 

He hasn't he any cow pies either which is possibly good being that when I feed him OVER 3 cups a day it usually comes out cow pie-ish. So I guess the Tylan is working. I am just not sure what physical changes I should be noticing. I didn't really notice much difference when the vet said he gained 5 lbs but. I am hoping by the end of the month I can have him gain an additional 5 lbs, I was thinking about adding Raw diet as his 3rd in between meals to see if that helps?


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## _Zero_ (Sep 1, 2013)

I don't think attempting raw right now would be a great idea. In general I think raw is great, but until you figure out more about what's going on in his system, raw might not be the best idea. In general dog's GI tracts are very good at handling the bacteria in raw food, but if he has inflammation or a bacterial infection then raw could make his troubles worse.

Prozyme might help but keep in mind that the enzymes in Prozyme are plant-based, and are typically less powerful that the enzymes that are derived from animals. Most dogs with EPI need porcine enzymes (enzymes from pig pancreas). You can try a human brand called Pancreatin 8X. You should be able to find it at a health food store, like Whole Foods.

A dog Cupcake's size probably needs more than 3 cups of food per day, depending on the brand. What type of food are you feeding him, and do you know how many calories there are per cup? It might be a good idea to try a higher-calorie food with him if he has trouble eating more than 3 cups a day. That way he'll get more calories with less volume.

Slow weight gain is the best type of weight gain. My dog needed 7 pounds, and he put it on over a period of about two months. This was when I was feeding him more than 1.5X his normal amount. If Cupcake needs 20 pounds or so then it will take several months to get there. I know you said you didn't like your vet, but if you find a new one with a scale in the lobby most practices are fine with you coming by any time to weigh your dog, for free. If you really want to know if he's gaining, you can make it a weekly or every other week errand to just take your dog by to get a weight, so you can truly tell if he's gaining/losing/maintaining weight and by how much. You know how much he weighed after his stay at the vet, so if you were to weigh him now you could tell for sure if he's gained or lost weight.

It's good that you feel like he's gotten stronger and that he seems more like his usual self. That's a good sign that the Tylan is helping.

I'm glad you've been posting on epi4dogs. They're a great community and they should be able to help with advice and support, too.


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## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

My dog was on it for almost 2 months. I didn't see any improvement for a few weeks. Give it time.

Also I wouldn't be adding anything to or changing his diet right now. Keep it very bland and simple. Probiotics, tylan, and his kibble. 

You can also try some slippery elm to help soothe his gut. I had a lot GI issues with my guy during his first year, and that helped. 


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## Harry and Lola (Oct 26, 2013)

Faith, I assume your dog been tested for EPI? 

Assuming he is EPI positive, then you need to give him replacement enzymes every single time before he eats, I give my EPI dog a 'Creon 10,000' capsule - you can buy online. You also need to increase his food intake to one and half to double the recommended amounts, ie if your kibble suggests feeding 2 cups based on his weight, then feed 3.5 to 4 cups until weight is good.

With SIBO (bad poops) I gave Harry a treatment of Tylan for 40 days initially, he has had another 2 treatments of 40 days each again because he got SIBO again. A 27kg dogs gets around 1/4 teaspoon and 40kg dog around 3/8 teaspoon. To administer you can create a food pocket in food to hide it, but it is not a nice taste and most dogs don't like it, so I bought a cheap capsule making machine online with size '00' gel capsules and make my own capsules up which I drop down his throat. Give him Tylan twice a day for 40 days, then once finished with Tylan, give and probiotic like Protexin. If stools are still bad take off probiotic a give another dose of Tylan for 40 days. There are some EPI dogs that will always be on Tylan.

With B12, you need to give a 6 x weekly course of b12 (generic, ie not all vitamin B's just the B12 one) shots and then 1 shot again after 1 month then retest levels. You can't just give any B12 vitamin, you need to give B12 with intrinsic value every day, but do the shots.

Assuming you are giving replacement enzymes, Tylan for SIBO, B12 and increased food intake, you should see a good weight increase within a month.


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