# Stomach/intestinal gurgling



## bluetick (Apr 28, 2007)

Maggie is one year old and was recently diagnosed with the "early stage" of EPI. She has been switched over to Innova kibble, and because she is a picky eater, I have been adding cooked chicken and warmed juices from cooking the chicken to her kibble with great success. She is on Pancrezyme - 2 tablets per meal, and she eats twice per day. (There are two other healthy GSD's in the house that continue to eat Canidae kibble.)

Before I got up this morning one of the dogs threw up a yellow liquid near the back door. I suspect it was Maggie since she didn't eat a bite of her meal this morning. Since then, I have offered food to her a few times, but she shows no interest. In the meantime, the gurgling from her "guts" can be heard from several feet away, and has been going on all day.

She was not tested for SIBO, but was for parasites and was successfully treated for giardia - follow up test done Friday.

The next mealtime is coming up soon. I want her to eat something but don't know what to offer her. Any suggestions?


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## MelissaHoyer (Sep 8, 2006)

I could always get my EPI dog through this by getting some lunch meat into her with a tsp of Pepto Bismol. Once I could do that, she would eat regularly. 

This is some good reading:
http://www.dogaware.com/specific.html#epi

Good Luck!


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

You might as well test for SIBO and B12 deficiency. It follows along with EPI quite a bit. My boy has SIBO, not EPI, and some others on here will be able to give you much better advice than I can. I have heard, though, that the powder form works much better than the tablet form.


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## MelissaHoyer (Sep 8, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: jaggirl47You might as well test for SIBO and B12 deficiency. It follows along with EPI quite a bit. My boy has SIBO, not EPI, and some others on here will be able to give you much better advice than I can. I have heard, though, that the powder form works much better than the tablet form.


All excellent points


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## bluetick (Apr 28, 2007)

Thanks for the website! I did a quick scan and bookmarked it for further reading. I am leaning toward requesting a test for SIBO when Maggie sees the vet later this week.

Thought my medicine cabinet looked like a pharmacy, but no Pepto! Will get some and try it. Do have lunch meat and will see if she will eat some, although I do have a piece of leftover steak...


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

The yellow liquid is bile - my dogs will throw this up if their stomachs are empty: the acid, without any food to digest, becomes an irritant. The gurgling is also a result of there not being anything in her tummy...... try some cooked chicken and rice, scrambled eggs, or lightly cooked hamburger and rice - the problem with kibble is that it takes a long time to digest (up to 8 hours), and if her digestive tract is upset it might be too much for her to handle right now. There are a number of good resources on the Internet for dogs with EPI, or you can check the archive here....

________________________________________
Susan

Anja GSD
Conor GSD - adopted from this Board
Blue GSD - waiting at the Bridge


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

Here is an excellent website with tons of info on EPI,SIBO, et al....

http://www.dogaware.com

Good luck!

____________________________________________
Susan

Anja GSD
Conor GSD - adopted from this Board
Blue GSD - waiting at the Bridge


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

I don't know if you have joined, but here is the EPI group on yahoo.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/k9-EPIGLOBAL/ 
You may want to check it out.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

If you don't test for SIBO, you can try to treat with Tylan and see what happens. The test is not 100% accurate.

Seems that many dogs do develop sensitivities to chicken too.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

Gurgling rumbling tummy often goes with EPI. I give my boy a Gas-X with Mallox tablet when his starts up. Settles things down and helps relieve any gas that may be building up. 

He doesn't do well with chicken so his protein sources are salmon and lamb. (He is feed two different kibbles half and half.)


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## HeidiW (Apr 9, 2009)

Good luck with Maggie, good websites info, has anyone ever heard of an older dog age 11 suddenly coming down with EPI? I hear it happens to young dogs not old.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Slippery Elm--it's the herb of the month! Seriously it helps a lot with getting stomach acid calmed down.


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

Heidi, it is possible for older dogs to come down with it. When they are younger, it is most likely hereditary or genetic, older is aquired.


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## HeidiW (Apr 9, 2009)

So it is possble so good to know. Do they know what sets it off in an older dog?


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

SIBO can damage internal structures and cause EPI. There are probably other triggers too.


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## JenM66 (Jul 28, 2005)

Pepcid works wonders for Gracie - who is SIBO + and "mild" EPI. I too have heard that the powder is better as it is directly applied to the food and allowed to rest, starting to digest or break down the food prior to the dog eating it. Good luck.


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

http://www.epi4dogs.com/
Pancreatic acinar atrophy (PAA) is probably the most common cause of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) in the dog. Dogs under five years of age diagnosed with EPI are usually suspected of having pancreatic acinar atrophy, whereas older dogs likely have a higher incidence of pancreatitis induced degeneration (Hall et al.,1991). Dogs with chronic relapsing pancreatitis are considered at increased risk of developing EPI. 

http://www.globalspan.net/epi.htm
Certain illnesses, such as chronic pancreatitis, can lead to EPI. 
When EPI occurs in senior or geriatric dogs, it's generally believed that there's probably some underlying medical condition. 


Some interesting reading.


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## HeidiW (Apr 9, 2009)

It was very good read will pass it on but I think it is to late, It did not say anything about a body odor from EPI dogs as a symptom.
This dog smells and has brown cow plop poops not mustard color.


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## bluetick (Apr 28, 2007)

False alarm, in a way. When I went to the kitchen to get everyone's meals ready, Maggie was right there looking enthusiastic. I took a chance and prepared the same mix as usual, and she ate it all!

Thanks everyone for the informative websites and experiences. I have some reading to do! I did join the yahoo group but haven't posted there yet. The format is not one I like at all.


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

Heidi, if you are worried you should still get her tested. Zappa had a constant funky smell for awhile until a couple of weeks into his treatment. I don't know about EPI, but I know Zappa stunk for a while.
Bluetick, good to hear Maggie was happy to eat.


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