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Maldigestion Syndrome in Dogs & Vitamins

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Maldigestion syndrome in dogs is situation where your dog is literally starving to death even though they may be eating. As an owner everything may appear normal, but there are some horrible things happening inside of your dog.

Your dog can not break down the proteins, starches and fats in their diets into small enough portions that will allow them to be absorbed into the intestinal tract.

Maldigestion syndrome

You will have a very difficult decision to make with this disease in your pet both in the expense and the treatment.

Once it is caught and properly diagnosed, literally 90 percent of your dogs pancreas may already be destroyed. This syndrome is also known as pancreatic insufficiency or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

The pancreas of dogs must produce certain types of enzymes. Without these enzymes, digestion of food and proper absorption is not possible; and if your dog is attacked by this disease most everything that they eat goes right through the intestines without absorbing and is deposited though their feces.

Maldigestion syndrome in dogs can also attack cats but it much more common in dogs. German Shepherds and Collies are genetically subject to a condition that is similar and is referred to as Pancreatic Acinar Atrophy where the digestive enzyme producing cells start to waste away.

Maldigestion syndrome is more common in larger breeds of dogs but it can and does affect any breed of dog and at any age.

Most dog owners can understand diabetes and even problems with the pancreas, but it can be very hard to understand why an organ can not produce enzymes that allow your dog to digest food.

Understanding Maldigestion syndrome:

In fully understanding this disease that can literally cause your pet to starve to death, it is helpful to understand exactly what the pancreas does and how it functions in your pet. The pancreas does more than just produce insulin in your dogs.

It is made up of two separate parts; the exocrine, which is the portion that produces the digestive enzymes, and the endocrine, which is the portion that produces and excretes insulin to your pet. Maldigestion Syndrome affects the lesser known portion of the pancreas, the exocrine.

There are cells located in the pancreas known as acinar cells and these cells actually make up over 80% of the organ. These cells produce the digestive enzymes that your dog uses to break down their food.

The eating process sets the off the reactions of these cells preparing them for the digestive processes once the food does enter into the organ.

The major job role of these enzymes is to break down all types of foods into smaller particles or molecules so they can be absorbed. When everything is working properly, these molecules enter into your dog’s bloodstream where they than flow and nourish your pet.

However, if they are not broken down, these nutrients that do not pass remain in the intestine and than are passed through the dog’s body through their feces which leaves the body in a very dangerous un-nourished state.

As an owner you may have absolutely no idea what is happening as everything appears normal as your dog is eating just fine, but some very bad things are happening inside.

What are the Causes?

In most cases of Maldigestion Syndrome, chronic pancreatitis, which is an inflammation of the pancreas, is believed to be root of the cause, but that is not a certainty.

There have been several cases in dogs less than two years old where these critical cells have just started to decrease and quit functioning for no apparent reason.

There is no known cause of why this condition happens in these young dogs and no real certainty of the cause of the loss of enzymes; but there is some speculation that inflammation or lesions in the small intestine may be what are triggering this reaction.

Symptoms:

Although the exact cause of Maldigestion Syndrome is unknown, there is no doubt about what the symptoms will be. It will be extremely important for owners to watch for these symptoms as they will be very obvious and most always fit a pattern.

They can be gradual or very sudden, but they will always be the same.

The first symptom to watch for will be a dramatic weight loss in your dog caused by both the loss of body fat as well as muscle. Along with the weight loss, you dog will experience diarrhea, but not normal diarrhea. It will look almost light yellow or clayish in nature and will be very watery.

Depending on the diet that your dog eats, you will also see large chucks of undigested food in the feces. This is not normal diarrhea and will be the ultimate sign that your dog has this disease. They may also act like they are starving to death and will eat almost anything, even dirt.

However, unlike pancreatitis where they may eat their own feces or other animal feces, this is very rare with this disease.

Treatments for Maldigestion Syndrome:

There have been some cases where this condition has been only temporary but that is also extremely rare. The good news is that there are treatments, but the bad news is that they are very expensive and in most all case will have to be administered for the remainder of your dog’s life.

There are tablets that are available that are replacement enzymes very similar to your dogs enzymes. These are gathered usually from slaughter houses for hogs and cattle and processed and sold commercially.

The most common is called Pancrezyme. They will range in cost from 60.00 to 100.00 a month but there is a lot of research being conducted for synthetic forms of these enzymes that could drastically reduce the costs.

These tablets will be fed to your dog right before a meal and it allows for the process to return to normal for that digestive period only, as they will have to have a pill before every meal for the rest of their lives. That is where the decision comes in, due to the expense.

However, there are also other ways to treat this disease by feeding your dog a highly digestible diet and utilizing medium chain triglycerides. Medium chain triglycerides are special fatty acids that resemble carbohydrates more that fat. As a result of this, they are much easier to be both absorbed and digested by your dog.

These triglycerides are found naturally in milk fat, palm oil, and coconut oil. Commercial forms are available in both liquid forms and capsules.

However, if this method is used, it will be critical that they are supplemented with Vitamin B12 as well as the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K as your dog will not survive without these critical fat soluble vitamins.

FATTY ACID SUPPLEMENTS

There may be other treatments recommended, but this is a very specific disorder and it must be replaced with the exact same specifics.

Homemade remedies or natural cures will not work with these diseases. And you should only proceed with the treatment in this life threatening disease on the recommendation of your veterinarian.

Maldigestion Syndrome in Dogs & Pet Meds RX