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Dear Dr. Baum --

I have a problem with my 13 month German shepherd.  His diarrhea has been on and off since 4 mo.  3 mo. ago he began losing weight, so I went to a vet.  Blood work and stool tests were normal but x-rays showed that his colon was huge and thick.  He had Albon, Metrodanzanole, and Metoclopramide to be on the safe side.  He eats a hypoallergenic food and has 3 to 4 times the amount of food for his size but will
not put on weight.  He should be 25 lbs more.  He looks very emaciated, but his
coat, energy level, and everything else are normal.  Thank you for any ideas

Stephanie,
Warren, MI USA

Dear Stephanie --

There is a good chance that your dog has a digestive enzyme deficiency.  The pancreas produces enzymes which are important in the breakdown of proteins, starches and fats.  Failure to adequately produce and excrete these substances leads to a situation in which the nutrition provided by the food cannot be absorbed through the intestinal wall thus resulting in severe diarrhea.  This dog is literally starving because the nutrients contained in the food are really not available to his body. 

The condition is readily detected with non invasive blood tests like pancreatic TLI which measures the levels of the pancreatic enzyme Trypsin.  But, what is even better, is that the condition can be successfully treated by premixing the food with a medication named Vio-Kase.  This product pre-digests the food through its enzymatic activity, thus rendering the nutrients absorbable. 

This condition is especially common in German Shepherds.  Please let me know how this case turns out.