There are a large number of hereditary and non-hereditary health conditions that can effect the Westie. That is why it is so important NOT to purchase a Westie from a Pet Shop or from an ad in the paper. A prospective owner should expect to take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to acquire a Westie and they need to research the breeder and the health of that breeder's lines very carefully. Unless you plan to show your Westie, why not consider Rescue? If you're considering a Westie, be sure to read about the health issues related to the breed. Many of the conditions are manageable, but you have to realize it is your responsibility as an owner to spend the money and put forth the effort required to keep the dog healthy and happy. If you're not willing to do that (for a Westie or for any dog) then you should reconsider your desire to be a dog owner.
In a last ditch effort to find out what was wrong, I contacted the University of Minnesota Veterinary Teaching Hospital. We had had a good experience with them when Chelsea had been ill, so it was my last hope. We brought her there that day, fully expecting to go home without her, certain we'd be putting her to sleep. Instead, we met someone who we will always hold in the highest esteem, Dr. Lindsay Merkel. We feel Dr. Merkel was Tara's Guardian Angel. She came in and examined Tara, talked to us about what we'd done for the past year, looked at her medical records and said the words "Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency". We responded with "What?" Dr. Merkel then went on to describe EPI; what it is, the symptoms, the treatment, and the prognosis. She said she wasn't positive until we had a TLI (trypsin-like immunoreactivity) blood test run, but she wanted to start Tara on the treatment right away as she was very certain that EPI is what we were dealing with.
When the blood work came back, it showed that Dr. Merkel was correct in her diagnosis. We will always be thankful to her, and we look at her as the person who saved Tara's life. It was heartbreaking to watch my sweet adoring Westie starve to death and not know what to do for her. She would look at us with her black, trusting eyes and our hearts would break. But because of Dr. Merkel, we were able to get a good diagnosis, start her on a treatment plan, and restore her health. Tara is now 9 years old, a rather stout 22 pounds, and a very healthy dog.
We subsequently found a new veterinarian shortly after Dr. Merkel diagnosed Tara. She is Dr. Judi Ford from Funk Animal Hospital in Brooklyn Park, MN. Dr. Judi is very well versed in EPI, as well as being a very good and concerned and helpful vet. And as an added bonus, her office is very close to our home! We feel very fortunate to have found her, and we trust her with our dogs completely. I can't imagine what we'd do without Dr. Judi and all of the Vets and Technicians at Funk. I can't say enough about how wonderful they all are and would wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone.
In most cases, clinical signs develop in canines between 1 and 5 years of age, though they may occur in older dogs as well. Animals with EPI most commonly preset because of frequent passage of large volumes of pale feces and weight loss. Routine lab test results are generally not helpful in establishing a diagnosis of EPI. Affected animals can be identified by radioimmuno-assay of serum trypsin-like immuno-reactivity (TLI) in a single fasting serum sample. Trypsin-like immunoreativity is a pancreas specific marker since trypsinogen is synthesized and stored only in pancreatic ancinar cells. Pancreatic ancinar atrophy is associated with almost total absence of pancreatic acinar cells. Serum TLI concentrations are dramatically reduced (<2.5 mg/L) in affected dogs.
What does all this mean? Basically, it means the animal starves to death regardless of the amount of food ingested. Because it cannot produce the enzymes needed to digest its food, it does not absorb the nutrients and slowly starves to death.
Is EPI a "death sentence"? Definitely NOT! When EPI is diagnosed, it is actually relatively simple to treat. Most dogs and cats with EPI can be managed successfully by simply supplementing each meal with pancreatic enzyme extracts. In a small proportion of cases the response to this treatment is suboptimal, but that is usually due to other conditions such as small intestinal disease and bacterial overgrowth. Enzyme replacement can begin as soon as diagnosis is made, and dogs will quickly begin to regain weight. Once the animal has improved, the owner can determine a minimum effective dose of pancreatic enzyme and maintain the animal on that. Occasionally further vitamin supplementation is necessary. Tara gets B-12 shots every 3 weeks to keep her appetite up, but they are simple to give and I do that myself at home.
EPI can be reliably diagnosed with the TLI test. After diagnosis, pancreatic enzyme replacement generally leads to an excellent clinical response. It is generally irreversible and lifelong treatment with replacement pancreatic enzymes is required. Prognosis is generally good. The cost of the pancreatic powder is somewhere between $75 - $125 for 12 oz. of the powder. All that is required of the owner is sprinkling 1 - 2 tsp. of the powder of the animal's food, so it is not a difficult condition to manage.
For more information on EPI, you can visit these sites: