This is Diesel. He is a much loved 2 and a half year old kelpie. For the past year Diesel has been through a great deal of turmoil after being diagnosed with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency.

Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) occurs when the pancreas doesn’t produce the enzymes it normally should such as amylase, lipase, trypsin and proteases. These enzymes are required to break down food. This means Diesel struggles to absorb food like a normal dog. Therefore he regularly gets diarrhoea and finds it impossible to gain weight despite being constantly ravenous and eating three times the amount he should. He is also prone to bacterial infections that can make him very sick.

When we first saw Diesel he was malnourished, his pelvic bones stuck out and you could see each individual rib. He wasn’t interested in playing and didn’t like us vets very much! At his worst Diesel weighed in at 13kgs, which is 8kgs under his ideal body weight!

However after much love and care from his owners and trialling new medications with us here at Midwest Vet, Diesel’s condition has now been brought under control. He now has a lovely glossy coat, is his ideal body weight of 21kgs, loves to play with his toys and even likes coming to the veterinary clinic!

Please take a look at the photographs of Diesel taken before and after medical treatment:

Before treatment:

After treatment:

(If you would like further information on the condition of Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency please contact us at Midwest Vet Centre).