Between a rock and a hard place

[AClark]

I've been mulling over an issue with our German Shepherd for a month or so now and some outside opinions would be welcome.
She's 4 now, she has some mental issues (she's literally neurotic). We have suspected she has EPI for awhile now, which means basically no matter how much I feed her, she is wasting away. The testing is expensive, so no it hasn't been performed, though it isn't unlikely considering how much I feed her and the fact that she keeps getting leaner and leaner. She's up to 9 cups of kibble a day plus leftovers and she's 45ish lbs. She does not have parasites, and should be easily in the 70+ lb range.

Now, with what I know about EPI, is it is a lifelong condition. It is manageable but not curable. The management for it is no part of cheap. Basically, it's a lack of producing an enzyme that digests food, so regardless of how much you feed them, they don't benefit nutritionally from what they eat. That and because they don't benefit from what they eat, they are constantly ravenously hungry. They have a diet that's special to combat it to include enzymes but it takes awhile to get it right while the dog wastes away.

The weird behavior could be related to EPI, or it could be separate. By weird behavior I mean she can be outside all day and I let her in and she'll get on one of the kids beds and pee and poop all over it, barks incessantly, destroys everything and can't be trusted loose in the house whatsoever, even when everyone is home. She can't be left outdoors because she jumps the fence and runs off.

At what point do y'all say "it's too much" to afford and deal with? I'm probably looking at $150-200 for the testing and then several hundred dollars to manage it every couple of months. I honestly don't have that kind of money to spend on a dog with that kind of temperament. Her behavior is so bad I don't think I can give her away either without her ending up at the shelter anyway.

Any thoughts?

 

[Latestarter]

May sound harsh or unfeeling but I'd put her down. My Mystie was old, with tumors, rotting teeth, digestive issues, and getting around was becoming very difficult for her. Nothing like being destructive or what your girl is doing/going through, but the move would have put her under tremendous stress, and I didn't want to do that to her. I put her down before I moved for that reason. Even had I moved her, she wouldn't have had much time left. Really tough place to be in. Hope whatever you decide is for the best.

 

[NH homesteader]

Hey there's a new member who knows a lot about EPI but I don't remember her usernam. Search for it or @Latestarter can tag her, she breeds Spanish Mastiffs.

But I'm afraid I agree it is likely time, with the medical and behavioral issues. But if the medical was taken care of would the behavioral change? I don't know

 

[Bruce]

Is it @BrendaMNgri ??

 

[NH homesteader]

Yes thank you! My phone doesn't work well enough for me to go search through old posts. Sorry I forgot your name @BrendaMNgri! I know you know a lot about EPI though!

 

[Hens and Roos]

sorry to hear about your challenges with her

 

[lcertuche]

So sad, but I think if she is acting like that then she really can't be enjoying her life and it's better not to suffer. If you can't bring yourself to put her down then ask a friend or take her to the vet. Such a shame. Our large borador disappeared off our porch one day and we haven't seen her since. It is heartbreaking to lose such a close family member (which she definitely was) but better not to suffer or hurt herself or someone else.

 

[TAH]

What are you feeding her?

 

[promiseacres]

I agree with @Latestarter there's a point even if they are young that it's time

 

[AClark]

I've tried a lot of different foods, from grain-free expensive ones to cheap ones. It doesn't seem to matter, everything that goes in (after a long well adjusted period) still comes out the other end as liquid death. The smell is incredibly bad, not like dog poop but almost like puppies with parvo get - rotten death smell. She's eating Purina right now and literally 8-9 cups a day, plus wet food/safe leftovers and hasn't gained any weight. After her being out this morning for 3 hours I had to bring her in to go run errands and she had liquid poop all over my laundry room - I was gone for 2 hours. I hate having to keep her in there, but it's about the only place where there's nothing she can destroy and is easy to clean up, since this happens frequently.

The behavioral issues are stressful, from what I've read EPI can be a cause for behavioral issues, but I have my doubts if it's the sole cause. The vet mentioned her poor temperament last time we were there, she's extremely skittish and has to be muzzled at the vet. She's always been unreliable in the house for any amount of time, but the destructive behavior has really ramped up over the last few months. She eats everything - garbage, shoes, plastic - not just tears it up but actually eats it. She's crate trained but all that means is she has liquid poop in the crate and is caked in it when I get home, so not only do I end up cleaning that, but washing the dog too.

I'm just lost. Our Aussie cattle dog isn't even a year old and doesn't chew things up or potty in the house, ever. I've been contemplating putting the GSD down more recently, especially with the sudden weight loss and not being able to keep a pound on her (she's spayed, she should be absolutely obese with how much she's being fed). The erratic behavior is a concern too. I told her "no" the other day, didn't yell at her, but I didn't want her running into my kids room where she could do gross things, and she stood there and peed a giant puddle on the livingroom floor, then promptly freaked out, tried to run on the tile, slipped in the pee and fell in it.

Late, I sympathize with your old girl. When I was moving to NY from AZ I had a 16 year old basset hound. Sweetest dog ever, but she was very sick with a large tumor and I knew the major weather change was going to affect her arthritis, as she was already struggling to get around. It's always a hard decision, but easier I guess because she was already so old and I knew nothing we could do could make it better for her.