So Big Dre got his test results back today.
He does not have EPI and his folate levels are good. His cobalamin (B12) is "low normal." ETa: B12 deficiencies seem to manifest in the form of GI trouble or it is a symptom of GI trouble, I'm not entirely clear. But this seems unsurprising all the way around.
So the good news is that he does not have a disease that would have required us to incubate porcine pancreas on every bite of his food.
The bad news is that we still aren't sure exactly what IS wrong with him...
Except that he is missing the part of his small intestines that normally absorbs B12. The lab where his tests were run at Texas A&M (yay Aggies? Oh. That felt weird...) recommends B12 supplementation for low normal results. I saw this after speaking to the vet. We left it at continuing to watch and see. He's not losing weight so that's good. I started him on the vegetarian Missing Link to get his omegas and probiotics. We'll see if he tolerates that better than the salmon oil.
But I will be speaking to the vet more about B12 supps. The thing is, although it is water soluble and so overdose is pretty impossible, oral supplements don't work all that well. I could give them to him and see if he's one of the lucky ones that they do work for, but if that part of his intestine is gone, then what's the point? Injections work better, I'm told. The body has a limited store of B12 and if he's not absorbing it, he's using what he has and not replenishing it and, well, it's kind of important.
Anyone out there with experience on this sort of thing, your input is welcome. Otherwise, I'll update when I know more and as we continue with the Missing Link.
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