Thank you so much. Like anyone that has to put their animal to sleep, it is bittersweet. You are relieved that they are not having to suffer or fight for life anymore, but you miss them so much.

He sent me a picture of her in her healthier days... what a difference! If you look at the pic of her in my other post, she is so incredibly thin... and this one, she almost looks chunky... but sooo much healthier!


This disease that she had, we had never heard of before, but it is devastating, especially if it is not recognized early enough. It seems that it hits German Shepherds the most, but any dog can get it. It is called "Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency" or "EPI".... and the most telling symptoms are chronic diarrhea, voracious appetite, and shocking weight loss. If you check the EPI home page site and look at some of the pictures of the dogs that have it you will see a striking similarity in all of the dogs. I am not sure vets are up to speed on this. There is a blood test for this. What happens is dogs (and cats, too) are not producing the enzymes in their pancreases to digest their food, therefore, they are slowing starving to death.
Here is the EPI site, if you would like to check it out:
http://www.epi4dogs.com/apps/forums/

Thanks again for your kind replies.
Sher