# ProZyme vs Prescription Pancreas Powders



## WolverSyr (Jan 9, 2009)

Many of you are familiar with Snoopy's malabsorbtion issues, subsequent surgery to remove 20% of his small intestine & now recovery. I won't go into detail here. 

Since his surgery he's had diarrhea, which is to be expected. The vet prescribed PancreaPowder Plus at $70 a bottle. It lasts one week...
Honestly, I'm not sure it's doing much because he still has very loose stools. 

My question is - has anyone used Prozyme? It's a hell of a lot cheaper, non-prescription & has good reveiws online (although I'm always suspicious of online reveiws.) Has anyone used the prescription powder then switched to a commercial brand? Did it firm up stools and help discourage poop eating? (Since the surgery he's been wanting to eat it - never did before & I know it has to do with hunger, digestion & nutrient absorbtion.)

Just curious before I make the leap & buy the bigger bottle of PancreaPowder.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

I don't believe Prozyme has pancreatic enzymes does it???? I'm assuming the PancreaPowder does. That might be important for Snoopy right now. I'd check with your vet and have a print out of ingredients for both so you compare/contrast.


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## moverking (Feb 26, 2007)

Well, this was a *itch to find a straight answer to so I just looked up Material Safety Data Sheets on the Pancreapowder plus

Pancrea powder MSDS
https://www.accessbutler.com/msdsimages/A0001360.pdf

Prozyme
http://prnpharmacal.com/prozyme/index.php

Yup, same ingredients, all pancreatic enzymes: Lipase, Amylase, Protease, and Cellulase.
Amounts of enzymes look higher in the Pancrepowder, but the Prozyme is measured in Units/gram...so it may well calculate out the same....what dose is Snoopy on?


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

WolverSyr said:


> Many of you are familiar with Snoopy's malabsorbtion issues, subsequent surgery to remove 20% of his small intestine & now recovery. I won't go into detail here.
> 
> Since his surgery he's had diarrhea, which is to be expected. The vet prescribed PancreaPowder Plus at $70 a bottle. It lasts one week...
> Honestly, I'm not sure it's doing much because he still has very loose stools.
> ...


I prefer the Nature's Farmacy Digestive Enhancer to the ProZyme. I feel that it is a much more complete product.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Aren't digestive enzymes different than pancreatic enzymes??? With the latter being made from ground up (hog) pancreas?? And has to be added to moistened food and allowed to sit for a while???


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Here's an article dealing with what I was talking about. Some AIHA dogs have this issue and it's a lot more involved than the digestive enzymes I use.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2103&aid=331


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## WolverSyr (Jan 9, 2009)

My feeling about this is that an enzyme is an enzyme regardless if it is animal or plant derived, or where in the body the enzyme came from - so if the commercial non-prescription brands contain the necessary enzymes it should work in the same way. The enzyme will act as a catylst no matter where it came from - in this case breaking down fats & proteins.

I spoke with my boss who has her doctorate in (human) nutrition and she said there shouldn't be any difference. Of course she doesn't know anything about dog health so I'll keep that in mind.

I printed out the Prozyme and Nature's Farmacy pages. I'll take them to my vet & see what she says.

I like the sound of the Natures Farmacy product & if I get the go ahead from the vet, I'll go with that.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

WolverSyr said:


> My feeling about this is that an enzyme is an enzyme regardless if it is animal or plant derived,.


In theory yes, but the plant-based enzymes don't seem to be nearly as effective as the porcine.

We've been dealing with this for several months now, since our GSD was diagnosed with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. We have him on prescription Viokase, which is crazy expensive (thank god for insurance!) but it works wonders.

You might want to check out this forum germanshepherds.com
These conditions are very common in GSDs and there is a TON of information there about the different enzymes, they're effectiveness, how they vary, etc.


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## WolverSyr (Jan 9, 2009)

Thank you - I'll check it out!

I don't think Snoop's issue is necessarily related to his Pancreas but to the shortening of his intestine. According to the vet he has less surface area to absorb nutrients and they're passing through too quickly.

Honestly, with 3 semesters of Chemistry a million credit hours in Biology and an impending Zoology Degree, I should understand all of this. I think I'm not asking the right questions of the Vet & probably not entirely hearing what she's saying. Then again physiology is not my concentration...


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

If you do get the go ahead from your vet, the Natures Farmacy Digestive Enhancer is really a good product. It has a long, stable shelf life and is very economical. The 2 pound jar lasts our 4 about 4-5 months. Just make sure it is suitable for Snoopy.... certainly don't want any steps backwards.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

WolverSyr said:


> My feeling about this is that an enzyme is an enzyme regardless if it is animal or plant derived, or where in the body the enzyme came from - so if the commercial non-prescription brands contain the necessary enzymes it should work in the same way. The enzyme will act as a catylst no matter where it came from - in this case breaking down fats & proteins.
> 
> I spoke with my boss who has her doctorate in (human) nutrition and she said there shouldn't be any difference. Of course she doesn't know anything about dog health so I'll keep that in mind.
> 
> ...


I'm very happy with it. It is cost effective for me, doesn't require refirgeration, has more of the enzymes and beneficial bacterias than Prozyme, and my dogs love it. I just top dress their food with it - they lick it right up before eating the food.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

WolverSyr said:


> Thank you - I'll check it out!
> 
> I don't think Snoop's issue is necessarily related to his Pancreas but to the shortening of his intestine. According to the vet he has less surface area to absorb nutrients and they're passing through too quickly.


You should be able to find some pretty good information there. 

Something else you might want to talk to your vet about...

I don't know if they've mentioned anything about Snoop's food. From what I've read, dogs that have any kind of malabsorption issue (regardless of the root cause) usually benefit from a lower protein/lower fat diet. I found that it doesn't particularly matter with Gunner, but it seems that he's the exception. 

I don't know how long you're letting the enzymes sit on the food before feeding, but that's something you might want to play around with, too. For some, it can be sprinkled right on top and they can be fed right away and for some it has to be mixed in and the food needs to sit for a _good _twenty minutes before feeding.
It can involve a lot of trial and error (and a lot of hair pulling) finding out what works for your dog and what doesn't.


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## WolverSyr (Jan 9, 2009)

Snoop is on i/d canned and dry - I think that's about as bland as it gets. He gets no treats other than some dry i/d.

I do the 20 minute sit at room temp. too. 

His poops are still pretty loose, although occasionally we get something very close to a turd. He's putting on weight and growing. 

I suppose the prescription powder is working, but I was really hoping for a lower cost alternative. Between 3 months of vet visits, a huge surgery, prescription food, weekly B-12 injections, and after care I'm cutting corners pretty drastically. Add $120 per month and I'm going to have to teach him to pull a sled to get me to work.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

WolverSyr said:


> Snoop is on i/d canned and dry - I think that's about as bland as it gets. He gets no treats other than some dry i/d.
> 
> I do the 20 minute sit at room temp. too.
> 
> ...


The Nature's Pharmacy product has been extrememly cost effective for us. I buy the 5" pail, and it lasts me several months, even feeding 5+ dogs. I think that I am paying around $70 dollars (or less) for that size.


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## buckeyegoldenmom (Oct 5, 2008)

My last dog Cody had the pancreatic insufficiency. He was on the prescription pancreatic enzyme powder Viokase. Yes it is crazy expensive! I think intially about ten years ago it was $80 for an 8 oz bottle and last time I purchased it, it was around $130. 

I did find however that we were able to get by with only a 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp per meal of the Viokase. I only had to leave it on for about 10 minutes and he did wonderfully on it. My vet told me I could slowly adjust the dosage till I found what worked best on Cody. ( after the initial time...where we just trying to get the loose stools under control.)


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

WolverSyr said:


> Snoop is on i/d canned and dry - I think that's about as bland as it gets. He gets no treats other than some dry i/d.
> 
> I do the 20 minute sit at room temp. too.
> 
> ...


I haven't tried the i/d with Gunner, but it would definitely seem to be one of the better options.

And yeah, the enzymes are expensive. I tried this brand when I had been looking for a plant-based alternative. http://www.goodpet.com/library/pharmacyFiles/canine.asp (Gunner was getting a sore in his mouth from the Viokase.) It's significantly less expensive than most of the other powders, but it didn't work for him. At all. Now the woman who recommended it to me has had great success with it, so go figure.

I'd probably ask your vet about it before trying it. Since Snoopy doesn't have the problem of not producing enzymes on his own, it might be potent enough to work for him - I don't know - but if he's gaining weight, you don't want a setback now.


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## WolverSyr (Jan 9, 2009)

No, I don't want a set back now - but I'm looking towards the future. I'll do whatever is necessary for him, but in a couple of months down the road if I can make a switch I will. If I can't, then I can't...I'll bite the bullet and spend the money every month.

He's having more formed poops, so I'll assume the prescription powder has a lot to do with that.

We're seeing the Vet on Friday. I printed out info on each of everyones recommendations & we'll see!


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## Bob Dylan (Mar 31, 2009)

I have been using prozyme for 9 yrs. It all started when we got Bobby (rescue) he was 14 mo. and had bowel movements that were like jello, our holestic vet told us about prozyme and within one week he was back to normal. Please check with your vet........


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## WolverSyr (Jan 9, 2009)

Thank you Mr. Dylan! Good to know it works for you. I'm hoping...

Hey,by the way - I likeyour song "Hurricane!"


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## Goldilocks (Jun 3, 2007)

I've been using Prozyme with Pippa since I adopted her. She does best on a home made or raw diet but she does get kibble and when she does I put 1/4 tsp. of Prozyme on it to help digestion. Dr. Marty Goldstein recommends Prozyme in his book.


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