I am so behind on emails, doing a few fund raisers for Sandy victims, this has taken all my time, and still trying to get the contractors to finish repairs on my house before the next wave of storms on Wednesday, but let me share with you what I learned Test MUST be done fasting. Recommended protocol, first test after 1 year of age, second test six months later, and then once a year. Tests before 1 year of age are basically a waste of your time and money. GSD "normal" (more like common) range is 3-8, treat anything below 5. But that was the lab we use, not Antech. These scales apparently differ by lab. This range is particular to GSD, and as I understand, is different for each breed. Same experience as yours, the lab doesn't communicate with the patient/owner that's paying the bill, they only talk to the vets. We are not worthy....<G>.... Of course, all this is under the assumption that the animals tested are fasted, not on any prozyme/enzyme supplementation, etc. Basically, the owners have to be honest for all this work to be worth it. Later, have to start a couple of chip-in accounts for people who are in real need. I'll be no mail, and will check emails when times allows. Be safe everyone. * Ileana * Love me, love my dogs. In a message dated 11/3/2012 11:40:59 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, Pinehillgsds@xxxxxxx writes: So...just got the score back on a bitch I had tested (fasting results) 25.1 Her 7 month old puppy, 13.3 I can see on the fax from the vet, that the lab's (Antech) normal range is 5-35. We know that EPT is anything under 2.5, and we have also learned some vets treat under 5. Texas A & M has apparently done a lot w/ this and their definition of normal is slightly different (5.something) but not enough to split hairs. On the Texas A & M web site they used to have a chart that showed low normal, etc. and now I can't find it, although interestingly I am finding case studies of dogs w/ SIBO and a reference for one dog at "low normal" at 6.8. So I wrote to them and here's what I got: Hello, Thank you for your interest in our services. Unfortunately, due to veterinary licensing issues we are legally prohibited from giving advice or releasing results directly to pet owners. However, we do offer a free consultation service that your veterinarian may use. Please have your veterinarian contact us at gilab@xxxxxxxxxxxx or 979-862-2861, and we will set up a consult request so that one of our internal medicine specialists can work with your veterinarian to provide the highest level of patient care available. If you are looking for a specialist in your area, you can search at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine at _http://www.acvim.org/websites/acvim/index.php?p=3_ (http://www.acvim.org/websites/acvim/index.php?p=3) or the American Animal Hospital Association at _http://www.healthypet.com_ (http://www.healthypet.com/) . As always, we are here to help. Thank you for your continued support. Thank you, Samantha Britt ************************************************************************ Does anybody have additional info, charts, recommended frequency for tests, recommended ranges for breeding stock? I'm not so much concerned w/ a definition for EPI...My thought is a lower than ideal pancreatic function can set a dog up for a whole lot of things, SIBO, TG etc., I am trying to quantify "lower than ideal" and I'll be damned but I am coming up empty on data. Kathy, member GSDCA, DVGSDC Celebrating generations of Dual Titled TC'd Champions visit _http://www.pinehillgsds.com/_ (http://www.pinehillgsds.com/) ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2012. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in any post. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org SUBSCRIPTION:http://showgsd.org/mail.html NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================