brittienewbie wrote:The vet's conclusion is that there are three possible culprits in Bear's issues. First, he may be Vitamin B12 deficient.
Treating for Vitamin B12 deficiency is the new buzz protocol for vets. Just let me say that the symptoms for Vit B12 deficiency are "fatigue, inactivity, lack of appetite". Does this sound like Bear? IF there is a B12 deficiency it can easily corrected with raw meat, especially organ meat. A blood test will answer the question of a B12 deficiency. I'd do the blood test for other reasons, get off the prescription diet which in most cases does not really qualify as proper food for a dog, settle on one grain free novel protein food (fish, duck), stick with it, divide his food up into 5-6 meals a day so that he is not getting a lot of food at once, SOAK it so that his digestive system doesn't have to work so hard. If his small intestine "doesn't recognize the proteins in his current diet" it is most likely because they are not the proper proteins for a dog....MEAT is the proper protein for a dog. Any other protein sources are not well utilized even by dogs that have no digestive issues. If the pancreas is not functioning correctly this can be determined with lab work. JMPO
Bless your "hubs" for getting more involved. This will help a lot with their interaction.
brittienewbie wrote: Is Bear going to stop biting and jumping and attacking soon?
Along with the coprophagia these are training and management issues. You control this with patient and consistent training. There have been many tips and suggestions made, some of which it sounds like you have used. Incorporate the methods that seem to work the best with Bear and stick with them...be consistent. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it isn't a train

PS. Edited to add.....you might do a Barium test for motility. Just a thought.