Liver disease
 

Does anyone out there have a dog with liver disease. My dog has been having seizures for over a year and is on meds His acid bile test keeps coming back elevated. Any feedback would be appreciated on what I cando to keep rio as healthy as possible he is only 6.

[QUOTE=Dlyoung;1002675]Does anyone out there have a dog with liver disease. My dog has been having seizures for over a year and is on meds His acid bile test keeps coming back elevated. Any feedback would be appreciated on what I cando to keep rio as healthy as possible he is only 6.[/QUOTE]

My friends cat was born with a liver shunt so I know what you are talking about. What food are you using? She has to keep the kitten on a low protein diet and also uses Lactulose twice daily to help.

my last dog died of lepto, which affected the liver the last 9 months of her life, 2/3 of her liver was "dead" and the remaining 1/3 was damaged. we made her meals daily with very little protein and gave her daily doses of liver detox from the health store.

Check with your vet about adding a liver support supplement. Milk thistle and SAM-e can aid in liver repair. I've had two Scotties that had liver problems. I used Denosyl with mild improvements and Denamarin with significant improvements. Here are links so you can read about the products and see if this is something you want to discuss with your vet.

[url]http://www.drugs.com/vet/denosyl.html[/url]
[url]http://www.drugs.com/vet/denamarin.html[/url]

Both my dogs ran an extremely elevated Alkaline Phosphatase level. One passed at a very elderly age from liver failure/suspected liver cancer (he got sick very quickly--it was not a long-term illness and he enjoyed excellent health until the last 2-3 weeks). The other dog had multiple health problems and we used Denamarin when she developed hepatitis. We saw her liver values drop around 800 points each in a 6 week time frame (along with antibiotic treatment). I don't have long-term results from the medication because she passed from an unrelated problem. Both my dogs were much older than yours, but the elevated liver enzymes were discovered at ages 4 and 7.

The two supplements I've listed should be safe. I believe some people have used Milk Thistle and SAM-e purchased at the health food store, but your vet would need to give the appropriate dosage and OK that this is safe for your dog. Good luck.

Rio has been on milk thistle and same since last summer

Can you use the drugs you listed with milk thistle?

I think you may be asking me about the supplements I listed. They seem to be the only "medications" listed. The Denosyl is a supplement containing SAM-e. The Denamarin is a supplement containing SAM-e and an extract from milk thistle known as silymarin. You are basically already giving the Denamarin combination to your Rio. So you wouldn't want to give these supplements in double doses.

Before adding any supplement, it is worth discussing with your vet just to make sure it won't interfere with the current medications.

Based on everything I've experienced with liver problems, this is a very complicated area. The liver is remarkable and can to some degree heal itself when damaged, something not seen in other organs. It can also function when a great portion is unhealthy. My experiences were not related to seizure disorders or medication complications, only abnormal Alkaline Phosphatase levels, hepatitis, testing for Cushing's Disease and sudden liver failure in a very elderly geriatric dog. I'm out of my area of experience here. Hopefully another member can speak up to offer advice.

Welcome to Pets.ca. This is a wonderful forum with nice members who have a passion for their pets. I wish you and your sweet Rio all the best. If you continue to have problems figuring out Rio's problems, you may want to ask your vet for a referral to a vet internal medicine specialist. One of my dogs developed so many complicated issues she was referred to specialists.

Elevated ALT/ALP/cholesterol
 

My dog has on and off elevation in ALT/ALP/cholesterol. Could elevated cholesterol increase/(falsely) increase ALT/ALP? He eats a lot of greenies and has a tendency to swallow pieces of his toys. Could this be a reason? ? Transient obstruction?

He also have been on a prolonged antibiotic treatment (Cefpodoxime, currently Ciprofloxacin) for skin infection? She must have completed 1-12 weeks of treatment within last 6 months. First infection was 2/2 cellulitis, 2nd one 2/2 cut to his paw.

Would appreciate any response/info.

Thank you.