So i just got a call back from the vet. Sierra's blood work looked fine but one thing, her liver count. it is at 150!  normal is 20-100, last yr her liver was at 40. So this now has me on an internet search trying to find out shit only to really find out that its the hardest thing to figure out  im glad we had the comparison from last yr. so im gonna start her on SAM-E pills twice a day and we are going to recheck it in 3 months. the vet said it could be something she ate, like a dead animal or what not causing the spike. i asked if the pills she was on last month that caused the seizure could have it spiked and she said maybe. we have not changed her diet or anything. the fact that everything else was fine left us with no real direction of what is up. the upcoming test will not be cheap to do to figure it out, ultra sounds and such. i hope adding the pills and keeping her from eating things on our walk help and that this is just an off test.  any one have to deal with this and could offer some suggestions on getting her count down? or just send good thoughts to Sierra that this is just nothing. oh and as a reminder our baby girl is 9.5 yrs old so she is getting up there in age even if she does not act it!

My parents dog, Sebby was eight when he was found to have liver failure. He was given antiobitics (I don't remember what) and the vet suggested he take SAM-E pills also. I really think the SAM-E pills worked wonders on him. He's still here today at fourteen years old. Good luck to you and Sierra!

It could have been the pills she was on last month. Drugs are broken down in the liver and if Sierra had a seizure from them then I'd be highly suspect of it. I'm guessing your talking about the ALT or ALP portion of her blood work?

http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2009/may/blood-work-what-it-means-and-why-your-pet-needs-it-part-2-blood-chemistry#.UIH172-HKSo


Stopping at a major vet clinic in regards to Adobo after the Maddie's event, as her gall bladder/liver may be in questionable condition. Her TBIL, ALB and TP numbers are all high, down from July's test but still high.

So i asked the Vet about the toot and what level was elevated. here was her response.

The ALT was the number that increased. This is an indicator of liver cell damage. Currently the elevation is minimal. Since it is the liver's job to filter toxins, there is always some cell death and regeneration. Therefore, the sensible plan is to recheck in 3 months to verify that the number is actually continuing to increase before going to the ultrasounds and other diagnostics. I am not convinced it would be related to the tooth, unless it is because of a root infection that the liver is helping screen out of the blood. If it were the Alk Phos that were elevated, I would be more convinced. However, I did speak with an internal medicine specialist about the elevations in ALT, and one suggestion she gave was to start on amoxicillin for two weeks, and then retest right before ending the medication. if there was a hepatitis, then we would expect 30-50 percent improvement in the ALT at this point. we then continue the amoxi until the values are in the normal range, and for two weeks after we get a normal result. We also start on SAM-e (which you can get at costco), and possibly milk thistle or actigal. If you would like to discuss an amoxi trial, please let me know. since amoxi is on the $4 list, there is little risk unless she has a reaction to penicillins.



so i think were going to try the amoxicillin treatment. will keep you all posted.

When my BC Maggie was first diagnosed with liver/kidney failure her homeopathic vet recommended this:

http://www.standardprocess.com/Products/Veterinary-Formulas/Canine-Renal-Support

I have since used their dermal support as well as their ferrofood for the shed heads.

Here is their complete veterinary line:

http://www.standardprocess.com/Veterinary-Document-Library/Product-Guide/veterinaryproductguideL4510.pdf

I think they put a lot of science into their products.

well after being on antibiotics for 2 weeks we got sierras liver count rechecked and it went up some more, instead of 152 it is now 188. so in 2.5 weeks it went up 36 points vet said we can recheck again at the end of Dec. to see where she is then, if it hits 300 we need to have an ultra sound done to see what is going on. the vet also said her liver could be in a regenerative stage as well causing the high number. guess time will tell.

Brian im going to look into the stuff you posted.

I'm sorry Jen. I hope you get better news at the next recheck.

Jen,

Have you thought about trying holistic veterinary care? I can imagine that since the liver is a filtering organ, antibiotics could be harsh on a tired liver.

Megan,
our vet does some holistic care, the antibiotics were used to see if she had hepatitis, since it did not decrease the count that ruled that out. maybe the jump in the count was due to the antibiotics..... im also gonna start her on some milk thistle along with the SAM-e she has been getting

Well that is good!

I just say that because I know the Liver and Kidney are prone to issues the more they process. Maybe try getting her off of everything processed and getting her as chemical free as possible. That is what I would try.

Not sure if you read this - but it seems pretty informative:

http://www.dogaware.com/health/liver.html

I don't know much about dogs but I do know birds and they get liver issues quite a lot (diet related really). What's been recommended to me is the milk thistle and dandelion extract. Both are supposed to help the liver regenerate.

Megan thank you for that link, I have not had a chance to look around for info yet.

cinnamonbits wrote:

I don't know much about dogs but I do know birds and they get liver issues quite a lot (diet related really). What's been recommended to me is the milk thistle and dandelion extract. Both are supposed to help the liver regenerate.

I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier. Jenn, when my mother-in-laws dog had elevated liver enzymes her holistic vet put the dog on a milk thistle supplement and that actually brought the levels back down to normal after a month or two (I can't remember exactly how long it was).

Thanks val, vet mention it as well, heading to amazon when I get to work to look at prices, anyone have a place they have gotten it? We will keep her on the sam-e and thistle and have her blood rechecked at the end of dec. I hope its down by then and we don't need to go to the next step.

I got mine from a health food store...for birds I needed the kind without alcohol, so I assume its the same for dogs right?

I've never bought it but my mother in law bought her first batch from the holistic vet. After that I believe she continued buying it at Swanson Vitamins

Please let us know what happens with Sierra. She will be in my prayers that is for sure!

so i found these 2
http://www.amazon.com/Foods-Silymarin-Thistle-300mg-Vcaps/dp/B0013OSRV6/ref=?ie=UTF8&m=A3OLYSHHQKD02C

http://www.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formulas-Thistle-Standardized-Silymarin/dp/B0013OULVA/ref=?ie=UTF8&m=A3OLYSHHQKD02C

the first one has a higher mg of milk thistle as well as added stuff. the 2nd on has the thistle in it. im wondering at 45lbs what one should she take?

I love NOW brands Jen - affordable and high quality. I use their brand for all my supplements. I have never had an issue. The dogs also use their brand for Vitamin E, Salmon Oil and any other supplement they may need.

Not trying to persuade you in any direction. just letting you know I found a the standard process stuff on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Standard-Process-Livaplex-90-C/dp/B003B4YO4A/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1352321191&sr=1-1&keywords=standard+process+liver

Megan, i use the MCT oil from now and love it. i just was not sure on the mg count and if one was better cause of that, how much should she be using?

Brian, no worries, still waiting to hear back from my vet on the other thing. i don't want to be mixing to many things together with her unless the vet has given me the ok on it.

Typically, the dose is for a human of 150lbs. I would adjust to fit the weight of Sierra. So, if she is 50lns - 1/3 of the recommended human dose.

jbealer wrote:

Brian, no worries, still waiting to hear back from my vet on the other thing. i don't want to be mixing to many things together with her unless the vet has given me the ok on it.

Sounds reasonable to me and what I had to do with Maggie as she was on a lot of stuff. I did notice in the comments on Amazon one person had good luck giving it to their dog.

so the vet called me back and said sierra could have 400-1000mg of the thistle, i just ordered the NOW ones with my MCT oil, combined the shipping she said for now to just stick with the 2 things, that way when we retest in a month were then not wondering which is or is not working if her numbers change. thanks for everyone's help. i will keep you all updated with the next check, fingers crossed it goes down!