My Benji and I need advice.

12 years ago

We had a lot of blood work done. Much was good but some was not. Cholesterol is somewhat of a problem but the liver is the big concern. It has been somewhat elevated for sometime. The vet has prescribed Hepato support capsules. He has been taking 2 a day for a long time. Also he takes potassium citrate for urine crystals - had to have surgery a couple of years ago for a bladder stone. He is also on thyroid meds.

His Liver ALT is now 171. In March it was 123. 100 is normal

His other liver test should be between 23 and 212 and in March it was 840. Now it is 1389

We are presently feeding him Hill's prescription U/D food - 1 1/4 cups a day and 8 large kibbles of Hills prescription T/D food, He also gets glucosomine and aquafresh in his water, thyroid meds and prescription tooth paste. The thyroid test was fine and so were the other tests.

He has been drinking much more water than usual as well.

The vet is away right now but the staff is asking Hills what other diet that he could have and still be able to take the Pottassium citrate. He will let us know in a few days.

I've read on the internet that this could be caused by a trauma. He has not been hit by a car but he has fallen several times recently while going upstairs and landed very, very hard on his abdomen area.

I also notice that eating wild mushrooms can cause a problem. We did have quite a few in the yard awhile ago but I tried to get rid of them all. I doubt if he got any but can't be sure.

I'm reading that a home cooked diet is very good for clearing the liver of problems and I'm quite prepared to do this if necessary. When I read of some of the meat that goes into the dog food, I am horrified, yet I was raised on a farm and Iknow that dead cows, horses, etc were picked up and we were told that it went into dog food. I'm horrified to think of that now.

What would any of you suggest? Should I cook his food myself, instead of buying this very expensive food and if so, what should I make and a recipe.

Thanks so much for any input you can give us.

Benji is over 12 years old. Weighs 42 pounds and is a mix of shi tsu, terrier and probably poodle. ( I can't spell the first one) We rescued him 12 years ago from an abusive situation and love him very dearly. He returns our love in every way he can.

I will be so pleased if you can give me your suggestions.

Thanks

ivamae

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Comments (5)

ladybugfruit
12 years ago
Bless your heart, that's alot going on. Was the other elevated liver enzyme the ALK (alkaline phosphotate)?
I am not familiar with the ins and outs of potassium citrate,so I can't comment there, but the increased water intake and elevated liver enzymes are 2 possible symptoms of cushings. Have there been any changes in his energy level, hair loss or skin changes?
Diet can definitely make a difference for a dog. I rawfeed mine and have for 9 years now. Before that I cooked for them. However, I don't want you to get your hopes up that cooking or rawfeeding will magically lower the liver numbers. I think it can definitely help though. My angel Sadie was rawfed most of her life and still had the liver enzymes that crept up over a year and a half. I guess I just want you to realize that changing the diet can make some positive changes, but it's not the magic bullet you may be looking for ( I know all about looking for those..anything for our babies). What a blessed lil guy Benji is to have such a caring and loving home.
You might look into the yahoo raw feeding forum, or if that is not quite what you are looking for, when I cooked, I used the recipes in the Pitcharin's guide for natural health for dogs and cats. That being said, there are grains in those recipes, which dogs can't really digest, but my dogs did well on it. I opted for rawfeeding when one of my dogs developed cancer, since grains break down into sugar, which fed the cancer cells. Probably way more information that you were looking for, but I hope it helps!! Best of luck with your sweet Benji.
ivamae
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for your reply. I'll research those info sites you sent and " no, it is not more than I am looking for. I'm willing to spend hours doing research if it will help.

Anyone else with ideas?

Thanks!!!
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calliope
12 years ago
" Cholesterol is somewhat of a problem but the liver is the big concern."

Cholesterol and the liver are linked so if you're having liver problems cholesterol issues are often tied to it. The liver processes the cholesterol we consume and it also manufactures about three fourths of it in our body. Seems to me like this may be just two facets of the same issue.
joepyeweed
12 years ago
Do some research on milk thistle, its a natural supplement that is very good for the liver, can be used along with traditional medicines. And of course discuss it with your vet before using it.
montana800
12 years ago
Nutramax labs makes a supplement called Denosyl for dogs that have liver function issues. I give this supplement to all of my dogs twice a week in the appropriate dosage as "protection" for their liver function. I initially discovered it when our beautiful black lab started drinking tons of water and not eating well. We took her to the vet and the blood work showed liver function issues. He prescribed this to her in high doses to see if we could get her liver to repair itself (which it did). It gave her two extra years of life she would not have had. Shortly thereafter, that vet retired and we had to find a new vet. We took her to the new vet and he took her off of the Denosyl. Me- not knowing any better- followed his advise. Within six months her liver was not functioning again and I did not notice it fast enough for the Denosyl to work a miracle again and she died. I did some research and discovered that since Denosyl is a supplement, it can be given with few side effects forever to dogs. So, I learned too late for my Niki, and still blame that vet for being more concerned with the cost of it than the benefits of doing a maintenance dose.