Liver Disease

[Emmy985837]

This has been a very stressful week last week I took Cleo, who will be 12 in March, to the vet because she has become a very picky eater. She stopped eating her dry food and would only eat the wet food (which she only gets about a spoonful of so I can hide her medicine in it), so I started having to give her a whole can of food just so she would eat. We stopped her arthritis medication right away to wait for blood work results, the vet also took x-ray to check for any blockage, none found, but her intestine looked to have decreased movement. Cleo will have to stay off her arthritis medication because her blood work showed she has liver disease, but she also has severe hip arthritis. The vet basically told me I have to choose quality over quantity of life for her. So I am wondering if anyone has had any experience with liver disease and hopefully some tips for me to help her.

 

[ozzysma]

i am so sorry to hear about your girl. hopefully you can find some help here. sending good thoughts her way!!

 

[georgie1]

Emily, I am so sorry to hear this.... I have a dog with arthritis due to untreated Lyme. I think it's pretty bad but I doubt severe. Anyhow I give him Arthisoothe Gold Hip and Joint Advanced (made by NaturVet) and he is doing wonderful. Maybe print out the ingredients and see if your vet would ok them? It's over the counter... What type of med's were you giving Chloe for her art? Could that have been what uped her enzymes? Does your vet feel being off the meds if the enzymes will lower? Also if were me I would feed her the best food I could afford. I had a dog years ago that had issue's and changing his diet made a huge change. Wishing you the best..

 

[Diana]

No experience here with liver problems but sending hugs and good thoughts for Cleo.

 

[Elizabeth]

Just my two cents-
We decided a long time ago that if Gracie's pain meds caused liver or kidney issues then so be it. Happy and pain free until it's time to let her go.

E

 

[Emmy985837]

Cleo has been eating Natural Balance lamb & brown rice dry food and the NB canned food for her pills. This is what she stopped eating. So I switched her to NB Venison & sweet potato dry which she will eat if it is covered with Merrick caned food, I think this food is working because the have a sauce that covers the kibble enough for her.
The vet did say that her liver levels could possible drop but it would not show up for a while. I have started her on pain meds & still trying to work out just how much to give her.
Thank you all for your support

 

[Angela]

Milk Thistle and Dandelion are holistic meds that help repair the liver, you might want to try them.
I hope she will be all right. Thinking of you.

 

[ardeagold]

Yep...Milk Thistle. We give it to any of our dogs on medication that's processed through the liver.

Also, it's given to humans with high liver values to help bring them down, and it does help.

We give the capsules. There's a tincture form, but you have to mix it with water and give with a syringe.

I also agree with Elizabeth. We've done the same thing. I don't want my dog to have to endure the pain, and if the meds gives them a pain-free life, for as long as they live...even with the possibility of liver damage, we choose the pain free route. However, if the meds are causing her to not eat...I'd ask the Vet if after a few days, you could try a different med. (And still give the Milk Thistle, no matter what she takes)

 

[Lori]

Been exactly where you are. Chance was about 11yrs old then and on metacam and tramadol for spondylosis, arthritis and hip dysplasia and was doing great for awhile, then he started not eating. Found out his liver values were elevated causing him to be nauseus. We started him on milk thistle and SAM-e, worked wonders.

 

[Lori]

What pain meds are you giving Cleo? Some work for some dogs better than others. Chance took Rimadyl for a very short time, and I personally will never use it again. Metacam is a liquid, so dosing is very easy to adjust. We had him on a loading dose in the beginning, but then were able to use a dose for only about half his weight. Tramadol also has a very wide dosing range. It all depends on what your dog handles better. I think if you give Cleo the milk thistle and SAM-e it should really help the liver and eating issues. You can give the human milk thistle and SAM-e. The vets have a version of SAM-e called Denosyl. I used it in the very beginning, but it's very expensive. The human med is the same thing and works just as well.

Give Cleo a hug from me, the seniors are very special!

 

[Emmy985837]

We stopped Previcox and need to stay away from any NSAIDs, so we have started with Tramadol and if I feel she needs additional pain control Gabapentin can be added. The vet also said I could try injections of Adequan or Legend to help "lube her joints". Also he feels I should recheck her blood work in a month or sooner if she declines. So I am definitely looking into the milk thistle and SAM-e, & adding in a vitamin and mineral supplement. She currently will not eat her food if I add in her salmon oil so that is out for now, not going to force that on her.
Also I need to get dosing info for the milk thistle and SAM-e so any help there will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jeannie]

Just my two cents-
We decided a long time ago that if Gracie's pain meds caused liver or kidney issues then so be it. Happy and pain free until it's time to let her go.

E

That is exactly what I am doing with Sam. IMO better a good quality life even if it is a bit shorter than having them hurt.

I did the same with Panda and Sara although Panda never had a problem with her liver, her rear end just gave out.

 

[georgie1]

Hi Emily, I personally have had liver issue's on and off for years and Nsaids are a big no, no. When your liver isn't feeling good, you don't feel good. It can be painful. When it's not filtering the toxic's out I have felt loopy and itchy . How is her water consumption? Need to get her body flushed. IMO Seeing she likes the Maverick, I would feed her solely the Maverick. Canned food has tons of water and if she eats it, let her go for it. And eating food will keep the weight on vs non eating to keep her strength up. Yes I know canned isn't great for teeth but she's is in a different ball park now and exceptions need to be made. You could always change things down the road as she feels better. Now as for a Multi Vitamin I was told years ago, by a heart specialist Vet, to give my guy Flintstone Vits! I was like huh? But yes Old Fred. They are cheap too!I wish you guys the best......

 

[R Taft]

I am so sorry............Meds can cause so many problems in both the dog and human world..........Is there any way you can see a holistic/herbal vet. My Abbey had all sorts of alternative support for her pain. Acupuncture, Bowen treatment and lots of specail herbal remedies, such as devils claw. They kept her comfortable for about four years.
Thinking of you both :hugs: Ronnie

 

[NewfMom]

FWIW, Moose went into liver failure for a while before we figured out that he had the Addison's disease. One of the things we gave him to help him recover was Denosyl. It's similar to Milk Thistle. One thing about the Denosyl I don't know if it matters about the Milk Thistle was it had to be given by itself on an empty stomach at least an hour before eating.

I wonder if it would be worth talking to your vet about trying that to help protect her liver from the other meds.

I wish you well and hope you find a good answer.

 

[blackberry6]

Just my two cents-
We decided a long time ago that if Gracie's pain meds caused liver or kidney issues then so be it. Happy and pain free until it's time to let her go.

E

I agree with E. You don't want them to be in pain.
(((Hugs)))
Christy

 

[pabusinesswoman]

I have not had experience in this arena. We just wanted to send some good thoughts and prayers your way for her to have a speedy recovery.

 

[Pipelineozzy]

Just my two cents-
We decided a long time ago that if Gracie's pain meds caused liver or kidney issues then so be it. Happy and pain free until it's time to let her go.

E

Agreed. sometimes you do have to make that choice, and you have to choose what will be best for the dog...and I would always want them to be comfortable, even if it meant a little less time for them.

 

[Emmy985837]

This is all so new so I am trying to decide what is best for her, if it means putting her back on the NSAID I may do that but if she does just as well on the pain meds I may go that way. She has been on her new meds about 10 days & I am still working on the dosage for her. But my goal is for her to be comfortable.
I have learned a lot about the liver this week, so much for that college anatomy & physiology class. I have a call into her vet & hope to talk to him tomorrow & see if he can answer a few questions for me. At the time I got this new I was thinking her kidneys would be the problem, so I was not ready with my questions about the liver (why plan things they never workout).
And thank you everyone for all your info & support. She is my baby, I got her the year I graduated college, we have both learned a lot from each other, me how to be a morning person, her how to tell time 6am & 5pm.

 

[Emmy985837]

Does anyone know the dose amount of Sam-e to give a dog? I have a dosing guideline for milk thistle but I don't know about the sam-e.