Any experience with liver problems? Dog related

[mrsd2006]

My lab is having liver problems again, this is the second time. He ended up at the emergency vet a few months ago, and seemed to be fine. Now he hasn't been eating and we took him to the vet last week, and they gave him some meds. He didn't seem any better so he went to the vet again and is going in for a couple of days of IV fluids and meds. 

Any advice? He's been on Hills prescription food, l/d, which is supposed to be easy to process through the liver ( I know it's crap food) but I don't know what else to give him. How do I keep him from another flare up? 

[rosiedozie]

Poor pup. My dog had abnormal liver results without any symptoms, which led us (through a long a complicated story) to doing strong antibiotics to kick out an infection she had.

Does he have a diagnosis? And are you just seeing your regular "everyday" vet? When our dog was presenting such an unusual case, we were referred out to an Internal Medicine specialist. He is like the Dr. House of vets! So if your current treatment isn't working, it might be worth looking for a second opinion.

[mrsd2006]

After two days of treatment at our regular vet, she was concerned he wasn't responding and now he's at the emergency vet specialist and will get an ultrasound tomorrow. I hope it's nothing too bad, he's only 7

[Deleted]

I hope your pup is feeling better today and on the road to recovery!

[5thofjuly]

Our dog's liver problems were caused by ischemic bowel disease. The bowel disease hot so bad that his gall bladder had to be removed because of the damage the flare-up caused. Eliminating chicken and grains from his diet and adding a vetri-liver canine suppliment took his liver enzymes down to the high endof normal where he's remained for 19 months.

[mmp]

Jul 8, 2014 22:04:13 GMT -5 mrsd2006 said:

After two days of treatment at our regular vet, she was concerned he wasn't responding and now he's at the emergency vet specialist and will get an ultrasound tomorrow. I hope it's nothing too bad, he's only 7

How did it go? Any news?

[mrsd2006]

Probably has cirrhosis (sp?), his liver is small and modular. His levels were down a little today, which is good. He had a dose of steroids yesterday and today. Hasn't eaten much. I'm hoping he can come home tomorrow. Not sure how much longer I can sustain $500 a day at the specialist went and saw him last night, he was pitiful and really wanted to leave with us. If this is it for him, and I'm trying to prepare that it might be, I don't want him to spend his last few days in a pen at the hospital. My DH wants to take him to the UGA vet school, but I'm not sure how much good it will do.

[mmp]

I hear ya. Just went through it myself.

[mmp]

How's it going?

[mrsd2006]

We put him down Thursday night it was awful. We went and visited him and he was just pitiful. Kept going to our car and wanting to get in. Dull eyes, swollen legs from the fluids that he was on weren't being absorbed properly. he was bleeding pretty bad from his bum (they called it bloody diarrhea but it seemed much worse than that). We spent about 2.5 hours with him and let him go. It was really hard. He and DH have the same birthday, he would have been 7 in a few weeks. Way too young.

[mrsd2006]

Thanks for asking about him.

[mmp]

I am so sorry. This news made me tear up and I've never even met you or your dog!

Sorry for your heartbreak.

[mrsd2006]

Thanks I've done the same thing plenty of times on here I hope you had a better outcome with your pup.

[mmp]

No, we had to do the same. It blows.

[mrsd2006]

Bummer. I'm so sorry. How old was your pup?

[mmp]

A few months away from ten.

[rosiedozie]

I'm so sorry

[cmeon]

I'm so sorry- it's so hard to say that last good-bye. I'm glad you were able to be there with him, I'm sure it was a great comfort to him.