Liver issues

[lvoss]

If cancer is suspected then chest x-rays are done to check for metastasis. That combined with abdominal ultrasound gives a pretty good idea of what is going on internally.

How is Rocky's appetite? Is he losing weight because he is refusing to eat?

My cat Spot started dropping weight after our cat Sparky had passed away. When we took him in to the vet, his liver enzymes were also elevated. We were told there were about three things that they thought were likely and ultrasound would be most quickly be able to get us on the right track. In Spot's case he had was is called Fatty Liver. All of the fats in his body got processed through his liver. The side effect of this is that it makes them lose their appetite which only makes things worse because the only way to get the liver functioning properly again is to get them to eat. It was a very rough couple of weeks but once we got him eating again, things started to perk up.

Has the vet checked to make sure he is staying hydrated? That was another issue we had with Spot, because he felt sick to his stomach he didn't want to drink either. We had to give sub-Q fluids to him for 2 weeks until he started to get back to eating and drinking normally again.

[hdolbow]

Gotcha. And we give him the deramarin In the morning an hour before he eats.

He eats, he's just become very picky. He'll take a mouthful of the dry food spit it on the floor and pick and choose the pieces he wants to eat. he'll eat treats gladly and today he wolfed down his heartworm pill. I have some soft food he's been eating more than the dry kind. He drinks no more or less than before. Or vet asks us those questions everytime we go in, along with how he's acting. So I've been watching him more than usual to note any significant changes.

How long does an ultrasound take usually? If it's done at a place other than your veterinary clinic do they have a vet go over everything with you there or just send the results to your own vet?

[tanza]

Ultra sound doesn't take long at all, top 45 minutes… and it depends on what your Vet as requested, they should go over it with you right there and call your Vet along with sending the results to him, but you should be able to check with your own vet to make sure. I would assume that the place they are doing the ultrasound is a specialty clinic? And I would also guess that if he needs surgery, it would be with that same specialty clinic.

[hdolbow]

It's like an emergency veterinary center, so I'd assume so. I'm not really sure. Technically rocky is my boyfriends so he's the one who talks to dr mike the most. I know where we go they do surgery I just don't know how extensive they go. And if we needed xrays our vet would be able to do that himself. Luckily after our first visit he started looking into the breed to see if it was something common or not. One of dans friends actually used to work there and said mike never gives up and he'll try whatever he can to find out what's wrong and get him better. We got lucky with our vet. He explains everything to us really well and him and Dan talked for a good half hour On the phone when we got the first set of results back..I'm just hoping we get it figured out soon. I hate to think he's hurting and know I can't do anything because I don't know what's wrong.

[tanza]

Good thoughts coming Rocky's way for Friday…

[k.rass]

My Max has been having liver issues for a few years now. He had ultrasound and biopsy but nothing specific was found just some "mottling" of the tissues. We've found Denamarin to be very effective but it is important when you give it to them. I even called Nutramax (manufacturer) to verify that an overnight fast is most effective. So, two hours after a meal, right before bed, I give Max one pill and he doesn't eat until the next morning. They said the dog can take up to 4oz of food and the pill will be effective, but I just give it to him with a spoonful of sour cream. I tried the pill at other times but his numbers were not as good. Definitely before bed is the absolute best.

Also a low protein diet is effective. Hills L/D canned food was prescribed and it has only 4.5% crude protein. He hates it so I just give him a little Wysong Senior (14% protein), a tiny taste of meat and tons of veggies and brown rice.

Also, my vet has been hesitant to put Max on any steroids since it's so bad for the liver. Is the steroid your vet suggests safe? I need a safer alternative than Deramaxx (steroid) I'm using now.

I hope your B gets better soon.

[hdolbow]

Well guys, it's not good news.

The ultrasound showed his liver is abnormally small. There's a lot of scar tissue. The specialist wanted us to do a biopsy but that's $1300. We decided to talk to our personal vet before we made any decisions because that's a lot of money.

Our vet called Dan this morning, he told us that there are three possibilities. Fibrosis of the liver, scar tissue, or inflammation(hepatitis). All three cause cirrosis which doesn't have a treatment. So the biopsy would narrow it down and tell us which of the three it is but regardless he's dying and there's nothing we can do. He's still on the denamarin and amoxicillin and he could be going on a steroid on Tuesday. It's supposed to help slow down what's happening, but he's been going downhill quick and we don't know how much time we have left with him.:(

[tanza]

So very sorry to hear this…. but it happens.... your best course of action, IMO... is to be able to keep him as comfortable as possible.... and been there, done that.... it is a hard decision .... and my heart goes out to you...

[agilebasenji]

Oh no, i was so hoping for some good news. it's so hard to loose a young dog. i lost a 5 year old malinois (very, very suddenly) a while back. i don't know if you're better off knowing or not. i didn't, you do. i agree $1300 is a lot to spend on a biopsy, especially if there's nothing to be done no matter the cause. I hope you can find some joy in this short time you have left with him. You're in my thoughts.

[k.rass]

It breaks my heart to hear this news. I'm so sorry Rocky is not doing well. I've been facing the same issues with medical costs and untreatable illness and I've had to let nature take it's course with Max as well. It's been hard to watch but the best I can do is keep him as pain free and comfortable as I can. My thoughts will be with you and Rocky.

[Janneke]

I'm so sorry to hear this.. I wish you a lot of strength.. Both you and Rocky are in my thoughts.

[thunderbird8588]

I am so sorry to hear your news about Rocky. Maybe with paliative treatment you will have him longer than you think. As i have said earlier Benji had an abnormaly small liver and the nearest we got to a diagnosis was that something was destroying the liver cells.
He was treated with Destolit and samylin for his liver and we had another 18 months with him, although your Rocky is considerably younger so you never know.

[hdolbow]

Thanks guys.. Were going to do whatever we can to make him comfortable.

I actually have another question for you guys though. I told his breeder exactly what I posted on here, and she didn't even act upset she instead started asking tons of questions and continued to tell me that dhlpp shouldn't ever be given after a year and a half and the L part can kill basenjis and I feel like she's trying to blame this on me because the vet said he thought he was born with it… Am I wrong? Should I not give my dogs that shot?

[tanza]

@hdolbow:

Thanks guys.. Were going to do whatever we can to make him comfortable.

I actually have another question for you guys though. I told his breeder exactly what I posted on here, and she didn't even act upset she instead started asking tons of questions and continued to tell me that dhlpp shouldn't ever be given after a year and a half and the L part can kill basenjis and I feel like she's trying to blame this on me because the vet said he thought he was born with it… Am I wrong? Should I not give my dogs that shot?

Hdolbow, please contact me privately, email link is on my website.

And just a quick comment…. While many of us do not give Lepto or feel it is necessary (L part), I would not say this was a cause. And honestly, if you were going to stop at 1 1/2 yrs, why give it at all? Unless doing titers.

[hdolbow]

Just sent you an email.

[lvoss]

When it comes to vaccinating, the current recommendation is to vaccinate on a 3 year schedule. You can do titres for Distemper and Parvo but it is more expensive so many people opt for a 3 year schedule.

Ask your vet about Intervet's Continuum DAP vaccine. It does not contain lepto and it is labeled for 3 year efficacy. Here is the website for Continuum so you can read up on it before you talk to your vet. http://www.continuumforpets.com/

[Basenjimamma]

I am so sorry to hear about Rocky and how he is doing..Sending warm hugs and hoping he will do better..it is so hard to loose your beloved pet, young or old..
My thoughts are with you all.

[hdolbow]

that contiuum doesn't have the Parainfluenza part either.. Do you not give your dogs that either? I'm definately going to mention this to my vet.

why don't you give the leptospirosis vaccine? Is there a reason or is it just preference?

[hdolbow]

@Basenjimamma:

I am so sorry to hear about Rocky and how he is doing..Sending warm hugs and hoping he will do better..it is so hard to loose your beloved pet, young or old..
My thoughts are with you all.

Thank you so much for your kind words! He gained a pound this week, so hopefully that's a good sign.

[lvoss]

@hdolbow:

that contiuum doesn't have the Parainfluenza part either.. Do you not give your dogs that either? I'm definately going to mention this to my vet.

why don't you give the leptospirosis vaccine? Is there a reason or is it just preference?

I have not given lepto because my boy, Nicky, has a brother who had a severe reaction to the lepto vaccine. So I have never given it but in recent years, my vet has stopped recommending it for any of their clients because serovars found in our area are not the ones in the vaccine so the dogs wouldn't protected anyways.

I have started using Continuum with last year's puppies upon the recommendation of my repro vet and do not plan to add Parainfluenza for those puppies.