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05-27-2011, 12:04 PM | #1 |
YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: California
Posts: 3,025
| Elevated Liver Enzymes Hello YT family! I haven't posted much in several months, but I have a situation that I know some of you experts can advise me on... On Monday at Wobie's check-up, I had the vet do pre-op bloodwork for the dental cleaning scheduled for next week. The vet called yesterday to inform me that the tests indicated elevated ALT liver enzymes. He wants to hold off on Wobie's dental and find out what is going on with his liver. He is suggesting a bile acids test, urinalysis, and liver x-ray. I will be going in on Tuesday to get these done (darn the long weekend!) If these diagnostics suggest liver problems, he wants to start Wobie on Zentonil. I wish I could trust my vet wholeheartedly, but I don't. My family have been loyal and very happy patients of this vet practice for over 40 years. However, a new veterinarian took over several years ago and I'm not a big fan of him... So I have a few questions that I'm wondering about before going in on Tuesday: Does it sound like the vet is taking an appropriate approach to this situation? I've heard of ultrasounds to diagnose liver problems, but not x-rays. And I had never heard of Zentonil before, is this a newer or less common medication? Is there any way that these elevated levels could be related to his fairly high-protien diet (he eats Acana, Go!, and Primal frozen raw)? And does anyone have experience with Trupanion (insurance) and liver problems? This is the first time I will be filing a claim. I will of course ask the vet these questions as well, but I would really love input from you guys beforehand...and any related advice would be wonderful as well! I'm trying to stay as positive as possible. It helps to research, research, research and ask, ask, ask instead of dwell on the results of the tests that haven't happened yet...I know this is very likely to be a serious issue... Thank you soooo much for your input!
__________________ Anna and Wobie |
Welcome Guest! | |
05-27-2011, 12:10 PM | #2 |
I ♥ Armani & Chloe Donating Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 3,895
| I think the x-ray sounds like a bit of overkill to begin with- I would prefer to start with the other two tests first and see what they say- you can always do the x-ray next week if it is still necessary. Does the vet know what you feed? Can you put you pup on a food with a more moderate protein level for a period of time and see if that helps? Did your pup ever have a normal liver test? if so when was the last time? How elevated were the liver enzymes?
__________________ Armani & Chloe |
05-27-2011, 12:21 PM | #3 |
YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: California
Posts: 3,025
| Thank you so much for your quick reply! I also thought the x-ray sounded a little excessive to start with. I have not spoken to the vet directly, so I don't think he knows what I feed unless he has it recorded in Wobie's file somewhere. I will be sure to tell him on Tuesday. I can start feeding a lower protein food immediately. I believe I have some Solid Gold that is more moderate. He has never had a BAT before, but the bloodwork he had before his neutering was normal. This was when he was 5-6 months old. He is now a little over 4 years old. They did not tell me what the exact results were of this test. I will call and find out.
__________________ Anna and Wobie |
05-27-2011, 12:27 PM | #4 |
YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: California
Posts: 3,025
| His ALT level was 242 still trying to stay calm
__________________ Anna and Wobie |
05-27-2011, 01:17 PM | #5 |
And Rylee Finnegan Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Posts: 17,928
| Well, the 242 could be much worse, but that does suggest that diagnostics need to be done. Since the enzymes were perfectly normal three years ago, could be have gotten into anything toxic since then? Gum with xylitol or certain plants come to mind. The liver is pretty forgiving. Try to stay calm. Yes, the bile acids test is indicated. I'm not going to say you should skip the xray although if they are going to send you for a U/S anyway, it is possible that the vet will be okay holding off on that. Zentonil is SAMe, I think. Denosyl is a bit more popular and would accomplish the same thing. Wouldn't hurt to use that instead if the vet okays it. They just may carry the Zentonil there... In this situation, I would definitely go with the vet's recommendation to use SAMe. It helps prevent liver cell death (which is very likely happening with an ALT over double what it should be). I'd be very, very surprised if a high protein diet made the ALT go up that much. What flea preventative do you use, if any? Some drugs can make it go up.
__________________ Crystal, Ellie May (RIP), Rylee Finnegan, and Gracie Boo🐶 |
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