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Old 07-23-2013, 03:17 PM   #1
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Default Liver Failure diagnosis TODAY-help

YT family, I am a basket case. My 4 yr. old boy Kimbo went to the vet for some vomiting/skin allergies in Feb. The lab work showed that his liver enzymes were slightly elevated, but all still within normal range. A round of antibiotics later and he was his normal happy self. He's always been a bit on the portly side (according to the vet) so I was happy to see him finally lose a little weight on the new Royal Canin food we switched him to in April.

Kimbo has thrown up a tiny bit once a week for the last couple of weeks. Just once for the week a little bit and he was happy and normal right after. I just thought it was an upset tummy because he's so sensitive.

Then this weekend he threw up once on Sat., Sun., and Monday. He didn't want his kibble Sunday and ate a little bit on Monday along with some chicken. He gobbled it up and begged for more. He was also drinking water.

I took him to the vet this morning at 10 am. He threw up twice since he woke up and I was worried. When we got there to my horror, he had lost 2 lbs. in 2 months. I thought it was more like 1 lb, but 2 seemed extreme. Lab results came back and the vet called me to tell me that he suspects Kimbo is in full blown liver failure and that he needs a specialist at a University 4.5 hours from where I'm at. I asked him if he could find one closer and he said yes, there was one 2 hrs. away but the retainer fee for both places is more than 2K and the bills there usually run in excess of 5K. It breaks my heart to say that I can't pay that. I asked if they would do a payment plan, but they won't. My vet said that he's so bad off, that he might not make it even if I take him.

He wanted to keep him there and administer iv fluids and watch him. I asked if he would be administering his meds via IV and he said no, just fluids. The meds are in pill form. I asked if he was dehydrated, which would have been surprising because he was still drinking water. He said no, he wasn't really dehydrated at all yet. It was just preventative. He gave him a shot for nausea that lasts 24 hrs. and I asked to come pick him up. God help me, but I hope I made the right decision. He's still eating (chicken) and drinking, and I'm on vacation, so I can watch him like a hawk. He was so happy to see me and DH and gave us TONS of kisses when we picked him up. The vet said he may not last the week without further help. I'm heart broken and near hysteria.

So I came to my YT family to ask for guidance. I can't take him anywhere else because I just don't have 5K. We got Cerenia Tabs for nausea, Metronidazole for antibiotics, and Denamarin Tabs for "Liver Disease". I know the lab reports are bad, but I'll post them in a bit for you to look at. You'll be able to see the difference between Feb. 2013 and today.

My poor baby. I know that God has a plan for his little life, but I'm selfish. I don't want to be without him. He means too much to me. I just want to know...is there any hope at all? ...Could it be a shunt or something and maybe he can pull through?
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Old 07-23-2013, 03:28 PM   #2
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I feel so badly for you and your puppy. I'm afraid I can't help you with information but I'll bump this thread so others will see it!! Try to think positively and know that I'm praying for your baby!!
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Old 07-23-2013, 03:36 PM   #3
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Oh, dear, had a long post and lost it looking up this.

Having Trouble Affording Your Pet? : The Humane Society of the United States

If you can't get a second opinion ASAP just to see if there might be some error in testing, can't sell some things, put it on credit cards or get a loan on your house or car or none of the sites on that link can help, a surrender to a rescue organization would be my next effort. At least he might have a chance that way. Otherwise, probably the only thing left is to put him out of his suffering before he gets any sicker. I'm so sorry to hear that your little love is so sick and it seems so hopeless. For him to go that far down so quickly is scary. It sounds like he does need to be on IV's to prevent dehydration because if his liver failure is severe, likely the Cerenia won't help much or for long. And in the hospital, he can be given larger doses of Cerenia if that's not going to hurt his liver that much more. I'm so sorry for that sweet baby boy of yours - it is tragic and so terribly sad.
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Old 07-23-2013, 03:36 PM   #4
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Default These are the Lab results from Feb. and then today

normal range February 27th TODAY July 23rd
GLOB 2.5-4.5 4.0 g/dL 4.9 g/dL
ALT 10-100 64 U/L 269 U/L
GGT 0-7 9 U/L 47 U/L
TBIL 0.0-0.9 2.1 mg/dL 2.2 mg/dL
CHOL 110-320 174 mg/dL 340 mg/dL
AMYL 500-1500 717 U/L >2500 U/L
LIPA 200-1800 923 U/L 5963 U/L

WBC 5.05-16.76 8.57 28.16
MONO 0.16-1.12 0.67 3.11
NEU 2.95-11.64 5.81 20.86

***He also has blood in his urine today.
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Last edited by BLADE; 07-23-2013 at 03:37 PM.
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Old 07-23-2013, 03:45 PM   #5
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Animal Smiley 036 Prayers for Kimbo

Oh I am so sorry to hear this. is there family that you could ask help from, I know when Charlie was so sick I took a loan from my 401K to pay his bills I was glad to have that to borrow from but even at that I borrowed form my mom and it was $5000 easy when it was all said and done. Did your vet do any Xrays? an ultrasound or anything? I would be interested to see his lab results.

I would like to suggest you call Univ of Tenn they specialize in liver problems Dr Tobias is an expert and they helped me when I called them about Charlie. They were very kind. Portosystemic Shunts

You certainly dont want him to be in pain so keep that in mind when you are deciding his care. these little ones are so precious so much like family, my prayers are with you, please keep us informed.
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Old 07-23-2013, 03:46 PM   #6
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Your boy is in crisis a health crisis, I think and I am so very sad for you.

You can look up Help for Vet Bills in the library here.

But if he has an extra hepatic shunt that will cost at least 3K to fix, and there are the risks of surgery especially with a dog that is quite sick. Liver shunts do not heal on their own.

I would also say, if you can't beg, borrow, or steal the money, surrender him now to a Yorkie Rescue. Underscore the urgency of his health issues. Yorkie Haven Rescue I think may be an option for you, or at least could put you into contact with a Rescue closer to you.

Baring that, your Yorkie is likely not to make it very much longer. You may need to take the also heart rendering decision to PTS.

I am so sorry he is so sick, and you have no funds.
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Old 07-23-2013, 03:48 PM   #7
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Thank you for your suggestions. I could never surrender him. He has been a mama's boy from the day he came home and even now that he's sick, he still sits up and lifts his little head everytime I move from his side. He raises his little arm for me to scratch his belly and still showers me with his feverish kisses. He's fighting for me...I know. To give him to strangers--even caring ones with the best intentions and efforts--would break his heart and mine. I will not leave him. If he has to go through this, the least I can do is be there with him to tell him how much I love him and how much he means to me...and will always mean to me.
DH and I have decided that when he refuses food and water, we will take him back to our vet and let him go. He deserves that.
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Old 07-23-2013, 03:55 PM   #8
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You mean he's fighting liver failure? I don't know if dogs can fight that without finding out the cause and get surgery or needed medical treatment. Maybe he's got MVD and if testing done and a proper diagnosis made, a diet change might take to help him fight liver disease, with proper support efforts and monitoring by the vet while he's so ill, until and if his liver begins to heal itself. A rescue might be able to do that for him and give him a good chance, depending on what is causing his liver disease. Or if a shunt, surgery. Sometimes the most loving thing to do when we've reached our limits is to let go and give the dog a chance at life. Just think about it. These little guys do withstand change without coming apart. They are terriers.
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Old 07-23-2013, 04:13 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BLADE View Post
normal range February 27th TODAY July 23rd
GLOB 2.5-4.5 4.0 g/dL 4.9 g/dL
ALT 10-100 64 U/L 269 U/L
GGT 0-7 9 U/L 47 U/L
TBIL 0.0-0.9 2.1 mg/dL 2.2 mg/dL
CHOL 110-320 174 mg/dL 340 mg/dL
AMYL 500-1500 717 U/L >2500 U/L
LIPA 200-1800 923 U/L 5963 U/L

WBC 5.05-16.76 8.57 28.16
MONO 0.16-1.12 0.67 3.11
NEU 2.95-11.64 5.81 20.86

***He also has blood in his urine today.
Has he been urinating normally? I was thinking with blood in his urine maybe he has a bladder stone, Charlie had those and that is what led us to the MVD diagnosis
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Old 07-23-2013, 04:22 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BLADE View Post
Thank you for your suggestions. I could never surrender him. He has been a mama's boy from the day he came home and even now that he's sick, he still sits up and lifts his little head everytime I move from his side. He raises his little arm for me to scratch his belly and still showers me with his feverish kisses. He's fighting for me...I know. To give him to strangers--even caring ones with the best intentions and efforts--would break his heart and mine. I will not leave him. If he has to go through this, the least I can do is be there with him to tell him how much I love him and how much he means to me...and will always mean to me.
DH and I have decided that when he refuses food and water, we will take him back to our vet and let him go. He deserves that.

Oh dear I am so very sorry for your pain. But he is fighting without medical support... how fair a fight is that? Do you at least have pain killers for him?
I am so very sorry you and your beloved dog are in this place.

I will say this, you have made a decision based on food and water refusal. I also hope that you can look into your dog eyes and know that enough is enough, they are asking you to let them go, irrespective of food and water intake.

This such a very sad situation. And again I am so sorry your dog and his family are going through this.
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Old 07-23-2013, 05:40 PM   #11
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I am so sorry your baby is going through this. By any chance can you apply for Care Credit?
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Old 07-23-2013, 06:46 PM   #12
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I am so sorry for what you and Kimbo are going through. My pom went into liver failure after being on medicine for Cushing's. The internal medicine specialist put her on medication and within 6 months her disease had resolved. I would see about getting a second opinion from a specialist and go from there. They need to determine the cause of the liver failure in such a young dog. Hopefully, they can get him better for much less than the estimated 5,000.00. If not you will at least have 2 opinions. Praying for you both.
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Old 07-23-2013, 07:04 PM   #13
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So very sorry you and your little one are going through this! Prayers for you & Kimbo both! <3
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Old 07-23-2013, 07:19 PM   #14
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I totally would get a 2nd opinion. The bloodwork shows possible gall bladder involvement, which can throw liver values way out of whack. Fairly easy fix with medication, but you may have to spend some money (<1K) on diagnostics with a specialist. I do also recommend getting Care Credit. I'd also check for pancreatitis. Yorkies are also prone to having Bile Duct issues, which tend to look like Liver Shunt, but not a shunt at all. Worth investigating.
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Old 07-23-2013, 08:04 PM   #15
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I am very sorry Kimbo is ill, and I agree with everyone above that you should have some further testing done. His problems may be much smaller and easier to fix than what you think. However, he definitely needs medical care to survive and to prevent suffering.
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