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Originally Posted by pack leader  Thank You for all that valuable info. He has a bile acid number of 130 and wakes up in the morning very lethargic with trouble walking. He doesn't
take Nutrical voluntarily any more.
I've just asked my vet for lactulose and an antibiotic. He gave me metronidazole a couple of months ago and I've started him on it again.
My poor Bubba just looks at me a whimpers because he's hungry but doesn't
like anything I put down.
He started coughing a bit today.
I've talked to UTK and Dr. Roy in Palm Beach. UTK charges 1600-1800
and Palm Beach is 2800-3000.
They both use the constrictor, which I'm told is the best way.
Can I manage his condition for a couple of weeks, until I can arrange to
fly to Tennessee? Or do you think I should max out my credit card and get it
done in Fla?
I don't want to do anything stupid and compromise him any more.
Thanks,
Pack Leader |
The reason he is refusing food is because the food makes him sick. Too much protein at one sitting will produce lots of ammonia which will enter the bloodstream and cause the pickiness...He attributes his ill feelings to food. My yorkie actually had seizures on u/d because of the pork liver which is also in the k/d. I would ask that they change foods for him immediately. It's best to stabilize your baby's condition as much as possible and have him as strong as possible before the surgery.
It's very important that you feed small, frequent meals. If you normally food 2-3 meals per day, you should break up that amount into 4-6 meals. It makes the load on the liver much lighter and will help get him stronger and keep his blood glucose levels from plummeting.
Your baby is exhibiting H.E. (hepatic encephalopathy) symptoms, and it's important to get these under control. The lethargy is not a good sign...
This is done by giving smaller, frequent meals, giving absolutely no animal proteins because they are too hard on the liver, keeping the protein within the recommended amount (2-3 grams of protein per kg of body weight per day...closer to 2 if symptomatic like your baby, and then as your baby gets better you can slowly increase). Also, splitting up the lactulose into 3 doses per day to make him have 2-3 soft stools per day...This is very important for a liver compromised dog as constipation and hard stools lead to inappetance, lethargy and H.E. symptoms as well. Supplements to support the liver like denosyl and milk thistle are important too...
Have you joined the liver shunt and mvd group on yahoo groups?? I'll post the link in a second...