My intent is to help you understand, not to confuse you more. The info I choose to present comes from my own research and some personal experience. I present it to you so that when you have discussions with your vet, you can go in with a broader knowledge base and a deeper understanding of what may be going on with your dog, not diagnosing here at all, just emphasizing what may be important things to consider asking the vet about. If this is overloading you or is too much info, let me know and I will stop posting.
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Originally Posted by spiritwings1202  As you know Daisy was diagnosed with lyme disease about 2 weeks ago and they put her on doxycycline.
Well thursday Daisy threw up her food and I called the vet and she said to give her pepcid ac about 30 min before her meal and then about another 30 min give her the meds.
she threw up this morning and yesterday she was acting depressed so I made an appointment. |
From my research, Doxy is the drug of choice to treat TBD, and it is common practice to give a higher dose (double the norm) in treating these diseases, as a more agressive protocol is what has been found to be most effective. Some meds may react with Doxy, your vet would research this before administering/prescribing.
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Originally Posted by spiritwings1202 When they examined her her abdomen was warm to the touch And very sore. She whimpered when they touched it.
She was a little dehydrated from the vomiting.
They admitted her and said that they thought it was pancreatitis. they were going to call me with some test results. |
Just a note: Pancreatitis usually presents as back pain, and a dog may have difficulty walking. Gall Bladder problems usually present as abdominal pain... I say
usually, because I am sure there are cases that present themselves differently for other reasons.
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Originally Posted by spiritwings1202 They also took xrays.
They said that in t6he xrays everything looked good They ruled out pancreatitis.
But....  it might be liver disease or possibly liver cancer
her ALT--1800
ALP-- 1900
GGT---68
They want to do an ultra sound with a specialist on monday.
wouldn't an xray show a tumor?
I also read that doxycycline can cause liver damage 
Please pray that it is NOT Liver cancer!!!!! omg!!! I can't lose my Daisy Doo |
An ultrasound can give a clearer picture of what is going on, like live TV opposed to hitting the 'pause' button. They can move and manipulate the dog to get a better look at specific organs and watch what is happening.
An xray may show a tumor, if it is in the direct field of vision, but alot can be missed on an xray.
Many drugs can cause liver damage, the good thing is that when the drugs are stopped, the liver will repair itself, in most cases.
This is the absolute best link I have come across explaining bloodwork: The diagnostic approach to asymptomatic dogs with elevated liver enzyme activities - Veterinary Medicine=
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Originally Posted by dwerten I think they did the ultrasound and that is how they knew the liver was small but they did not note anything else going on from what she posted. |
They did an Xray.
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Originally Posted by dwerten what is interesting is dd is on steroids now for a few years and has mvd yet her alp has never been elevated nor her ALT. |
My dog had high ALT, AST, with ALP wnl.
What tests lead to suspicion/diagnosis of MVD, or did you just decide to do a BAT?
Also to note: L/D dry is Brewers Rice, Pork fat...etc. 14.5% protein, 20.5% crude fat. The L/D canned is: water, rice, egg product, chicken fat...etc and is 4.5% protein, 6% fat. (need to do Dry Weight conversion to get a better number for comparison... there's a link in the YT Library))
LS dogs are usually always thin, hard to get them to put and keep any weight on. My pup is doing great on this and has gained 2 pounds. Also, this is the food/diet recommended by Dr. Tobias, Uof Tenn. to LS dogs. They say it is the best thing one can to, that makes the most good effects when getting a dog up to a more acceptable level of health (like while waiting for tests and pre surgery).