Quote:
Originally Posted by janetvav  Right now I am hand feeding him to get him to eat. I have been boiling ground beef and mixing a little of that with his kibble but he isn't eating a lot of it. The last couple days he hasn't been quite as active and had that gagging sound like he has something going on in his throat. Even when he is eating he is having a hard time chewing and swallowing his food. He just ate a little bit and now he is just sitting in the chair which is very abnormal for him. I am going to call the University in the morning and make an apt for him to be seen. |
Red meat including ground beef can be tough on MVD dogs. Many of us feed a vegetarian diet for our MVD babies. Many people use the Hill's L/D diet or a home cooked diet. However, elevated bile acids may indicate something other than MVD - so it is important you talk with your vet and find out the correct diagnosis before making diet changes. For example, my Barney had elevated bile acids when he had a recent bout of pancreatitis yet he does not have shunt and does not have MVD. He therefore does not need to have a diet that is low in protein and in fact he is doing well on moderate protein.
My dog Daisy's readings were over 100 post - with diet changes to home cooked, her post number is now 13 and her blood work shows a dog that is not liver compromised so this condition can improve. My baby is almost 10 and she is in the best condition of her life.
As for cost of managing a dog with MVD (if your dog is found to have MVD), I pay twice annual visits with the specialist, twice a year blood work to check her levels, and home cooking costs me more than dog food would but it is not ridiculously high - I think I spend about $30-40 per month on her diet.