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Originally Posted by Ellie May  I agree with you KJC in that all drugs can potentially cause enzyme number changes and/or damage to the liver and/or kidneys because drugs are metabolized to the greatest extent by these organs.
But I've seen nothing that would indicate that vaccines do this to a greater extent. It would also have to be rare because otherwise every vaccinated dog would be walking around with high liver enzymes. There is also nothing indicating that lepto is the worst on the liver or that it increases liver enzymes more than the rest. I guess that goes along with remembering that all drugs have the potential to do strange things to the body and a veterinarian should assess whether or not there is enough benefit before using them. In hte case of most vaccines and for most dogs, it is worth it.
The two to three fold thing is interesting. I'm not so sure that toxins almost always make liver enzymes skyrocket though. This is something I will have a talk with E's vet about when I get a chance because I'm sure she has treated things like this many times. |
That was KJC's conclusion of the article and not what the article stated.
The article stated that in cases of asymptomatic elevated liver enzymes, a diagnostic approach includes assessing breed disposition to liver shunt, since dogs with liver shunts are noted to have a twofold to threefold elevation. The article did not suggest in any way shape or form that vaccination was the cause of these elevations. In fact the only reference to vaccination AT ALL in that article was that the clinician should note the vaccination status of the animal, something that is done routinely by all vets. So I did not read that article as being about vaccination, but about guiding a practitioner to diagnosis when the clinical picture is showing elevations.
The part of the article referencing the two to three fold elevation in liver enzymes in dogs with single PSS referred to the following article as support for that proposition -
Allen L, Stobie D, Mauldin GN, et al. Clinicopathologic features of dogs with hepatic microvascular dysplasia with and without portosystemic shunts: 42 cases (1991-1996). J Am Vet Med Assoc 1999;214:218-220. Available abstract at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9926012
The conclusion was that dogs with shunts have higher elevations than dogs with MVD alone and had nothing to do with vaccines! It further never mentions Leptospirosis from what I can see without a pubmed subscription.