Point taken about the OP, Linda, and I feel like a ninny now.
Guess I'd forgotten that as the thread progressed and should have said "posted in this thread" but worry has taken hold, not thinking so clearly.
Tibbe was diagnosed as having MVD when he was 5 or 6 after testing which stopped just short of a liver biopsy(not done because the veterinary nuclear radiologists who did his nuclear scan - forgot what it was called - very familiar with liver shunt didn't think his symptoms severe enough to warrant the testing procedure and his vet ER internal medicine consultant with her own vet practice in Dallas and his regular vet agreed), was treated with diet to see how he did and he favorably responded almost immediately. Probiotics also seemed to help him more than anything and now I think he might be able to eat non-prescription food though I'm too scared to try, just in case he gets very sick again.
Thing is, he began favoring his left shoulder/foreleg about 2 1/2 months ago, putting little weight on it, holding his left forepaw up and the same day his began carrying his little tail down. With a vet diagnosis of arthritis in the left shoulder, he is now being treated with chewable Rimadyl 25 mg. Even after being on it a month, off 2 weeks, re-favored his right foreleg again and is back on it x2 daily. He no longer favors the left leg but his little tail is still carried down so I'm looking for ways to progress. As long as I've known Tibbe, he's always had his tail up unless he's fearful so I'm very worried about what his future holds.
I worry his liver might not be able to tolerate much of the Rimadyl and think it might be worth trying CBD oil for him - but how do I know that drug won't damage his liver just as badly as Rimadyl? I don't as there are no studies that I know of to show one way or another what blood/urine values or scans show after using CBD oil for a certain time period. Wondering how to proceed after current 2 mos. supply of Rimadyl runs out.