Elevated liver enzymes

[fretful1953]

Originally Posted by capone17

Capone just had the same thing today. Elevated enzyme levels specifically the ALT. My Vet is running a Bile Acids test today. He seemed very pesimistic that the Bile Acid test would be ok, given the ALT was specifically high around 260. I am moving and I thought maybe the little guy was stressed.
But my vet said that is very unlikely it would cause the ALT levels to be high. He would not go into telling me anything of what could cause it other than the liver NOT functioning. I am really scared right now, and would like other opinions? I find out the Bile Acid Test at 3 today.
Does anyone have any experience about this?

Just checking on Capone and the test results. Hope everything is okay. Please let me know.

[capone17]

Here is the update for Capone:

His pre bile test was Under 5 and post was over 30.

The vet is putting him on the same medication your pup is on, (Adenosyl) along with the special diet of MRX RC Canine Hepatic LS 14.
They want to re-test in 4 weeks or so.

I was thinking about it last night and about 2 weeks ago I had given Capone a bath with his normal shampoo and some tea tree oil to kill off flees. I am wondering if this might have caused a toxic reaction for his liver?

I just think it is weird that he would have a liver disease as he has NO symptoms. ( Except the test results) Any ideas or suggestions?? Thanks! for checking on Capone.
-Janine

Originally Posted by fretful1953

Just checking on Capone and the test results. Hope everything is okay. Please let me know.

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by capone17

Here is the update for Capone:

His pre bile test was Under 5 and post was over 30.

The vet is putting him on the same medication your pup is on, (Adenosyl) along with the special diet of MRX RC Canine Hepatic LS 14.
They want to re-test in 4 weeks or so.

I was thinking about it last night and about 2 weeks ago I had given Capone a bath with his normal shampoo and some tea tree oil to kill off flees. I am wondering if this might have caused a toxic reaction for his liver?

I just think it is weird that he would have a liver disease as he has NO symptoms. ( Except the test results) Any ideas or suggestions?? Thanks! for checking on Capone.



-Janine

Tea tree oil can be toxic, especially if ingested. I just avoid it entirely.

With those results, it sounds like your vet did the SNAP Bile Acids Test in the office, so they can only tell if the results are avoid 30. This is very unspecific and in my opinion, close to a waste of money because now you don't know how far above normal the post is. It could be 31 or is could be in the hundreds. The post number helps distinguish between MVD and liver shunt. Next time I would make sure that they send it out to a lab if they did do it in-house this time.

[capone17]

Wow, I had no idea!! I am taking him to a new vet. I just finished my "wellness" plan at banfield pet hospital and I have not been happy with the level of detail they can give me concerning Capone. They did do it in house, and so I am glad you said that. The follow up tests I will def. be getting from a different vet. Thanks for the info!!

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Tea tree oil can be toxic, especially if ingested. I just avoid it entirely.

With those results, it sounds like your vet did the SNAP Bile Acids Test in the office, so they can only tell if the results are avoid 30. This is very unspecific and in my opinion, close to a waste of money because now you don't know how far above normal the post is. It could be 31 or is could be in the hundreds. The post number helps distinguish between MVD and liver shunt. Next time I would make sure that they send it out to a lab if they did do it in-house this time.

[fretful1953]

Originally Posted by capone17

Here is the update for Capone:

His pre bile test was Under 5 and post was over 30.

The vet is putting him on the same medication your pup is on, (Adenosyl) along with the special diet of MRX RC Canine Hepatic LS 14.
They want to re-test in 4 weeks or so.

I was thinking about it last night and about 2 weeks ago I had given Capone a bath with his normal shampoo and some tea tree oil to kill off flees. I am wondering if this might have caused a toxic reaction for his liver?

I just think it is weird that he would have a liver disease as he has NO symptoms. ( Except the test results) Any ideas or suggestions?? Thanks! for checking on Capone.
-Janine

I wish I knew the answer. I've racked my brain about everything that could have possibly caused this. Like Capone, Freddie shows absolutely no symptoms at all. He has had pancreatitis a couple of times in his life and gastroenteritis ( table scraps hubby gave him ) and I wondered last night if that may have affected his liver enzymes. But it's been so long ( 4 or 5 years) that I just don't see how it could. Needless to say, after the test results, hubby no longer gives him anything !

I do know our new vet sent blood work out to the lab for testing. Only test she runs in house is for heartworms. It's hard for me to figure out just when this started because lab work a few years ago was normal. I just don't know. And I'm also wondering, if his labs come back lower (or hopefully within normal range) after this 30day treatment on SAMe, will it be safe to sedate him for his teeth cleaning?

I'm making his treats from some of the recipes I found on this site and he loves them. The vet had to order some cans of Hill's l/d, but I'm not sure if he'll eat it. Am holding off until the next lab (June 4) and I'll contact TLC's pet nutritionist regarding meals. This is going to get quite expensive I'm sure.

So many questions with so little answers. Sorry for the long response. Please let me know how Capone is doing and any changes you've made.

Patricia

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by fretful1953

I wish I knew the answer. I've racked my brain about everything that could have possibly caused this. Like Capone, Freddie shows absolutely no symptoms at all. He has had pancreatitis a couple of times in his life and gastroenteritis ( table scraps hubby gave him ) and I wondered last night if that may have affected his liver enzymes. But it's been so long ( 4 or 5 years) that I just don't see how it could. Needless to say, after the test results, hubby no longer gives him anything !

I do know our new vet sent blood work out to the lab for testing. Only test she runs in house is for heartworms. It's hard for me to figure out just when this started because lab work a few years ago was normal. I just don't know. And I'm also wondering, if his labs come back lower (or hopefully within normal range) after this 30day treatment on SAMe, will it be safe to sedate him for his teeth cleaning?

I'm making his treats from some of the recipes I found on this site and he loves them. The vet had to order some cans of Hill's l/d, but I'm not sure if he'll eat it. Am holding off until the next lab (June 4) and I'll contact TLC's pet nutritionist regarding meals. This is going to get quite expensive I'm sure.

So many questions with so little answers. Sorry for the long response. Please let me know how Capone is doing and any changes you've made.

Patricia

So many things can affect liver enzymes. It is really just impossible to know without further testing.
Dogs with compromised livers can usually go under anesthesia but it has to be the right type. Usually Isoflurane is used as the maintenance anesthesia.

[TLC]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Tea tree oil can be toxic, especially if ingested. I just avoid it entirely.

With those results, it sounds like your vet did the SNAP Bile Acids Test in the office, so they can only tell if the results are avoid 30. This is very unspecific and in my opinion, close to a waste of money because now you don't know how far above normal the post is. It could be 31 or is could be in the hundreds. The post number helps distinguish between MVD and liver shunt. Next time I would make sure that they send it out to a lab if they did do it in-house this time.

I agree with Crystal - a BAT done in the Vets Office is such a waste
Def. seek a new Vet who will do the BAT properly

[fretful1953]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

So many things can affect liver enzymes. It is really just impossible to know without further testing.
Dogs with compromised livers can usually go under anesthesia but it has to be the right type. Usually Isoflurane is used as the maintenance anesthesia.

Thanks Ellie May! I just looked at the receipt on our dachshund and that's the anesthesia they used on him. He did great. You sure know your meds and tests! Thanks for the info.

[fretful1953]

I picked up the Hill's prescripton l/d dog food yesterday at the vet's. Freddie is not too thrilled with it. She also changed him from the SAMe-100 to Denosyl (which I'm assuming is the brand name for the SAMe). Anyway, the tablets are much smaller (about 1/3 the size of what I was giving him) and much easier to give him. I asked her about the BAT test. She said that would be the next step after labs on June 4. This will show the function of the liver.

She explained it to me this way: The labs that were done showed that the liver was "mad" about something. That the gallbladder, pancreas and liver all worked together. If the pancreas was inflamed, then it affected the liver, and so on. Sometimes it's a gallbladder thing or a blockage in the intestine. All of this can affect the liver function.Sort of a chain reaction, I guess.

Anyway, she said she had seen enzymes a lot higher than Freddie's, some over 1200. It's still a wait and see approach. And I think that labs are going to be an on-going thing, checking them every so often. She said there were other options for his teeth if he couldn't be sedated, mouth rinses, 3 day a month antibiotics, etc. Will find out more about that when the time comes.

I read the ingredients on the Hill's food. Not a lot of difference than what we are making homemade except for the vitamins. I did read about the vitamin PetTabs and PetTab Plus. I've seen these at a lot of vet's office. Just wondering if anyone knows or has tried these. A pet nutritionist is still an option, but we are expecting high vet bills in the coming months, so I'm trying to be as economic as possible.

Thanks to all for your help. Hope all is well with your babies.

[kjc]

Hi. My Tinkerbelle goes in tonight for her liver enzymes recheck- after her 1st moth of meds: AB 2xD, Lactulose 2XD, and Denamarin 1XD. The AB's kill the bacteria in the intestine to stop them from producing amonia, the Denimarin is combo Sam-e and milk thistle that help repair liver cells and prevent damage to them, and the Lactulose changes the pH of the intestine and helps move the byproducts out quickly so the intestines absorb less, giving the liver less to do. Initially her ALT was 433.

I think most tests won't tell you which problem your dog has. The higher dollar tests will. Even if LS is detected, MVD can still be present. I don't think surgery is an option for older dogs. Most cases are medically/nutritionally managed anyway.

Check out www.livershunt.com they give a good diet for dogs with liver problems.
Goodluck.