Yoda May Have Liver Disease & Pancreatitis :(

[capt_noonie]

Oh Yoda, I just saw this. Hope everything will be ok! *fingers crossed!*

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by fasteddie

Yoda is back home tonight, he's still a bit lethargic, but he was able to eat a bit. The vet gave us Royal Canin Digestive Low Fat LF. He is to get famotidine (Pepcid AC) 2.5mg by mouth twice daily.

He was diagnosed with pancreatitis, and Yoda got an abdominal ultrasound today that showed bladder and kidney stones. He got more IV fluids, medications for pancreatitis and pain control today. We will focus on the pancreatitis first, then see what the options are for the bladder and kidney stones. It would be very painful if he had to pass it himself, the other option the vet said would be surgery to remove them...

He is due back tomorrow for more monitoring, and hopefully tomorrow will be the last day at the vet during the day.

Thanks for your continued support for our little guy, each and every prayer and good thought is sincerely appreciated!

Hugs and love to Yoda and the whole Fam ! Hang in there Yoders! We're all pullin' for ya.

Oh boy....well...it's good that you're getting somewhere in terms of specifics w/ the diagnoses, bc that helps w/ some of the fears (in my experience anywho ). With stones in 2 spots like that (not to mention the pain to pass them, like you said), I wouldn't be surprised if surgery was the best option. I'm sorry you guys have to consider that, but I am glad that you're getting some answers for the little fella.

Thanks for the update.

[dwerten]

here is some info on pancreatitis

Don?t Let This Organ Ruin Your Pet?s Life

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by fasteddie

Yoda is back home tonight, he's still a bit lethargic, but he was able to eat a bit. The vet gave us Royal Canin Digestive Low Fat LF. He is to get famotidine (Pepcid AC) 2.5mg by mouth twice daily.

He was diagnosed with pancreatitis, and Yoda got an abdominal ultrasound today that showed bladder and kidney stones. He got more IV fluids, medications for pancreatitis and pain control today. We will focus on the pancreatitis first, then see what the options are for the bladder and kidney stones. It would be very painful if he had to pass it himself, the other option the vet said would be surgery to remove them...

He is due back tomorrow for more monitoring, and hopefully tomorrow will be the last day at the vet during the day.

Thanks for your continued support for our little guy, each and every prayer and good thought is sincerely appreciated!

ok that is why the liver was of concern as there are stones. You are correct getting the pancreas under control is key as that is more critical. Stones usually come from a high protein diet and why dogs with liver disease have stones as they cannot process proteins very well and why they are on a low protein diet. Pepcid ac is used (famotidine) is another name to control the stomach acids in the stomach. Are they putting him on an iv all day with antibiotics as the wbc is high as there is infection that goes along with this disease. I really think the diet was the culprit especially since stones and pancreatitis I hope he feels better real soon

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by dwerten

here is some info on pancreatitis

Don?t Let This Organ Ruin Your Pet?s Life

i will say that i have not used digestive enzymes with mine as the food has worked fine for 4 years but i wanted you to have the information on pancreas and saw this on another group so thought i would share it

[ladyjane]

Prayers and good thoughts for Yoda.

[ladyjane]

I would think that the liver was a concern because of the elevated enzymes which occurs often with pancreatitis.

Here is an exerpt from just one website...it actually is on many as it is very common for this to occur.

Diagnosing and Treatment for Pancreatitis in Dogs

Canine pancreatitis is diagnosed by performing a physical exam, blood work, sonograms (ultrasound) and radiographs (x-rays). Enlarged pancreas and elevated pancreatic enzymes are the most common findings in a dog with pancreatitis. Liver problems, including liver enlargement and elevated liver enzymes, also seen in many pancreatitis patients, according to Dr. Levine.

How to Avoid Holiday Pancreatitis in Dogs: Tips to Prevent Pancreas Inflammation, Holiday Hazard to Dogs | Suite101.com

As for a diet, I would be very careful and follow your vet's recommendations closely. The problem with looking for a diet that is good for the pancreas, is that it may not be good for renal issues. Most likely you will be putting him on a diet that is low fat and low protein which is not an easy diet to find. The diet for pancreas is low fat...diet for kidneys is low protein. Seems that most foods only focus on one. I know this from experience and have consulted with A&M for a home cooked diet in the past.

[dwerten]

i have an mvd yorkie and a pancreatitis yorkie and they are on purina ha that is low in fat and low in protein so both eat this.

The stones are not from pancreatitis those are most likely related to the liver issue - if no stones then i would say yes it is tied to the pancreatitis but pancreatitis does not trigger stones but liver disease does so I think the two are unrelated due to stones being present and why liver values are off. Dex almost died of pancreatitis and he did not have high numbers like yoda on those other things associated to liver he only had high amylase, lipase, cpli, triglycerides and white blood cell count. The other things on yoda's blood work are tied to the stones present i believe

[ladyjane]

I also have had many dogs with illnesses.

I stand by one thing : Best to listen to the vet in most cases.

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I also have had many dogs with illnesses.

I stand by one thing : Best to listen to the vet in most cases.

key word most cases as my dog would have died had i not gotten him to an internal medicine specialist with this disease as the vet basically told me he was going to die so i think these groups are very helpful to gain knowledge and understanding so you can work with the vet and specialists and get the best care but you can learn alot from other pet owners and gain knowledge. I have learned sadly a vet does not know everything about everything and why there are specialists that have further education in organs etc. Also vets do not know hardly anything about nutrition only prescribe vet diets based on food companies pitch. They only take one class in nutrition in vet school and many do not further their education after college on nutrition. Luckily my dog has done well on purina ha for 4 years but some are not so lucky and why many use a board certified nutritionist from ucdavis on here.

I just took my dog in to check for uti and vet almost gave her a antibiotic shot and i said no not until we know if she has an infection and i told him remember she got hives from simplicef and he said good thing we did not give the shot as it is in the same family as the simplicef so she good have had a horrible reaction and she turned out not to have a uti after all so sorry I think you need to educate yourself as he could have made my dog real sick had i allowed him to give her that shot

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by dwerten

key word most cases as my dog would have died had i not gotten him to an internal medicine specialist with this disease as the vet basically told me he was going to die so i think these groups are very helpful to gain knowledge and understanding so you can work with the vet and specialists and get the best care but you can learn alot from other pet owners and gain knowledge. I have learned sadly a vet does not know everything about everything and why there are specialists that have further education in organs etc. Also vets do not know hardly anything about nutrition only prescribe vet diets based on food companies pitch. They only take one class in nutrition in vet school and many do not further their education after college on nutrition. Luckily my dog has done well on purina ha for 4 years but some are not so lucky and why many use a board certified nutritionist from ucdavis on here.

Some vets are not good with diets...I agree. I just think that sometimes when people start advising people online they don't always have the full picture of what is going on. I believe a vet knows more about how organs work together and how lab results are interpreted. There are many gray areas...nothing is black and white. I much prefer to listen to my vet about what I need to feed....not necessarily what FOOD, but certainly what I should be feeding in terms of calories, fat, and protein, etc. I see people advising people what to feed based on a diagnosis and how they interpret lab studies and I don't agree with that. I believe that the vet should tell the person...low fat or whatever....then, I can see advising them on different foods.

I had my vet do a telephone consult with the vet who is the head of Clinical Nutrition at Texas A&M Small Animal Services. Anyone can do that...they do not have to physically go there. If a pup has had a full workup, no need to go physically...records can be faxed.

[dwerten]

more info on pancreas

Pancreatitis (Inflammation) in Dogs

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by dwerten

more info on pancreas

Pancreatitis (Inflammation) in Dogs

Exactly...as stated on the website:

The diagnosis of pancreatitis is made through information obtained from the history, the physical exam, and laboratory testing. Dogs with pancreatitis generally have an increased blood levels of the pancreatic enzymes called amylase and lipase. If the liver also becomes inflamed, liver enzymes as measured in the blood may be increased. A rather new test, serum cPLI (pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity), may prove to be a valuable diagnostic aid. The white blood cell count is generally increased in acute pancreatitis. Radiography (x-rays) and ultrasound can also help in making the diagnosis. biopsy can result in a conclusive diagnosis, but is not commonly performed.


The liver and pancreas are both part of the digestive system.

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Some vets are not good with diets...I agree. I just think that sometimes when people start advising people online they don't always have the full picture of what is going on. I believe a vet knows more about how organs work together and how lab results are interpreted. There are many gray areas...nothing is black and white. I much prefer to listen to my vet about what I need to feed....not necessarily what FOOD, but certainly what I should be feeding in terms of calories, fat, and protein, etc. I see people advising people what to feed based on a diagnosis and how they interpret lab studies and I don't agree with that. I believe that the vet should tell the person...low fat or whatever....then, I can see advising them on different foods.

I had my vet do a telephone consult with the vet who is the head of Clinical Nutrition at Texas A&M Small Animal Services. Anyone can do that...they do not have to physically go there. If a pup has had a full workup, no need to go physically...records can be faxed.

I agree but i have to say i was not impressed with ucdavis Welcome to the Balance IT® Web Site from everything i have read also i had a client come to me and tell me her dog was to give like 10 tums a day for calcium and she was furious she paid so much for a diet and so she used bone meal as she did not want to use tums so i still have a question mark myself on the diets. It is a very complicated thing. I do say if it works stick with it and do not vary with a sick dog as dex it took me a year after his pancreatic attack to figure what caused it and it came down to potato in diet inflaming small intestines triggering the attacks. He has been great for 4 years on purina ha now do i think it is the best diet ever NO WAY but it works so he will eat that for life lollll i have people that say that is a bad diet etc but i am not taking any chances after 10,000 i spent to get him right. Pancreatitis is extremely expensive to treat and can lead to other diseases and i will not take any chances with dex EVER he gets purina ha and that is it and he gets it as a treat and he gets just as excited as he did with treats prior so if it is not broke do not fix it i say

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Exactly...as stated on the website:

The diagnosis of pancreatitis is made through information obtained from the history, the physical exam, and laboratory testing. Dogs with pancreatitis generally have an increased blood levels of the pancreatic enzymes called amylase and lipase. If the liver also becomes inflamed, liver enzymes as measured in the blood may be increased. A rather new test, serum cPLI (pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity), may prove to be a valuable diagnostic aid. The white blood cell count is generally increased in acute pancreatitis. Radiography (x-rays) and ultrasound can also help in making the diagnosis. biopsy can result in a conclusive diagnosis, but is not commonly performed.


The liver and pancreas are both part of the digestive system.

correct BUT that does not explain the STONES that is a whole other issue going

also wanted to state lipase breaks down fat and amylase breaks down starch so in evaluating those numbers keep that in mind as that can help narrow things down as well