Originally Posted by 107barney (Post 3440966)

My heart is in my stomach............I just got off the phone with the board certified internal medicine veterinarian. Barney went in to have an abdominal ultrasound because of a mild but persistently elevated liver enzyme. So I wanted to make sure we did not miss anything.

Originally Posted by 107barney (Post 3440966)

To make a long story short, Barney's liver is showing some mild changes to the architecture which may be due to age, left over inflammation from his pancreatitis episode last year, or some unknown liver disease (cancer, copper storage deficiancy, etc). The only way to know about the liver is to do a biopsy, which I am not doing because (1) Barney is not showing clinical signs or symptoms of illness and (2) a biopsy needs to be invasive to be worthwhile and there is a risk of internal bleeding and death which is increased in a dog of his size (8.5 lbs). He will be treated with liver antioxidants, denosyl, marin and another drug I forgot the name of but will post later...it started with a "u". Pancreas looked good.

Originally Posted by 107barney (Post 3440966)

Then we get to the kidneys........and they were showing "bright" on the ultrasound. Two mildly elevated kidney values as well on blood work last month. Concern: DOES BARNEY HAVE AN INFECTION, AND IF SO, IS IT LEPTOSPIROSIS.

Originally Posted by 107barney (Post 3440966)

LEPTOSPIROSIS? WHAT??!!! This as my WORST FEAR stopping the vaccine and not taking the advice of my vet who said to vaccinate him for it. I bantered back and forth about this - NO LEPTO NO LEPTO NO LEPTO. Finally dropped the vet for persisting and annoying me with it.

Originally Posted by 107barney (Post 3440966)

Where did this leave me? Testing my Barney for LEPTO.

I'm sick to my stomach, I feel like throwing up.

Originally Posted by 107barney (Post 3440966)

As an aside and to share...........I asked the specialist "what is your opinion about the lepto vaccine especially in small breeds.."
Here was his answer, an exact quote:

"I have seen enough cases of leptospirosis in dogs we could not help to SCARE me enough to vaccinate my own dogs." One of which is a small dog around 15 lbs.

Originally Posted by 107barney (Post 3440966)

I went further - what about reactions in toy breeds and risk.... The recommendation was to VACCINATE my dogs. His opinon: the risk of reactions in the current lepto vaccine was not any greater than any other vaccine and greatly outweighs the risk.

Originally Posted by 107barney (Post 3440966)

I am hoping and praying to god that Barney does not have this disease becasue I will not be able to live with myself for not vaccinating them the last couple of years.

Once again I'm reminded that I do not know more than my vets and I'm just sick over this. I'm hoping in 5 days from now I do not hear that he has it. :(

Originally Posted by kjc (Post 3443018)

I agree the new vaccine is cleaner and should not cause the same reactions as the old vaccine, but it is still new, along with the 'dental' vaccine and the Giardia vaccine and the flu vaccine. Personally, I will wait to see more evidence, but then again Lepto is not as prevalent in my area, and I take special precautions to avoid contracting it.

Originally Posted by Maximo (Post 3443025)

What kind of precautions can be taken? We avoid standing water, even puddles, but my boys do go in the grass where cats, rodents, opossum, and other critters may have eliminated. The Lepto can enter through the eyes or a scraped paw. How can that be avoided?

Originally Posted by ladyjane (Post 3443058)

Someone please shoot me and put me out of my misery. :D

Originally Posted by kjc (Post 3443105)

I avoid standing water, esp puddles, letting my pups sniff everything they want, light rains... only go out after a hard rain to wash the roads and avoid the puddles, not allowed to eat anything they find... etc.

Also in the process of training them to wear boots and shoes on wet or damp days.

In the yard, I made a section for the dogs that I can spray with a bleach solution, and alternate with vinegar (lepto prefers alkaline conditions), and I put up additional fencing to keep out most wildlife.

I don't feed the birds, bc that attracts mice and squirrels and others to the yard.

Mine are on leash all the time, except in their yard, where I watch them. Not 100%, but I try. If my pup had an open wound, he's in boots or inside till it heals. And may start testing for it yearly like heartworm...

Leptospirosis in Dogs How They Catch It, How We Cure It, How We Prevent It

Originally Posted by kjc (Post 3443018)

I've been doing alot of research on liver issues the past two years. But I can't offer anything without knowing which enzyme is elevated, and how elevated it is.



Re: #1. Do you mean he isn't acting sick? Dogs are great at hiding their illness, or even adapting to subtle, gradual changes in their overall health.

Re:#2. Usually it is common protocol to test for any bleeding disorders before 'going in' for a liver biopsy, so risk can be minimized. The liver can still function enough even if only 1/4 of it is 100%. It is also capable of total regeneration. This is the main reason Liver disease can be difficult to diagnose.



Just a reminder... an increased BUN can result from dehydration... again need more info if you care to share....



Were you vaccinating every 6-8 months? If not, he was only covered for 1/2 a year anyway. (and probably for the wrong sevovars anyway)



Been there, too... but you are not at fault here. There are over 200 different sevovars of Leptospirosis. You could not possibly be vaccinating for the correct strain as it hadn't been developed yet, and if it was, and your vet was using it, there was still a 4-6 month lapse if he was only being vaccinated yearly.



How many cases of Lepto has he seen? And how many dogs and cats has he seen the past year that didn't have Lepto?



I agree the new vaccine is cleaner and should not cause the same reactions as the old vaccine, but it is still new, along with the 'dental' vaccine and the Giardia vaccine and the flu vaccine. Personally, I will wait to see more evidence, but then again Lepto is not as prevalent in my area, and I take special precautions to avoid contracting it.

The main issue I have is vaccinating the dogs that weigh under 7 or 8 pounds. It would be so much safer for them if all vaccines were adjusted to the size of the animal being vaccinated, instead of one a 'one size fits all' basis as is done now.

There is risk too in over-vaccinating dogs, and can happen in large breeds too. This risk can be minimized by vaccinating with only one vaccine at a time, and allowing a month inbetween vaccinations. This and similar protocols create a stronger immuno-response against each disease being vaccinated against.



Again, not your fault. I'm sorry that he's ill and that I can't help you because of the lack of specific details in your post. (not that I could find anything that BC specialist would have missed) It would also help to post his age and the age he was neutered, and any history and meds he's currently taking (if any).

I do have two questions: Just curious as to why the 'elevated liver enzyme' wasn't rechecked in 3 months as opposed to 6 months? Usually rechecks are every 3 months until results show a decreasing trend... unless it's considered more critical and is tested monthly...

And was it suggested to put him on a low-protein diet (if he's not on one?). And was a Urinalysis done? (bc of kidney issue)

I do understand your reluctance to share the details, but then I'm confused as to why you would ask "to be sure we did not miss anything"? With what you have posted, I don't have a clue, so all I can do is to pray for you both....

Originally Posted by kjc (Post 3443105)

I avoid standing water, esp puddles, letting my pups sniff everything they want, light rains... only go out after a hard rain to wash the roads and avoid the puddles, not allowed to eat anything they find... etc.

Also in the process of training them to wear boots and shoes on wet or damp days.

In the yard, I made a section for the dogs that I can spray with a bleach solution, and alternate with vinegar (lepto prefers alkaline conditions), and I put up additional fencing to keep out most wildlife.

I don't feed the birds, bc that attracts mice and squirrels and others to the yard.

Mine are on leash all the time, except in their yard, where I watch them. Not 100%, but I try. If my pup had an open wound, he's in boots or inside till it heals. And may start testing for it yearly like heartworm...

Leptospirosis in Dogs How They Catch It, How We Cure It, How We Prevent It

Originally Posted by kjc (Post 3443018)

How many cases of Lepto has he seen? And how many dogs and cats has he seen the past year that didn't have Lepto?