Protein Losing Entropathy
 

My daughter purchase a Yorkie that was born May of 2006 we thought from a reputable breeder. This puppy (Emmerson) has been sick from day one. I found out yesterday that she has PLE and I wondered if any of you can tell me what I can do to help her get better. She is very under weight drinks tons of water and is urinating all over the place. Does anyone have any suggestions, my Vet gave us a diet to follow, but it appear to come right through her. Please and Thank you.

Never heard of it.

Try this link:
http://www.petshealth.com/dr_library/ple.html
I hope your daughter's baby girl gets better, poor little thing.

I read about it. Sounds complicated. I sure hope that baby can get well soon....:getwellso

Bentley has a form of PLE. He was scheduled for a biopsy to pinpoint which component he had, but unfortunately was never well enough to undergo the procedure. Bentley had Intestinal Lymphangiectasia, a form of PLE. A biopsy is very important not only for subsequent treatment (meds, food therapy, etc), but also because it tells you how advanced the disease is.
From what I've learned, the goal is to increase the levels of protein so that its manageable with meds and food therapy.
Unfortunately with Bentley his episodes of diarrhea were misdiagnosed so often that he was so ill by the time he was hospitalized. We were told he was a finicky eater and that's why he never gained weight. No one ever recommended a blood test. He was 2 1/2 years old and passed away in October. He spent 4 days in the ER and even with the best internists at hand, he eventually went into septic shock and had to be put down.

PLE is the loss of protein into the bowel. Fluid builds up in the legs, chest and in Bentley's case, his abdomen which in the end was very bloated. The last week he was drinking excessively, was very lethargic and his diarrhea was watery and dark.

Here's a couple of articles about PLE -

http://www.upei.ca/~cidd/Diseases/GI...nteropathy.htm

http://yorkieviews.com/PLE.htm

If you need anything else, please let me know. And good luck to you. Just the fact that it was diagnosed correctly is a relief. Hopefully your baby will get better and you'll be able to manage it and keep it under control.

Cooper (my new baby) and I wish you good thoughts and prayers....

I hope you told the breeder about this, it says it's inherited so she needs to stop breeding the pups parents and she should at least help out with vet bills.

This is a very serious condition, I am sad to say. They can recover though with proper medication and diet. Their diet is one of the most important and you cannot make changes because the protein levels rise rapidly.

Sophie had a few bouts when she was younger, and recovered. However, as she grew older, they were more serious. I would recommend an internist for your pup because they are specialized in this disease.

Best of luck and it is very painful for the pup.

Sorry to hear about Bentley and your story touches my home also.

Thanks for your post.....unfortunately since I contributed to the thread, we discovered that Cooper was diagnosed with Renal Dysplasia. What luck....he's only 7 months old and the prognosis is grim. How ironic that we found out so late with Bentley and couldn't do anything to save him and with Cooper the diagnosis was a fluke, and yet we still can't do anything to save him.

Man, I just cant believe all these breeders are breeding such sickly dogs and ultimately breaking so many hearts. Please make sure to let your breeder know about this, so she can stop this from happening to other people.
Did you get Cooper in California? from who?
I know it is really hard to have a sick baby but think of it like this, your two sick dogs were meant to be with you becuase you will take such good care of them when most would just send them to a rescue.
I am so scared of getting another yorkie, so many things with their health can go wrong, I wonder if you could do a blood test right when you get a pup and if anything should show up return the pup before you get to attached? Do blood tests work like that? or do problems such as these only show up in the blood later on? I will ask my vet.

I read a little about Renal Dysplasia and it states that it is inherited so it is very important that you let the breeder know about it and stop breeding the parents. It also states that if only one kidney is involed he will most likely live a normal life with proper care.
I hope you have a health guarantee for him.
I will keep Cooper in my thoughts, he is lucky though, to have such a great mama!!

So tragic and I am deeply sorry.

Wondering how Emmerson is feeling?