Very large liver - Very worried - YorkieTalk.com Forums

lsiddell · 05-31-2015, 03:15 PM

My oldest is 11 and had been sluggish and not feeling well. I took her to the vet thinking that she may have another bladder infection. Vet said it was unusual but did find a few white cells in her urine. Did an x-ray & said her liver was larger than he had ever seen but didn't say anything else. Put her on antibiotics & sent her home. It wasn't a bladder infection but she has steadily gone down hill and I'm going to call tomorrow to get her in for blood work. Has anyone had this with there kids? I am worried sick. She gags quite a bit and seems to always be hot, she pants a lot. She also cries in her sleep. Her appetite is not what it once was but she is still eating and drinking. Please help.

mindy10 · 06-01-2015, 07:25 AM

Sometimes a large liver can be caused by in infection. He could be panting because he is in pain. Dogs will pant when in pain. Has he ever gagged before or has this just started? Hope the antibiotics help him. Keep us updated

ladyjane · 06-01-2015, 08:58 AM

You definitely need to get the blood work done asap so your vet has something more to work with in order to come up with a diagnosis.

Cushings is the one thing that jumps out at me....did he mention that possibility?

As for the panting, could be pain, but I am more inclined to think it is pressure on the diagphragm due to the enlarged liver. That would make it more difficult for the lungs to expand properly.

Welcome to YT....I hope you can get your baby feeling better soon! Please keep us posted.

Wylie's Mom · 06-01-2015, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsiddell

My oldest is 11 and had been sluggish and not feeling well. I took her to the vet thinking that she may have another bladder infection. Vet said it was unusual but did find a few white cells in her urine. Did an x-ray & said her liver was larger than he had ever seen but didn't say anything else. Put her on antibiotics & sent her home. It wasn't a bladder infection but she has steadily gone down hill and I'm going to call tomorrow to get her in for blood work. Has anyone had this with there kids? I am worried sick. She gags quite a bit and seems to always be hot, she pants a lot. She also cries in her sleep. Her appetite is not what it once was but she is still eating and drinking. Please help.

Hi and welcome to YT

. So sorry your kiddo is sick, poor thing.

I'm confused by your vet...so he said the liver was huge, but then didn't mention wanting to do some liver bloodwork? If so, that's a little concerning. Unless he was maybe planning on bloodwork after the antibiotics course is done...?

The gagging makes me wonder if she is having GERD (acid reflux); organ enlargement could put pressure on the wrong places and exacerbate it -- read this article for more signs of that: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/die...wallowing.html

Like LadyJane, I too wonder a bit about Cushings due to her being hot...I'd also want to check for hypothyroid bc of feeling hot as well.

Please keep us posted on how she is doing...

lsiddell · 06-03-2015, 11:29 AM

I took Prissy back to the vet on Monday and he did a complete body panel and I should have the results today. He also mentioned Cushings and from what I read it is fairly common in Yorkies and out of 19 symptoms she has 10. I will let all know what I find out. Thank you so much for the responses as they have been very helpful.

ladyjane · 06-03-2015, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsiddell

I took Prissy back to the vet on Monday and he did a complete body panel and I should have the results today. He also mentioned Cushings and from what I read it is fairly common in Yorkies and out of 19 symptoms she has 10. I will let all know what I find out. Thank you so much for the responses as they have been very helpful.

Awesome...thanks for the update!

Please keep us posted ..

dannbarbery · 06-03-2015, 12:07 PM

Yes, you dog's liver might have gotten larger because of some infection or unhealthy diet. Make sure to give your dog variety of food (don't just give dry food) and have your dog's house cleaned all the time.

lsiddell · 06-03-2015, 08:24 PM

Bloodwork came back and vet said it wasn't real bad. One liver enzym was higher than normal. He is still leaning toward Crushing but we'll have to do more testing to make sure and if it is what type. She still feels so bad and I just don't know what to do to help her. Am I over reacting? I've had a very sick dog before.

Wylie's Mom · 06-04-2015, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsiddell

Bloodwork came back and vet said it wasn't real bad. One liver enzym was higher than normal. He is still leaning toward Crushing but we'll have to do more testing to make sure and if it is what type. She still feels so bad and I just don't know what to do to help her. Am I over reacting? I've had a very sick dog before.

When you say she "still feels so bad", what do you mean exactly? Knowing what that means might help us in giving some suggestions for you...

I'm so sorry she feels bad, how sad to watch. I so hope you get to the bottom of this soon.

lsiddell · 06-04-2015, 11:39 AM

Shes sluggish. Lethargic and doesn't get excited the way she used to. You can just tell when they don't feel good. She is still eating OK and drinking. She also cries a lot when she is sleeping and has a hard time breathing like there is something in her nose. She has those growths all over her so I thought that maybe she had one of those in her nose but the vet said that it would be hard to investigate because her nose is so small. I was hoping she is just getting old but it happened pretty fast. I have a urine sample to drop off but they didn't say if it needed to be fresh, it's a couple of hours old and I have it in the fridge. I understand you all are not vets but a lot of you have been through this and would be able to tell what I was dealing with. Thanks again for all the attention to this.

Wylie's Mom · 06-04-2015, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsiddell

Shes sluggish. Lethargic and doesn't get excited the way she used to. You can just tell when they don't feel good. She is still eating OK and drinking. She also cries a lot when she is sleeping and has a hard time breathing like there is something in her nose. She has those growths all over her so I thought that maybe she had one of those in her nose but the vet said that it would be hard to investigate because her nose is so small. I was hoping she is just getting old but it happened pretty fast. I have a urine sample to drop off but they didn't say if it needed to be fresh, it's a couple of hours old and I have it in the fridge. I understand you all are not vets but a lot of you have been through this and would be able to tell what I was dealing with. Thanks again for all the attention to this.

Aw, poor little thing....she just sounds so down. Cushings can definitely make you lethargic. It usually makes dogs extremely hungry and thirsty, so I'm surprised she doesn't have those symptoms if she does indeed have Cushings....but then again, not all dogs present w/ Cushings in the same way.

I would get the urine to the vet as soon as you can.

As for the nose, my Marcel is only 3.5-4 lbs, and they were able to get up his nose w/ a scope (he inhaled something)...so they do make equipment small enough, just fyi...

05-31-2015, 03:15 PM	#1
lsiddell Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2015 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 24	Very large liver - Very worried My oldest is 11 and had been sluggish and not feeling well. I took her to the vet thinking that she may have another bladder infection. Vet said it was unusual but did find a few white cells in her urine. Did an x-ray & said her liver was larger than he had ever seen but didn't say anything else. Put her on antibiotics & sent her home. It wasn't a bladder infection but she has steadily gone down hill and I'm going to call tomorrow to get her in for blood work. Has anyone had this with there kids? I am worried sick. She gags quite a bit and seems to always be hot, she pants a lot. She also cries in her sleep. Her appetite is not what it once was but she is still eating and drinking. Please help.

06-01-2015, 08:58 AM	#3
ladyjane Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 27,451	You definitely need to get the blood work done asap so your vet has something more to work with in order to come up with a diagnosis. Cushings is the one thing that jumps out at me....did he mention that possibility? As for the panting, could be pain, but I am more inclined to think it is pressure on the diagphragm due to the enlarged liver. That would make it more difficult for the lungs to expand properly. Welcome to YT....I hope you can get your baby feeling better soon! Please keep us posted. __________________ CLOUD NINE BEDS--YORKIE HAVEN RESCUE MY ETSY SHOP

06-03-2015, 11:29 AM	#5
lsiddell Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2015 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 24	Update kind of I took Prissy back to the vet on Monday and he did a complete body panel and I should have the results today. He also mentioned Cushings and from what I read it is fairly common in Yorkies and out of 19 symptoms she has 10. I will let all know what I find out. Thank you so much for the responses as they have been very helpful.

06-04-2015, 11:39 AM	#10
lsiddell Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2015 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 24	She feels bad Shes sluggish. Lethargic and doesn't get excited the way she used to. You can just tell when they don't feel good. She is still eating OK and drinking. She also cries a lot when she is sleeping and has a hard time breathing like there is something in her nose. She has those growths all over her so I thought that maybe she had one of those in her nose but the vet said that it would be hard to investigate because her nose is so small. I was hoping she is just getting old but it happened pretty fast. I have a urine sample to drop off but they didn't say if it needed to be fresh, it's a couple of hours old and I have it in the fridge. I understand you all are not vets but a lot of you have been through this and would be able to tell what I was dealing with. Thanks again for all the attention to this.

06-01-2015, 07:25 AM	#2
mindy10 YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 581 Blog Entries: 1	Sometimes a large liver can be caused by in infection. He could be panting because he is in pain. Dogs will pant when in pain. Has he ever gagged before or has this just started? Hope the antibiotics help him. Keep us updated

06-03-2015, 12:07 PM	#7
dannbarbery Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Australia Posts: 32	Yes, you dog's liver might have gotten larger because of some infection or unhealthy diet. Make sure to give your dog variety of food (don't just give dry food) and have your dog's house cleaned all the time.

06-03-2015, 08:24 PM	#8
lsiddell Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2015 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 24	Bloodwork came back and vet said it wasn't real bad. One liver enzym was higher than normal. He is still leaning toward Crushing but we'll have to do more testing to make sure and if it is what type. She still feels so bad and I just don't know what to do to help her. Am I over reacting? I've had a very sick dog before.