[Wimble Woof]

After a huge scare with the Puppy man over the past few weeks, and countless tests later, it turns out Puppy has a "bad liver"
of the 3 tests for liver function that show up in blood panels (forgive me as I dont have the paper results with me yet I still have to go in and pick them up as the vet was kind enough to call me with his results after 3 days of trips) his one level regarding liver function is triple what it should be (not the BUN or other one that is affected by high protien "raw and grain free" feeding)
However, now, we have him on milk thistle as well as his apple cider vinegar but im just wondering if anyone knows of any other "liver healthy" foods or suppliments I can look into.

[Renoman]

Oh No, poor Puppyman~

How's he doing?

[briteday]

I would tend to stay away from fatty meats and supplement with a good fish oil and maybe flax.

Here is an article on liver disease that I think is very informative:

http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/liverdisease.htm

[Wimble Woof]

Thanks briteday!

Reno, actually he is doing great ... now.
He didnt eat for 3 days (barely ate for 2) and was breatheing oddly, thats what warrented the emergency visit, and 2 days of tests. All to find out, other than his liver, he is healthy????
Its been stressful on me, he's doing fine now though.

[Renoman]

Originally Posted by Wimble Woof

Its been stressful on me, he's doing fine now though.

Glad to hear he's fine now. Keep us posted please. I look forward to the next exciting adventure of PuppyMan

[Wimble Woof]

fine is a broad word, really he is ill, but the vets are all optomistic on holistically helping him some.
Only hard thing now is his arthritis meds have to stop, they believe it is progressing his liver issue faster.
However, they also had been satisfied with him being on glucosamine, msm and condroitin and the results he had shown while only taking that, prior to the deramaxx... which also get me wondering if putting him on that had something major to do with this all... his pre-op testing before being prescribed that was in normal range???!!!?!?!?!

[Renoman]

I'm so sorry. I didn't realize the extent of his illness. Did not mean to make light of the situation.

[briteday]

Having worked in medical labs...I have seen many cases where liver enzymes are screwed up from meds, even something as simple as a low dose of Tylenol, not abusing it, just taking it for an occasional headache. It would be curious to see what the liver enzymes look like without the med in his system. Also, what about platelets? Were they normal? The liver has a lot to do with clotting factors and platelets. You may even see some hormonal issues or growth issues depending on the age of the dog. Fat, particularly cholesterol, is metabolized in the liver and involved in may cell growth needs. Hormones are also controlled somewhat in the liver.

Keep us posted on the little guy!

[Lorina]

I know a lot of our liver patients are on this LVR Formula supplement, which contains milk thistle & some other things. As always, check with your vet for dosage instructions.

[Wimble Woof]

Originally Posted by Renoman

I'm so sorry. I didn't realize the extent of his illness. Did not mean to make light of the situation.

Oh dont worry about that renoman, I wasnt implying that at all. I just didnt want misinformation going out is all...

It would be curious to see what the liver enzymes look like without the med in his system. Also, what about platelets? Were they normal?

Thats why I plan on retesting in the upcoming months (so long as everything goes smoothly until then) I dont have the actual paper work on me yet, but the vet said "Everything is within normal range except for the ------ which indicates ------ about his liver" Understandably I was in shock and stressed about the amount of information recieved in the 2 days prior...and its hard to remember everything said over the phone.
I have to make an appointment with the actual holistic vet at the practice and work with him on a feeding plan for Puppyman. I just want to arm myself with proper questions about other helpful suppliments or "herbs" if you will...

Once i pick up the paperwork with the results of the blood panel, I will be sure to post the actual numbers and findings in relevance to this.

Thanks for input and thoughts so far!!!
What a great group of people here.

[cityDog]

We routinely prescribe Denosyl (S-Adenosylmethionine) for dogs with liver issues at the animal clinic I work at.

My dog's ALT sky rocketed after being on an antibiotic and 3 weeks on the supplement returned his values to normal. Denosyl is expensive, but you can purchase generic S-Adenosylmethionine at a great savings. Ask your vet about it.

[Sydni]

I am so sorry to hear about your test results. I can sympathize. We had a shepherd that had liver issues for 3 years. We did every test under the sun trying to figure out the cause. A biopsy said he had scorsis (sp?) and that his liver was slowly dying.

We (in our quest for knowledge) discovered Amazon Herbs. They are advertized for people but since it is an herb it is safe for pets also. We began giving our boy Rainforest Treasure Tea-Totally non-caffine herbal tea (To flush his system), Envirozon (to flush out toxins), and Recovazon (To help with healing and pain). He made huge improvements almost immediately in demeaner and energy levels.

Unfortunately for us we did not discover these wonder suppliments until 3 months before we lost him to liver failure. But we do know that they made his last months less painful and a better quality of life.

Now we give our other 4 Amazon Herbs every day as prevention. They get Treasure Tea, Recovazon (Helps build muscle and strength- I have one with arthritis and it works wonders for him) and Fiberzon to help with digestion and nutriant absorption. I would give them about 4 other things if i could afford it, but money is a bit tight right now.

Anyway, I recommend them wholeheartedly. They work wonders and All 4 of our other dogs have had amazon check up and blood work results over the last year since we started using the Amazon Herbs.

[RawFedDogs]

Originally Posted by Wimble Woof

After a huge scare with the Puppy man over the past few weeks, and countless tests later, it turns out Puppy has a "bad liver"

If it were my dog, I would fast him for 12 hours ... 24 would be better and have him retested. A blood panel is a snapshot of what is going on in the dog's body the very instant that the blood was drawn. One high reading in one test means nothing really. It merely means, "take a closer look".

or other one that is affected by high protien "raw and grain free" feeding)

Regardless of what they say, raw and grain free feeding has no adverse effect on any blood tests. My dogs have been fed raw and grain free basically all their lives and their blood levels are all well within the normal range.

Other than feeding raw meat, bones, and organs I don't know any supplements for liver.

[Willowy]

I knew some humans who were on a "liver cleanse" diet (which is probably hype, but whatever), and they would only eat organic meat, because they say that the antibiotic and hormone residue are tough for the liver to remove. Like I said, probably hype, but it might be helpful.