Bacca's test results....Calling vets!!!! And Food recommendations

BarbV said:
@Tagg....not sure if the Liver Tone is the same as the Hepato Support I've been giving Bacca i.e. milk thistle. I expect so.
Click to expand...

My understanding is that LiverTone is considered to be the Cadillac of liver support supplements in the canine world of natural medicine. I've heard wonderful things about Omega Alpha, the company that makes LiverTone, and they're Canadian. When you buy directly from their web site they give a donation to the Southern Ontario Sheltie Rescue. :smile2:

It might be worth looking into. Maybe you should give them a call and explain your situation?

This is their web site:

http://www.omegaalpha.ca/en/product/102/LiverTone_trade/

If you click on the link under 'Product Information' you can download a .pdf which talks more about dosing, etc.

I've not had a dog with the problems Bacca has, but I myself have taken liver support supplements for problems of my own so I know how much they can help. This is what I use and I also give to Toby, since he's on medication that can put stress on his liver (Toby gets 1 per day). I don't mean to sound dramatic, but it changed my life.

http://naturalfactors.com/caen/products/detail/4681/lg-cleanse-formula
 
Omega Alpha

from the Southern Ontario Sheltie Rescue FB Page:

"Omega Alpha has initiated an affinity program with SOSR (and other non-profit and charitable organizations):

Shop on their e-store http://www.omegaalphastore.com/ get a 10% discount on your purchases and 9% comes back to SOSR as a donation!
Upon Checkout enter coupon code OASHEL-10% (coupon code is case sensitive) for your 10% Discount. Free shipping on orders over $100 before taxes

The really great thing about their e-store is that they have many of their pet line supplements in large sizes - such as GlucosaPet in 4 Litre size at only about $126, with entering our discount code, plus tax and free shipping. If you were to buy 8 x 500ml (normally available retail size in stores) at regular retail of $29.99 you would be paying $239.92. Buying the 4 Litre size averages to just under $16 a 500ml bottle. You can't beat that! Think of the savings and convenience of buying a larger size of a supplement you normally use!

And SOSR gets 9% of that sale!"
 
I am sitting here crying right now. Our last sheltie past away from a ruptured gallbladder. If I'd known all this info he might still be alive??? He had been ill the year before he passed and ultra sounds were done, liver panels but they weren't definitive. At the end he was very ill, but shelties are so stoic we wouldn't have known how much pain he was in. I urge all sheltie breeders to test for this disease in their breeding stock and sheltie parents to do ultrasound if you know of any gallbladder problems in your pup. Breeders, I know no testing is definitive but I beleive it is worth it after what we went through with our Shelby. It was horrible and a horrible way for him to die. I know in our case we should have looked for a vet who knew more about gallbladder mucocele but I don't think there are many around here who understand the disease. I have educated myself on this and watch Meadow and Reno closely for any warning signs even though they are still young.
 
Hello,
I am emailing to give you the Vitamin E dose for Chewbacca. It is
recommended that he take a dose of 400 IU once daily. This is an
anti-oxidant product. That being said, I do not think that this is going
to solve Bacca's problems.
Bacca's case is very concerning to me and I still have to recommend that
you pursue an abdominal ultrasound to better assess what is going on in
Bacca's liver. Bacca's values are deteriorating and I fear he is entering into liver failure.
Although the liver enzymes are better than they were
previously, his bile acids are markedly elevated. This pattern
of liver abnormalities is highly suspicious of liver shunts. Occasionally, these can be treated surgically and sometimes, they are appropriately managed medically.
　
We cannot give Bacca the appropriate therapy without first knowing what
the problem is. And, as I said previously, surgery can resolve some cases fully. In
the interim, adding different products may not be the answer. In the
case of liver shunting, the liver does not get adequate blood flow,
therefore not all hepatic products will make it there in their full
concentration. Additionally, lack of blood flow to the liver will result in cell death and
liver failure. If this is a shunt, this would likely be preventable.
Finally, the liver clears Gastrin, which controls
the stomach's acidity. Without regular clearance by the liver, the stomach becomes
more acidic and gastric ulcers (and consequent internal bleeding) are risk factors. For
this reason, I recommend that you start Bacca on 10 mg once daily of Pepcid AC.
Please let me know if you change your mind about the abdominal ultrasound. In the
interim, the order I made for you for Zentonil has arrived, and you may pick it up at your
convenience.


This from my vet. My eyes are spinning

I was surprised when she mentioned ultrasound in the email, because she did not mention it in the appointment. We mostly talked about diet and meds, and now I'm back to ultrasounds and surgery.

I'm guessing second opinion I keep thinking that his thyroid and liver are related. Is this something that I should consult Dr. Dodds on?
 
Barb - how I wish you could come see my vet. He is just super. I would definitely seek a second opinion about this, but would consider the ultrasound as well. Perhaps it was something she was thinking of but hesitant to mention to you. I know my vet is very upfront with what he is thinking - we think alike and he knows I want to get to the bottom of any problem, such as Liam's current problems. It would not hurt to consult Dr. Dodds as she may be able to give you advice that helps. :hugs
 
I would go ahead and contact Dr Dodds for a second opinion and more thoughts on Baccas condition. It certainly won't hurt anything, and you may learn of something else you could try, or at least get a confirmation that what the vet is wanting you to consider is the correct choice to make. She may also know if this is connected to his thyroid problem.
 
Barb, get the ultrasound. It's not expensive, non invasive and it's the way to find out what 's going on with his liver. Dr. Dodds would want to know what the ultrasound shows in order to give a second opinion. I'm not a doc but I believe you should focus on his liver condition and not be as concerned about his thyroid disease right now . if he has a liver shunt you may want to get a second opinion or your doc may refer you to a specialist. Praying for you and Bacca.
 
I would also consider the ultrasound. Did you read Lightplum's post about gallbladder issues in shelties? It may be something to mention to your vet. Consulting Dr. Dodds wouldn't hurt either. Poor Bacca :cry:
 
ultrasound is non invasive and generally short procedure so there is no reason while dog can not tolerate it well. It is also should not be very costly compare to other stuff, no more than blood work cost. Just find knowledgeable tech who does it well.
 
Hi again Barb:
I am just going to regurgitate what the vets have told me in the last two weeks re Phoebe's liver issue.
Xray showed normal size and margins so we could do ultrasound, cheap here if your vet has one - not so much if you have to go outside your own clinic. The difficulty is that once the serum bile acid test shows the type of results Phoebe has (Pre- ref range 0 -6, Phoebe is at 26 and Post, ref range 0 -15. Phoebe was at 292.0) plaque like deposits will show up on an ultrasound and will appear to be possible hepatic tumors. So then you can do an exploratory surgery but with her values what they were she had a high likelihood of not surviving.
Ultrasound will rule out many gall bladder concerns so it might be wise to do one to be sure.
Liver Tone has milk thistle, burdock, artemesia capillaris, gardenia jasminoidis, dandelion and bupleurum chinese. I don't know if it is any better than what you are currently using but thought you might like to compare. I know that burdock is a good blood cleanser as is dandelion as I used them both on a dog with end stage kidney issues and he live an additional 2 years and went through a dental cleaning. It has no dairy, corn, yeast or wheat.
Phoebe's values 2 weeks post starting on Liver Tone are:
ALT was unmeasurable even on a 10:1 dilution test - now 238
ALKP was 689 now 285
Both are heading in the right direction and will be retested in a month, sooner if she starts to decline.
Pretty much all her CBC came back to normal range but her glucose and PLT are increasing. I'm not sure why this is but we are monitoring her.
Overall she doesn't appear to be at death's door like she was diagnosed to be 2 weeks ago.
I don't know if all this helps you or not, just thought you might like to look at it. You and Bacca are in my thoughts. I pray we both make the right decisions for our little ones.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top