Liver disease

Cindy said:
One side effect of a spunky puppy...injuries!
Gavin has been getting all spunky since December, but keeps getting more so.
We play a game (and have since he was a pup) when I get home from work where he rolls on his back for belly rubs.
He can't hear me say 'belly' anymore, but he still knows to roll on his back for me when I get down on the floor with him.
He can (and does now) get all verbal where he sounds like chewbacca and moves his legs around all happy-like in the air.
Well, he scratched me good on my nose! Ouch!
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How heartwarming!
 
Piper's mom said:
I thought I'd give an update on Riley...
His recovery since being put on the Metacam has been nothing short of amazing! He's been on it for 2 weeks now and is pretty much 100% back to his normal self!
He's back to running outside, he runs up and down the stairs (when before it was a struggle), eats his food with the bowl on the floor (I had to elevate his bowl before) and walks with his tail held high (tail was always tucked before). He's a very happy, boisterous, vocal Sheltie again who is very quick to chase Piper and Finnie out of the room if he thinks there's food to be had!
Yesterday he actually jumped on the couch (he was getting away from Finnie who wanted to play), and from an odd angle at that...he had no problem with it at all!
The vet isn't convinced that he's actually getting better, she thinks it's a combination of the Metacam and Gabapentin providing pain relief. I disagree...its been a very gradual improvement. He didn't start doing all these things right away but rather slight improvements every day (plus if it was relieving his pain he'd still have some but he doesn't appear to have any pain anymore), bit by bit. I've also now got him on Green Lipped Mussel, glucosamine and chondroitin, omega 3 liquid for dogs and his milk thistle supplement. All three get the omega 3 and both Piper and Riley get the glucosamine and green lipped mussel...Piper's had joint issues with his shoulder last year. With all three dogs being a different size I have to keep track of who gets what and how much lol...
Tomorrow we cut the Metacam dose to 1/2 the regular dose for two weeks (that'll be the test to see if he really needs it) and then after two weeks he'll be taken off of it (it's hard on the liver) I don't even think he needs the Gabapentin 3 x per day...I'm going to ask the vet about cutting him down to 2 x per day. I think once he's done the Metacam he should be off the gabapentin as it doesn't do much when not combined with an NSAID.
All in all after a very trying 3 months trying to figure out what was wrong with him I'm so very happy he's pretty much back to normal!
If only the vet would've checked out his back months ago I would've associated his jumping off the grooming table in July with his slow decline,unfortunately we had tunnel vision and were stuck thinking it had something to do with his liver (which if numbers are good then no more bloodwork until his yearly check up...liver is abnormal so I've changed his diet to prevent further problems) when in actuality the two were totally separate. But of course hindsight is 20/20!
From now on I'm marking on the calendar any time any of the dogs does anything unusual (jumping, tripping, etc) so I can look back and see if any problems arise! It's so easy to forget an insignificant event months later!
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This is nothing short of miraculous! Thank goodness you are so attuned to Riley that ach time you notice some change, no matter how small, you react immediately to get him the help he needs!
... and this is the result...
a Riley back to 100%! I wish all outcomes could be so positive. Go Riley!
 
ghggp said:
This is nothing short of miraculous! Thank goodness you are so attuned to Riley that ach time you notice some change, no matter how small, you react immediately to get him the help he needs!
... and this is the result...
a Riley back to 100%! I wish all outcomes could be so positive. Go Riley!
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I actually spoke to our vet this morning regarding cutting back and then eliminating his pain meds. She was very very impressed with his improvement...said that if it was cancer or anything 'bad' we wouldn't have been able to cut back on his pain meds!
She said he could possibly have a flare up in the future (or turn wrong etc) but we'll catch it faster and get him on meds right away.

We're going to slowly reduce the Gabapentin over the course of 20 days (she wants to slowly reduce so as to make sure he's pain free at the end) and we'll continue the 1/2 dose of Metacam until he's done the other meds.

All in all very positive! He was actually running and playing with Finnie this morning outside (Piper was in the house otherwise Riley gets a bit intimidated by the two)...next time I'll remember to take my phone, it sure was a sight to see!
 
Sounds great! Since you know how well they work, having a few pills of each metacam and gabapentin on hand for future use is VERY helpful especially when you are waiting to see the vet.
FYI, Gabapentin is super cheap and I get it online with a scrip from the vet.
 
Thanks for that advice Cindy...yes, the vet is giving extra gabapentin (filled at pharmacy) and I'll probably need to get more Metacam for future use. Won't be a problem from our vet...she's the best!
She easily saved me at least $500 for things I wasn't billed for!
 
That's great.
I haven't had such luck with most of my vets, but then I live in a very expensive place.
Some vets will give scrips, some don't like to.
My gabapentin is like $35 for 100 pills, which lasts me over 3 months. One reason why CBD oil couldn't compete.
Maybe one day I will try stopping it to see if there is any effect. Maybe one day Gavin will stop limping....
 
Just got all caught up with Riley's story. Thank god he's on the mend. This also put a bug in my ear as to possible reasons for problems here. Never would have thought back issues...Metacam can be a miracle drug. One dose and Fillion was much better after limping for days. Gotta find a vet like yours!
 
Margi said:
Just got all caught up with Riley's story. Thank god he's on the mend. This also put a bug in my ear as to possible reasons for problems here. Never would have thought back issues...Metacam can be a miracle drug. One dose and Fillion was much better after limping for days. Gotta find a vet like yours!
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I know eh Margi? It took us 3 months to figure it out...but I think if he hadn't also had liver issues we may have figured it out sooner. Never stop trying!
We do have a fantastic vet and to think before all this happened I was considering finding a new vet! Not anymore...no matter what I'm sticking with her!
 
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