Sheltie Health Alert

Wish I could get tablets here, I'm making a mess with the powder. Unfortunately the cost of importing would make it just as expensive, the exchange rate with the USD has gotten so bad, then add script and postage. Shame I can't get a script for me - for humans it's underwritten by the govt for a fraction of the cost. Still, shouldn't complain - I do have pet insurance so the cost will probably work out the same buying it from the vet once I claim it back.

Ann - how much milk thistle did you give? Hope it tastes okay - Tully is a bugger for taking medicine.
 
Caro, I'm sorry to hear about Tully, but so glad you caught it before it progressed. The trouble with GM is that there are NO symptoms until it's acute, which is why it's so important to get these scans done, especially in older dogs. I'm so glad you did yours!

My vet also uses Ursodiol to dissolve sludge, as Gloria suggested. It's the go-to drug over here. If you can get it there, it may be cheaper and seems to be very effective. Also, my vet strongly recommends using a high quality milk thistle as a preventative. The one he likes is Marin Plus Soft Chews for Dogs. I get it here on chewy.com. It might be available near you as well.
 
Caro said:
Ann - how much milk thistle did you give? Hope it tastes okay - Tully is a bugger for taking medicine.
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Hi Caro...we were posting at the same time, LOL. It's too bad that you can't get the cheaper meds but yes, pet insurance does help thankfully! As for milk thistle, it's important to use one made for canines, not a human one. 100 mg a day is the standard if you're giving milk thistle pills, but Marin uses sylibin extract, which is the element found in milk thistle but more potent delivered in its pure form and serves to increase the bile flow. Here's a link to their website which will give you more information. http://www.marinplusliver.com/#whymarinplus

I checked their website and there is a distributor in Australia. Here's their information:
Australia
PAW by Blackmores
[email protected]
+61 2 9910 5161
www.pawbyblackmores.com.au

These come in soft chews which the dog eats like a treat and you only feed one per day. Most of the canine milk thistle pills on the market are also flavored, so hopefully Tully would eat them. Let me know if I can give you any further information.
 
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I am thinking of putting Gavin on milk thistle as a preventative. He had a internal organ ultrasound the end of 2015 before his cancer treatment (to see if he had other issues that would have made radiation irrelevant), so I am pretty sure he didn't have any sludge then. I will ask the vet when I go in for his next check up.
 
Caro said:
Both of mine had their gallbladders scanned today. Deska is fine but got a surprise with Tully. She has sludge build up in half of her gallbladder. The vet said it looks thick, usually the build up is thinner and flows and settles according to the dog's position whereas Tully's was like silly putty, and there were no signs of stones causing it. The fluid may resolve, but it may just as easily turn into a mucocele.

So she's on a medication to see if we can clear the sludge, it's called Ursofalk. It's really expensive - about $5 per capsule, the suspension is even more. I'm trying the capsules first - have to open the capsule and split it into 2 doses, one for morning one for evening. If that doesn't work I'll have to use the suspension - but it's citrus flavoured and dogs do not like citrus. She's on this for 2 months and then will get another scan. If the build up hasn't gone by then, or has increased, I'll have to decide if we do surgery.

Quite a shock really. Even though I'd read all this info I didn't actually expect they'd find anything. Tully is very fit and active for an almost 10 year old. I would never have guessed she had this gallbladder problem if it wasn't for the scan. So we are lucky this information came out when it did. I really recommend people consider getting the gallbladder scan as part of a senior panel.
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Wow, thank goodness you checked!

As for dogs not liking citrus - both Spirit and Skylar would eat entire oranges if I let them. Maybe they are the exception and not the rule. But maybe Tully will turn out to be one who likes citrus!
 
For maybe the last 6mths when Tully goes outside first thing in the morning she eats grass, which my dogs only do when they have an upset tummy. I'm guessing now that it was probably her gallbladder that was giving her the upset tummy. Might also explain why she's gone off the lactose free milk they have before dinner (I mix Deska's meds in it). The signs have all been so subtle that I've only ever mentioned it in passing to the vet. Wonder if her bench surfing over the years has contributed to the problem.

Got some liquid milk thistle - she's not liking it, have to give it to her by syringe. I tried putting it on food but she picked the food out and dropped it on the floor in disgust.

The dogs are on fish atm, as I'm trying to get weight off them but also Deska's skin flared up again. I'm wondering if white fish is oily - does anyone know, I don't eat fish myself?
 
Yes, there are good omega 3 and 6 oils in fish.

But they may not get raw fish that have not been frozen first.
 
Caro said:
For maybe the last 6mths when Tully goes outside first thing in the morning she eats grass, which my dogs only do when they have an upset tummy. I'm guessing now that it was probably her gallbladder that was giving her the upset tummy. Might also explain why she's gone off the lactose free milk they have before dinner (I mix Deska's meds in it). The signs have all been so subtle that I've only ever mentioned it in passing to the vet. Wonder if her bench surfing over the years has contributed to the problem.

Got some liquid milk thistle - she's not liking it, have to give it to her by syringe. I tried putting it on food but she picked the food out and dropped it on the floor in disgust.

The dogs are on fish atm, as I'm trying to get weight off them but also Deska's skin flared up again. I'm wondering if white fish is oily - does anyone know, I don't eat fish myself?
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I feed Zulu sardines. They are rich in Omega 3/6 oils, and because they are so small, they do not have any issues with mercury contamination that you see in larger fish. Just be sure you only purchase the ones packing in water, with no added salt. They are smelly (don't know how anyone would eat them), but Zulu goes berserk when I open the can!
 
So I guess that's bad news for Tully then, she's on v low fat/oils and low protein to help her gallbladder recover.
 
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