Dog Community

hepatitis or Lepto?

kaf

Posted : 8/27/2006 5:48:35 PM

Hi everyone,

I was hoping someone could shed some light on what is happening with my neighbor's dog. My neighbor right now is at a loss, and is debating having her PTS. Here is the situation…. The dog is a cocker spaniel, she is around 5 years old. Last Sunday she noticed that her abdomen was distended, otherwise she seemed fine (eating, drinking, and pooping). She took her to the vet first thing Monday morning, and they ran a bunch of tests, xrays, and ultrasound. They were unsure of a diagnosis, however her liver enzymes were slightly elevated. On Tuesday one of the vets said it was hepatitis, and put her on prednisone, ursodiol, SAMe, Batril, a diuretic (for the fluid on her abdomen) and another antibiotic (I don't remember the name). She came home from the vet last weds, and stopped eating, except for a few bites here and there. My neighbor called the vets office, and this time a different vet (the owner of the clinic) said that she did not believe it was liver disease and that it could be lepto! They took her back to the vet to run the lepto test, the results are not back yet. The 2nd vet who suggested lepto, said that lepto was kind of a long shot but a possibility, and since my neighbor has a 10 month old kid, they should test just to be sure.

Has anyone been through anything like this before? My neighbor just finds it odd that she stopped eating as soon as she was put on all the meds. Could the medicine be making her not want to eat? She has an appointment already set up for tomorrow with the vet, but she feels that if she wont start eating she will have to put her to sleep. This is so sad, because from what I understand, her liver values really were not that bad, the eating has become the main issue now. She has barely eaten anything in 5 days. If anyone has any ideas, she would greatly appreciate it!

dyan

Posted : 8/27/2006 6:27:54 PM

The medications could certainly be making the dog not want to eat! First of all, with all that medicine...you don't even know which could be causing a problem. But antibiotics alone many times cause digestive upsets. I know she is worried...but gee,, she should not be thinking PTS at this point. Can she..or has she tried to entice her dog to eat? Sometimes things that they can't resist will get them to eat. Is she drinking water?
Please tell her to please try not to think so negatively and have some faith in her vet.

kaf

Posted : 8/27/2006 7:07:21 PM

I agree she needs to be more positive and that it probably is the meds that are making her more sick. I think she told the vet on friday that she wouldnt eat. The vet told her to give her a little more time but not to discontinue the medicine. So now it has been 5 days and she still is not eating... they have tried everything in the fridge, but she still will not eat anything. She is drinking water, but not very much. She does have faith in her vet, she loves them, but she is so sad seeing her dog not eat.

dyan

Posted : 8/27/2006 9:01:36 PM

I don't blame her for worrying about her dog for not eating. I am like that too. I have always been like that even with my kids. I always think that if they are eating,,,they will get better. So I don't blame your friend. BUT to think of putting her to sleep because she is not eating, might be pushing it a little. Just tell her to keep trying to find something for her to eat,,,even if its a little here or there...just getting something down her belly until the meds are gone.
Please keep us updated!

kaf

Posted : 8/27/2006 9:09:46 PM

Thanks Dyan! I will try, and I have been trying. She has lost a lot of weight in just these few days. I'm pretty sure my neighbor will try for as long as she thinks her dog is trying. It's so hard because she is so young... its almost like she has just given up.

dyan

Posted : 8/27/2006 9:40:19 PM

My sons Dane Ollie,,,quit eating for a long time...when he was going thru allergies...on all kinds of medications etc. He got so skinny that you could count his ribs. He got over it,,,it took a long time,,,months in fact....but he got over it and is a bouncing Dane now. He was younger your friends dog...he wasn't even two yet. He acted like he gave up also....because he didn't feel well. But we didn't give up trying,,,and we brought him around. Your friend can do that also.

kaf

Posted : 8/27/2006 10:01:46 PM

Thank you Dyan, I will tell her about your son's Dane Ollie tomorrow. I think stories like Ollie's will help her push through this. I too think that her dog needs more time, but she is so worried about her suffering... I just hope that they can both make it through this, she is a really sweet dog!

dyan

Posted : 8/27/2006 10:04:56 PM

I just hope that they can both make it through this, she is a really sweet dog!

Your welcome kaf!
You can help encourage her...that will mean a lot. Good luck!

jbv

Posted : 8/27/2006 11:17:48 PM

Have they firmed-up the diagnosis yet? There are lots of illnesses that could be triggering these rather vague symptoms...liver disease or bacterial infection are certainly two possibilities; however, bloat, addison's disease, heart disease, allergies, viruses, and/or parasites could also cause similar symptoms. The key to helping this pup is to confirm a diagnosis quickly, so that appropriate management can begin ASAP. Hope your friend gets some answers soon... it would be a shame to lose such a sweetie before all the questions are answered. Take care...I'm glad that your friend has your support...it's important to have someone to lean on in times like this. Bless you.

kaf

Posted : 8/28/2006 1:23:29 PM

Thanks for everyones help, She ended up putting her to sleep this morning. She woke up this morning to her dog screaming in pain, and not being able to move. When she got to the vet, they told her that there was not much else they could do, short of taking a biopsies, and she was in a lot of pain. They are going to do a necropsy, just so they know what was happening to her.

Run free Tessa....

dyan

Posted : 8/28/2006 3:45:49 PM

OH my gosh....I'm so sorry! This is terrible...I feel so bad.
Please let us know if they figure out what it was.
YES,,,run free Tessa!!!

kaf

Posted : 8/28/2006 5:02:54 PM

Thanks Dyan...

She just called me, the vet had called and said that 50% of her liver was filled with tumors, and that her pancreas was riddled with tumors as well. The vet told her that if she had doubted her decision at all before, now it was clear that she had made the right one. Tessa was so young.... but at least she is resting comfortably now.

jbv

Posted : 8/28/2006 11:20:45 PM

How very sad. Please let your friend know that we are keeping her in our thoughts. Thanks for being there for her. Run free sweet Tessa.