Elevated liver enzymes

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Elevated liver enzymes

Posted : 8/8/2014 3:02:37 PM

my 13 year old westie, Molly, is being treated for high liver enzymes. The ALT and ALP were taken yesterday and one was 340 and the other was off the charts; not sure which was which. I am giving her Denamarin, 2 milk thistle capsules (175 mg ea) and a holistic liquid (Hepa Protect, which is for serious liver, kidney, bladder and gallbladder support). I give her 3ml of the liquid a day which she has been on for 2 months. She was on Ursodiol but it was too expensive and I switched to the Hepa Protect. She never had lower levels on the Ursodial and now the vet recommends putting her back on the Ursodiol ($82/month) to see if her levels improve. She did have tests done after being on the Ursodiol after 1 month and there was no change in her levels. Molly shows no symptoms of anything. She is relatively up for being 13 years old and does not look like she is 13 years old. I am just wondering if her levels are that high, will any medication of supplement bring them back to normal. She is 21 lbs.

sandra_slayton

Posted : 8/9/2014 10:44:43 PM

I really do not have any advice for you. My 13 year old golden retriever, Honey, also has liver trouble. It was thought she had liver cancer, but biopsy came back and not cancer cells were found in any sample. She is being treated for Cushings and Tick Fever.. Is on diet of dog food formulated for liver (she doesn't like it) mixed with boiled ground lean turkey, which she does like. She is also on milk thistle .

calliecritturs

Posted : 8/10/2014 1:18:42 AM

You are better off with milk thistle powder than the capsules. The capsules are fiercely expensive and tend not to be great quality (not from anywhere to be honest). If you will email me at callieatcritturs@yahoo.com I've got info I can send you on where to get (usually I send people to www.mountainroseherbs.com or http://www.leavesandroots.com -- Mt. Rose is cheaper but it takes you longer to get it. Both places carry StarWest which is about the best certified organic herb powder you can get.

I am not a vet, but I do use a lot of alternative methods, and I've dealt with dogs with high liver levels and this was the system I arrived at with *my* holistic vet.

SAM-e is the detox that will help you -- and usually If you are in the US, I'd suggest CellFood SAM-e (they export to other countries but not al *all* countries) -- it's a liquid which is far far better absorbed by dogs than the tablets or capsules (SAM-e is typically enteric and dogs can't digest stuff in the small intestine (which is what "enteric" means). If you have to use the tablet or capsule SAM-e, you will have to crush or break open the tablets/capsules because dog's just can't digest that enteric coating. I've seen superior results with the CellFood SAM-e product. It's super digestible for dogs.

I have seen dogs with liver levels completely off the charts and not able to be calculated come back to totally normal. You have to get pretty aggressive with the milk thistle and SAM-e and, honestly, you need to have some extra vet help if your vet isn't versed in herbology and supplements. (Denamarin is a combo of SAM-e & milk thistle but it *is* a pharmaceutical and you can *not* take extra of it. It *is* a drug so don't exceed what your vet has given of that.).

A lot depends on what has caused the liver levels to get so high -- you may want to try "complimentary therapy" -- meaning something like a holistic vet who does TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine) -- I'm NOT saying leave your vet - I'm saying ADD one. Again -- contact me and I can help you figure that out. It's not hard and even if you are in middle America in a rural area, don't think you don't have a TCVM vet near you -- you'd be surprised! They use them a LOT for farm animals now!