Cholangiohepatitis in dogs

[ICit]

Had the vet visit and the doctor seemed very optimistic. His bilirubin was normal. Eyes shows slight sign of jaundice, which is a positive change. He’s still not all that interest in food. We have a concoction of ground beef, eggs, bread, and rice recommended from the vet. We’ll cook that up tomorrow. She also prescribed Danamarin, which has the extract of silybin – the active ingredient in Milk Thistle. So now we just monitor for the next week and see how his appetite goes.

Thanks for all the input.

fingers crossed...


meat flavored baby food... and yes... you may have to syringe feed him.. Liver issues are a vicious cycle...... they dont want to eat because the liver makes them feel like crap... then they dont want to eat because they have not ate for a while and now feel like crap.

so syringe feeding will help to kick start everything again.... also make sure you look at the RX... I think the Denamarin should be given on an empty stomach 1 hr before eating... food slows the absorption of the meds.

 

[ICit]

I'm so sorry to hear this. I lost my Snoopy to liver disease last June and my heart still aches. Your story so far sounds exactly like what we went through with Snoops, the jaundice, elevated pancreatic levels, no interest in food. $140 for blood tests every few weeks, when I already knew she wasn't feeling any better. We tried a bunch of different antibiotics and some other meds - I've forgotten now what all we tried. I also pleaded with the vet for a suitable diet, because there was so much conflicting information online on what as safe or unsafe, until I was wary of trying anything on her, but the vet was pretty nonspecific about what to try. We kept her going on different canned dog foods for months - we'd switch as soon as she lost interest in one; I even spoonfed her when that was the only way she'd eat.

Someone here suggested a diet specifically for dogs with liver problems, but I put my faith in the vet and didn't pursue the diet when the vet dismissed the suggestion. I regret now that we didn't try it, as I have since read that others had success with it. You can do an internet search and find the diet for dogs with liver or pancreas disease. I wouldn't discontinue vet visits, though if you go that route.

You may also want to try a raw diet. I'm trying to switch my chi's over to raw (my husband is the hold up on that, so they get raw when I feed them)

I hope you have a better outcome than we did - I'll keep you and your pooch in my thoughts. Hang in there.

raw is not a good diet for Liver issue dogs... the protien is higher and harder for them to break down. But for you dogs now....

the diet that his vet said is a good diet .... both hamburger (LEAN) and chicken are protiens that are easy to break down.


for your doggie who passed.... just lost my mothers dog to Liver Disease a few weeks ago..

 

[PsyOps]

fingers crossed...


meat flavored baby food... and yes... you may have to syringe feed him.. Liver issues are a vicious cycle...... they dont want to eat because the liver makes them feel like crap... then they dont want to eat because they have not ate for a while and now feel like crap.

so syringe feeding will help to kick start everything again.... also make sure you look at the RX... I think the Denamarin should be given on an empty stomach 1 hr before eating... food slows the absorption of the meds.

Yeah, the label for the Denamarin says 1 hour before meal or 2 hours after. He’s no good with forcing pills down or syringes, he tends to bite under those circumstances. So the vet said giving the Denamarin with a pill pocket would be fine.

The vet gave us a list of things to cook up: 80% lean ground beef, white rice, white bread, vegetable oil, and we’ll add some beef or chicken gravy if necessary to add flavor. The vet said as long as he’s not vomiting things should be okay; that’s a good sign that it’s not as severe as we thought.

 

[ICit]

Yeah, the label for the Denamarin says 1 hour before meal or 2 hours after. He’s no good with forcing pills down or syringes, he tends to bite under those circumstances. So the vet said giving the Denamarin with a pill pocket would be fine.

The vet gave us a list of things to cook up: 80% lean ground beef, white rice, white bread, vegetable oil, and we’ll add some beef or chicken gravy if necessary to add flavor. The vet said as long as he’s not vomiting things should be okay; that’s a good sign that it’s not as severe as we thought.

.... pill pocket is fine.... or something very small...

was he on any meds prior to this started?

 

[PsyOps]

.... pill pocket is fine.... or something very small...

was he on any meds prior to this started?

Actually he was and we asked about that. He had an incessant cough that suddenly got worse. I don’t remember the meds. The vet said those meds should not have been a cause, but maybe something to document and check into and see if this is the case.

EDIT: The meds were Clavamox and Temaril.

 

[Roman]

I am really very happy to hear that his condition is not as bad as once thought. What a good pet parent! Hugs to you & pup.

 

[PsyOps]

I am really very happy to hear that his condition is not as bad as once thought. What a good pet parent! Hugs to you & pup.

Well, thank you. My wife is far better at it than I am.

 

[acommondisaster]

So glad he's going to be okay. I did forget to mention that our Snoops was throwing up a lot, so I'm glad to hear that's not the case with your dog.

I also apologize for suggesting a raw diet; I should have realized that it would be high protein and not what a sick liver should have.

We have a tiny slow cooker (4 cup, maybe - cost less than $9) and I'd throw a couple of chicken breasts, some rice and a bit of water in it every day and it'd make enough food for the next day. It was the one thing that she would eat most often.

To ICit - so sorry to hear about your mom's dog.

 

[PsyOps]

So glad he's going to be okay. I did forget to mention that our Snoops was throwing up a lot, so I'm glad to hear that's not the case with your dog.

I also apologize for suggesting a raw diet; I should have realized that it would be high protein and not what a sick liver should have.

We have a tiny slow cooker (4 cup, maybe - cost less than $9) and I'd throw a couple of chicken breasts, some rice and a bit of water in it every day and it'd make enough food for the next day. It was the one thing that she would eat most often.

To ICit - so sorry to hear about your mom's dog.

No harm done. I appreciate your input and know it’s from a place of care. The best we can do is follow what our vet tells us. But I like to compare that information with other people’s experiences. So far things are improving, but I also have the reality that with liver problems they can be recurring. The other thing I worry about is him getting used to ‘people food’ and not being able to get him back to his regular dog food. Or, perhaps this will be the way it is the rest of his life. So far he's eating but still not enough. His energy is still pretty good so I think we're headed in the right direction. Day-by-day, that's all we can do.

 

[PsyOps]

Well, I guess it's not a good idea to get too optimistic with this sort of thing. Today he's vomiting a lot and wont eat anything. I don't know if this is just in the course of healing or if it's a sign that he's taking a turn for the worse.

 

[Roman]

My fingers are crossed for you & the pup.

 

[frequentflier]

My fingers are crossed for you & the pup.

 

[ICit]

Well, I guess it's not a good idea to get too optimistic with this sort of thing. Today he's vomiting a lot and wont eat anything. I don't know if this is just in the course of healing or if it's a sign that he's taking a turn for the worse.

... thats how my moms dog was....

head to the vet soon....

 

[PsyOps]

... thats how my moms dog was....

head to the vet soon....

I think the next course of action is to get an ultra sound to see how much damage is done to the liver and if they believe it's recoverable. We are unable to get him to take his pills now. We gave him one yesterday with a pill pocket and he threw it back up. He takes the pill pocket and guards it. The only way I could him to eat it is to risk getting bit and try to take it away. Well, he growled, acted like he was going to bite me then ate the pill pocket. That may be what I have to do is take the risk of getting bit; which I would do. Forcing them down his throat is really not an option as it will cause him to hide when pill time comes. It's a balance between doing what we believe is best and creating an environment of fear in the dog where he ends up hating us for forcing him to do things he doesn't want to do. It's really a horrible place to be in.

Without the meds he is certain to not get better.

 

[acommondisaster]

... thats how my moms dog was....

head to the vet soon....

Yup.
Praying for your dog - and praying for you to have strength through this all.
I believe the Denamarin (sp?) was what our vet said was about the last thing they could try on Snoopy (nothing else had worked); as I said, we tried several different medicines. Up until the end, she would eat a tiny bit if hand fed, and being the compliant dog that she was, she'd let me shove the pill way back in her throat with very little struggle. No growling or biting from my sweetie.
I'm hoping your pup has a better outcome.

 

[PsyOps]

Yup.
Praying for your dog - and praying for you to have strength through this all.
I believe the Denamarin (sp?) was what our vet said was about the last thing they could try on Snoopy (nothing else had worked); as I said, we tried several different medicines. Up until the end, she would eat a tiny bit if hand fed, and being the compliant dog that she was, she'd let me shove the pill way back in her throat with very little struggle. No growling or biting from my sweetie.
I'm hoping your pup has a better outcome.

It’s been a rollercoaster. Wednesday he was vomiting and wouldn’t eat anything and would just lay around all day. Thursday he perked up at a bunch, kept all his food down and was full of energy; almost too much (he kept trying to hump our other dog; I wonder if it’s the meds ). Yesterday was also a good day; eating well and lots of energy. Today isn’t looking so good. He loved the chicken Thursday and Friday, today he won’t touch it. But he would eat an egg. His urine does look better too. Day by day.

 

[Roman]

Fingers are still crossed.

 

[MarieB]

I haven't read the entire thread (only part of the first page) but we fed our dog low protein foods because he had separation anxiety. We were stuck with expensive prescription diet for a long time and then found one at Coscto of all places that worked for him. (It was salmon and came from a local supplier in TX) When we moved here we went through so many different foods and then found that spot's stew was good for anxiety and allergies that we were dealing with.

Sorry to hear about your pooch, and I hope your vet is more clear in the future

 

[acommondisaster]

How is your dog doing?

 

[frequentflier]

How is your dog doing?