Bingo's blood test

[admin]

Hi Vally

I agree with your 20% calculation for milk thistle – sounds right – avoiding the alcohol version would be a really good idea.

I still suspect the ALT may be steroid related too.  If the ALT doesn’t come down, put your mind at rest & have that scan done. What harm can that do? I would get it done if it was Worzel, just in case, as I am a fellow member of the crazy, paranoid pet owners club. ALKP is another liver enzyme & it is normal, not even anywhere near the high end either – that’s really good. Albumin is also normal, but Total Bilirubin is a tiny bit high though. I found this for you – it’s long winded but very informative

http://voices.yahoo.com/canine-health-liver-enzyme-testing-liver-disease-10374621.html?cat=5

I know it says “cat” on the end but it is about dogs. Anyway, cats are very welcome on here as well as dogs.

Sorry to embarrass Bingo about his musculature! Tell him he is still the most handsome boy to me. More protein will hopefully help this. Organic eggs are great – they seem to have become a “superfood” these days & my lads love them. Worzel is weaker than he was on his hind legs, but he is getting to be an old fella now – he can still run like the wind though! I am just grateful he wants to run about still, even if he isn’t quite as fit as before the onset of the IMHA.

Hope the milk thistle does the trick – try not to worry too much – none of these liver test values are very high at all. I still think he has made a fantastic recovery & is doing very well considering he still takes  the drugs.

Love to you both, Sheena, Worzel & Ollie

[Linda]

Hi Vally.  So sorry you’re going through this.  You are such a loving and awesome fur mom.  Sheena and Brigitte – thanks so much for helping our friend!  Great, knowledgeable advice – all of it. xo

Vally, I use HerbPharm liquid milk thistle for Sadie and it’s in alcohol too.  Sadie weighs 36 pounds (down from 39 just one month ago – yeah Sadie – those walks and weaning are working!!!).  For her weight, I use 18 drops in her food, morning and night.  IF I give more, it does cause her to have loose stools, so I literally count out 18 drops.  I ignore all else when getting her food together and adding the 3 supplements.  It IS rocket science!!!

The 2nd supplement I use is CellFood SAMe, and again, for Sadie’s weight, I use 10 drops in her food, morning and night.

This combination has been good for Sadie, the milk thistle and SAMe (Cell Food).  This replaced the Denamarin (which contains milk thistle and SAMe).  She was on the Denamarin for too long.

Sadie, like Bingo, has been on these drugs for a long time, a year this month.  They do play havoc on their little bodies.  Breaks my heart.

Hang in there with Bingo, his blood test results and his poor little teeth.  Here’s hoping next blood test will be more settling and that a decision about his teeth will be proactive.  I like the coconut oil idea too, Brigitte.

We send our love, big hugs and kisses to you and Bingo.  Linda & Sadie

[Vally]

The results do  have me worried and I’ll just have to wait it out for 6 weeks and hope it’s not worse. I keep telling myself if the results come back worse, then it’s been found before there are any symptoms, which is always better.  There was certainly no urgency at the vets to do anything yet.

I’ve dropped the coconut oil from his supplements  (I was giving half teaspoon twice a day for arthritis) in case that’s playing havoc with his gall bladder.  I remember the original local vets said, after having done an ultrasound 2 years ago, he had some sludge and I’ve read (in one place) too much coconut oil can make that worse (and in another place, of course) make it better.  So I’ll leave that out for the moment.

I also didn’t mention, we’ve dropped his pred down a smidgen more. He was on 1.25mg a day – from Monday this week, we’re doing 1/4 tablet one day 1/8 tablet the next.  I’m tossing out a lot of tablets that end up smashed by the pill cutter, as it’s so tiny.  He was full of beans the last few days, but last night and this morning I thought he was a bit quieter, so I’m watching watching watching.

Love to all,

Vally & Bingo

[admin]

Hi Vally,

well you know everybody has their quiet moments:) Wit the time change I am a bit sluggish all week. So maybe that’s all it is, lets hope. I know after what we all have been through,a dog that is not eating properly or a bit tired gets our red flags up like crazy!

I am getting back to your potato question, here is a blog post from Dr Dodds:

http://drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com/post/55006392224/sweet-pototato-white-pet-dog#.UyKRvYWBU-8

I hope that answers your question:)

 

About the liver values I have to tell you this incredible story. A friend of mine has a beautiful white 5 year old Standard Poodle, Katie. After she was not eating right, of to the vet, lots of tests, liver values over the roof, ultrasound showed the liver was so tiny they could not believe she was alive. She got (in my world) really crummy food prescribed and was put on some homeopathic remedies. 2years later she is still here and doing great. Miracles do happen and I think the liver is an amazing organ capable of healing itself.

Give your little man a hug from his Canadian auntie!

Best wishes,

Brigitte & the poodle boys

[admin]

Hi Vally

Please don’t worry too much my friend. I can assure you that these problem values are slightly raised, not sky high. They just need to be kept an eye on for now. I would bet lots of money that when he was on starting doses of his drugs, his liver enzymes would have been much, much worse. I know it’s easy for me to say. Get that scan done anyway if you are concerned, otherwise you will worry yourself sick for the next few weeks. I’m glad to hear his pred is down again – brilliant!  His ALT may well drop, even with a small reduction in the pred & increase in milk thistle. I have never, ever found a decent pill cutter, so I tend to dissolve things in a syringe (so you know the exact amount of water) if it’s soluble – just an idea.

Love Sheena & the boyz

 

 

 

[Linda]

Hi Vally.  Wring from phone and it’s not working well, but I wanted to say that every time I do a reduction with Sadie (25%  increments), her numbers are off for about a week or 10 days.  Maybe Bingo’s adjusting?  As Brigitte says, the liver is an amazing organ.

How’s he eating today?  I forgot to tell you – I also give Sadie slippery elm for her tummy (along with the Pepcid (not at the same time though) – alone, in a bit of Greek yogurt. She live it and seems to help her stomach. I was using the slippery elm cocktail, but had to stop that when her BM’s were so bad a while back. She’s doing much better now. Just like human’s – reactions to meds are different and finding the right dose/combination is maddening!

I agree with Sheena – get the scan done –  It may just ease your mind (and heart).  Sadie says, bounce back Bingo – we need a Bingo antic story, so feel your ol silly, happy self again okay?!?

Love and huge hugs, Linda & Sadie

[Linda]

<!–more–>Please forgive the typos…….

xo Linda

[Vally]

Hi all.

Oh, Bingo is as hungry as ever and has not been off his food at all.  Considering the pred has been lowered considerably since the beginning, I’ve come to the conclusion he is a glutton.

Brigitte, I sympathise with you, we’re still in daylight saving time here.  We start a month before everyone and change back a month after so we get almost 2 months of extra daylight. We change at the end of this month and turn our clocks back and I’m soooo looking forward to that extra hour on that first Sunday morning. It’s also still amazingly hot , much too hot for Autumn –  I know that affects Bingo too.  Thanks for the potato info. I bought new potatoes which are little white ones and the kumara is definitely the sweet potato.

I’m not going to panic (much) but I do want to wait before the next test.  Linda I was giving Bingo a whole 3 drops of milk thistle at night, so the dose he’s getting now is much much more.  I’m hoping that will affect the next set of results.

I made him Dr Dodd’s liver cleansing fish and potato. Well he loved that.  I’ve made up a batch and put in the freezer and I’ll give it to him a few days a week.

With the lowering of the pred again too, I can’t stop watching him.  No sign of anything  though and it’s been a whole 3 and a half days.

He was most indignant at the vets last time.  They did a neurological test on him as he had had the, they called it, episode (I called it seizure).  The test involved turning his feet over and he would flip them back.  Hammer to each knee joint to check the reflex.  AND THEN….he got poked in both eyes with a cotton bud, the cotton bud then gets poked up each nostrils and then vet puts his finger down Bingo’s throat – WELL!!!

Thank you my dear friends.

Vally & the glutton.