Fast pred taper

[Vally]

Pam, are you giving the Denamarin away from food? It should be given at least an hour before food with some water. I give it with a syringe of water (no needle of course).

Good luck at your next visit.

Vally & Bingo
xxx

[Pam]

Thanks, Vally.

Yes, I give Denamarin on an empty stomach.

We will continue giving Denamarin. I just hoped we would see an improvement in liver enzymes after Ella had been on Denamarin for some weeks. So far though, liver values are even worse.

I figure it can’t hurt to give her Denamarin so we will continue it.

Pam & Ella

[Patrice]

Pam,
Chance had liver enzymes 18-20x normal after months of non-regenerative anemia. Once I was in contact with Dr. Dodds the treatment protocol was changed. Part of his treatment was Denamarin and I considered it one of the most essential parts of his recovery. Within a short time his liver values dropped to within only 2-3x normal. Once he was drug free, his enzymes were normal.

You can read Chance’s story under Our Stories. This website is in memory of him.

I promise you this will help. The liver is highly regenerative, and if there was no organic disease of the liver prior to this illness, the liver will generally recover.

Make sure you are feeding a simple diet similar to Dr. Dodds liver sparing diet. Some kind of steamed white fish, cooked potatoes or yams, and some simple vegetables steamed and minced. She likes to add a bit of Italian herbs after a short time and also an egg now and then.
my best
patrice

[admin]

Hi Pam

Mmmmm – disappointing that those enzymes aren’t coming down just yet. I had an idea – you can get some organic milk thistle separately (don’t get the tincture in alcohol though – my specialist told me to get organic capsules or pills) in order to increase the dose – I have copied & pasted below what we worked out as a maximum dose for Beth & Heathy:

“Here is a link for milk thistle dosing – Dr Dodds has given some guidelines too:
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/milk_thistle.htm
It states you can use up to 200mg per 10 lbs of body weight for dogs with liver disease. Divided into smaller doses throughout the day is best. So you have plenty of scope there!”

and

“Just had a look at human doses for milk thistle – this one is based on scientific research:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/milk-thistle/dosing/hrb-20059806
So it looks like the maximum is 800mg 3 times per day for humans. Therefore 75% is 600mg 3 times per day. Hope that helps! Incidentally, my vet has seen used it to save a dog from a case of mushroom poisoning, so it is miraculous stuff.”

I know that gives you some maths to do as you’ll need to work out how much milk thistle is in the denamarin & take that off the total. Hope this helps – it is certainly worth trying in my opinion.

Love Sheena x

[admin]

Hi Pam. I am so sorry about your precious Ella.

Please also read Sadie’s Story. She relapsed just because of this reason – an abrupt and way too fast dose weaning. Her vet too, insisted it would be fine. It was not and he felt absolutely horrible. But it did not change the fact that she was back to square one and all the bad side effects.

Sadie had originally responded SO well to the immune suppressants. Now, today, we are dealing with yet another relapse and she is being weaned again – VERY, VERY SLOWLY.

My heart goes out to you and Ella. Hang in there. Listen to these folks here – they know.

Love and hugs, Linda and Sadie

[Pam]

Hello again!

Ella was seen by our family vet last Friday. I told her I’m frightened to taper Ella’s prednisone as quickly as the Critical Care Specialist vet recommended.

So we’ve come to a compromise and will step down every TWO weeks instead of every one week. We will check Ella’s PCV before taking the next step down.

Today Ella’s PCV is 41. We’re leaving her at the same prednisone dose for another week, then checking her blood again.
I feel a lot better about this.

On a daily basis Ella seems to be slightly more herself. Her tummy is still hugely swollen but feels much softer. Previously her tummy was hard and stretched tight. From above it looked like she was pregnant. Now it looks like she has a waist when looking at her from above.

Pam & Ella

[Vally]

Pam, I’m glad your family vet is okay with the slower weaning.

I’d absolutely also give milk thistle. Bingo’s liver values are still out a bit and he gets Denosyl (similar to Denamarin) plus I add crushed milk thistle tablets in his meals.

That PCV is wonderful. Good luck on your next test.

Vally & Bingo
xxx

[admin]

Hi Pam

So happy you’ve found a compromise – that’s brilliant news & has put my mind at rest. Congratulations on the PCV too. Ella’s tummy will gradually return to normal – these pot bellies are really common with the pred. I do think adding extra milk thistle will help her too, Pam.

Wishing you lots of luck for the next test,
Love Sheena & the boys xxxxx