Hi I am new to this forum. My teacup poodle Joli is 14 months old, 2.2 lbs. very happy healthy puppy. Got blood work done prior to Spaying her and her liver enzymes were elevated. ALT was 444. Vet told me I needed to get another blood test - over $300 cdn where she fasts and they redo the test. I did that yesterday. Called breeder and no know birth defects ever in any of her puppies. I heard this testing sometimes goes on and on and costs a lot of money and then its chaulked up to environmental. I am so hoping the results come back positive but if they are still elevated what is the next step I wonder??? Needless to say Spaying is now on hold.
Elevated Liver enzymes
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Joli, sorry to hear your girl's ALT is elevated. It sounds like it's moderate from that link but I'm not sure. This other article may be helpful to you:
Canine liver enzymes-so many questions!
Here's an excerpt that you may find useful:
"When taking a patient's history, be sure to ask the client specifically about exposure to hepatotoxins such as cycads (including the sago palm), blue green algae, Amanita mushrooms, aflatoxins, heavy metals, xylitol or chlorinated compounds. Drugs that can be hepatotoxic include ketoconazole, azathioprine, carprofen, lomustine, acetaminophen, mitotane, phenobarbital and various antimicrobial agents.
“Asking specifically about nutraceutical and herbal remedies is important, especially in this situation, because there are quite a few herbal remedies that are known to have the potential to cause liver injury in dogs,” Dr. Lidbury says. Those include herbal teas, pennyroyal oil and comfrey.
Checking the dog's vaccination history is also important because leptospirosis and canine adenovirus-1 can cause hepatic injury.
Early in the course of liver disease, a dog may not have any or nonspecific findings or clinical signs such as vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, polyuria/polydipsia and hyporexia. Dr. Lidbury admits that these are not very helpful signs since so many different diseases can cause them. “But certainly, if you have a dog with increased liver enzymes and that kind of clinical sign, then that may make you a little more aggressive about how you approach that dog,” he says. He says it's also important to remember that dogs with hepatobiliary disease don't always display clinical signs or have abnormal physical examination findings."
I linked the drug carprofen since it's used as a post-surgery pain killer, so you don't want a another vet to prescribe that after a spay.
Good luck.
Canine liver enzymes-so many questions!
Canine liver enzymes-so many questions!
Does the alphabet soup of liver enzyme activities got you stumped? Dr. Jonathan Lidbury answers common questions on interpreting canine liver laboratory results and gives guidance on how to proceed with confirming a diagnosis, including when to perform a liver biopsy.
www.dvm360.com
Here's an excerpt that you may find useful:
"When taking a patient's history, be sure to ask the client specifically about exposure to hepatotoxins such as cycads (including the sago palm), blue green algae, Amanita mushrooms, aflatoxins, heavy metals, xylitol or chlorinated compounds. Drugs that can be hepatotoxic include ketoconazole, azathioprine, carprofen, lomustine, acetaminophen, mitotane, phenobarbital and various antimicrobial agents.
“Asking specifically about nutraceutical and herbal remedies is important, especially in this situation, because there are quite a few herbal remedies that are known to have the potential to cause liver injury in dogs,” Dr. Lidbury says. Those include herbal teas, pennyroyal oil and comfrey.
Checking the dog's vaccination history is also important because leptospirosis and canine adenovirus-1 can cause hepatic injury.
Early in the course of liver disease, a dog may not have any or nonspecific findings or clinical signs such as vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, polyuria/polydipsia and hyporexia. Dr. Lidbury admits that these are not very helpful signs since so many different diseases can cause them. “But certainly, if you have a dog with increased liver enzymes and that kind of clinical sign, then that may make you a little more aggressive about how you approach that dog,” he says. He says it's also important to remember that dogs with hepatobiliary disease don't always display clinical signs or have abnormal physical examination findings."
I linked the drug carprofen since it's used as a post-surgery pain killer, so you don't want a another vet to prescribe that after a spay.
Good luck.
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Hi, sorry to hear your tiny baby may have a health problem. I know it was pre surgical labs, but specifically what was tested (CBC for example) and was everything else within normal limits? What is the next test the vet is suggesting?
You said she seems happy and healthy to you. Has she shown any signs of anything at all different from normal?
You said she seems happy and healthy to you. Has she shown any signs of anything at all different from normal?
I am not saying this is the case for your dog, but elevated liver enzymes was the first measurable sign of Cushing's Disease in my mini mix.
I did the "wait and see" approach recommended by my vet, with tests repeated annually for years until she crossed the threshold into full-blown Cushing's. By then it was too late and she had too many other health issues for me to feel comfortable subjecting her to treatment (which would have required monthly in-office testing).
If I could do it over again, after those first abnormal results, I'd immediately have taken her to a well-respected holistic vet who could recommend and oversee lifestyle changes that might have better managed the progression of her disease. "Waiting and seeing" often translates to letting our pet's health degrade below an acceptable threshold before prescribing medication.
But we should be doing what we can in the meantime, and I think I failed my dog in this respect.
Good luck getting answers for your little one. ?
I did the "wait and see" approach recommended by my vet, with tests repeated annually for years until she crossed the threshold into full-blown Cushing's. By then it was too late and she had too many other health issues for me to feel comfortable subjecting her to treatment (which would have required monthly in-office testing).
If I could do it over again, after those first abnormal results, I'd immediately have taken her to a well-respected holistic vet who could recommend and oversee lifestyle changes that might have better managed the progression of her disease. "Waiting and seeing" often translates to letting our pet's health degrade below an acceptable threshold before prescribing medication.
But we should be doing what we can in the meantime, and I think I failed my dog in this respect.
Good luck getting answers for your little one. ?
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Peggy, I'm sorry to hear about your old girl and I'm sure you made the best decision with the information you had at the time.
I want to point out though for anybody who has to deal with it in the future, monthly testing is not universally done. My vets will check monthly only until the dose has been adjusted (typically 1-3 months) and then every 6-12 months. A repeat test would be done if the dose had to be adjusted later on.
Thank you. ? I suspect my Gracie's advanced age was a contributing factor to the treatment plan laid out by her vet. There'd be fewer concerns with a young, otherwise healthy dog.
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