My Little Shih tzu maybe a liver shunt

[Rage812]

Her liver enzymes were 170 is there something else that can cause these numbers. while on vacation a mo ago my 4 yr old shih tzu through up in the night and then i couldn't wake her with out effort for a day and night. at 4am I took her in and they said her count was high gave her some iv fluids sent us home, after a day she was fine, when we returned to redding I made a apt. with my vet as a follow up and he did a couple tests and said she must have a liver shunt. she shows no signs of anything except playing walking and loves to eat when its time. Up till this point I have let her eat way to many treats all the time (never again will I be so careless) is there anything else that can cause her enzymes to be high? Her favorite was yam good chicken wrap around yams is there a chance these could be coming back on my little girl, I am scared and waiting for a sonogram this Monday is tearing me up what is the sonogram going to do? tell me the vet was wrong or is this what she has and how bad is it please someone let me know and or make this go away
thank you

[anneusha]

Hi my four year old shih tzu suddenly became very inactive, she's totally not herself.  She stopped following me, wagging her tail or even barking.  But she consumes food as usual and have a normal bowel movement.  The worst part is she  trembles in pain from time to time throughout the day especially after she moves or when carried.  She whimpers in pain when carried or even while she's laying in one spot. I took her to my usual vet a couple  of times and he couldn't identify gorgeous sure but suspected her hind legs or her tummy and told me to monitor her and identify whereat he pain comes from. He prescription also included some liver supplements on top of antibiotics and pain killers.  I took her to another vet and he suspected a liver problem. He prescribed liver pills and antibiotics and told me to bring her back after she fasts for eight hours for a blood test and an X-ray.  I cannot stand to see her like this. I need immediate help. Please help.

[Misfits4Me]

Hi William.....First, every one of those treats you listed have some sort of chemicals or toxins that can create liver problems...Not only Livers, but some of them contain chemicals that are known to cause cancer & seizures, Liver & Kidney failure.....DO NOT feed any more of these grocery store brands....
Why is she on a Renal Diet? Does she have Kidney disease, too?.....I can help you w/food if you need....If she is indeed a Kidney problem dog, then you really need to ask your Vet about supplements before you give them!

Next: Before I give you the dose your asking for, you need to make sure that your SAMe does not already contain Milk Thistle....The one I use does, so please check that out...Here's the dose....SAME (S-Alenosyl-L-Methionine) Dogs up to 20lbs. --100mgs a day....Good for you to figure out the Milk Thistle...IMO it works better than the SAMe, but I do prefer the combination one specifically made for dogs...I order mine online....The dose for Milk Thistle in dogs up to 20lbs. - 20mg a day....Let me know, Karla

[Dakota2012]

Did the vet recommend the milk thistle and sam-e? If so, they should give you a dosage amount.
I wish you the best.

[Rage812]

I took Paisley in to(  above and beyond animal care ) to be sonogramed and a good check over. When done they put an xray up of a dog about the same size as my Paisley and her xray next to it. Paisley at about 4 yrs old we found out has a very under developed liver, where you see a large healthy liver in the other xray it's hard to find Paisleys, It explaines why her emzines are up there. Thats all I know so far. I now have her on SAM-e and Milk Thistle and her special Royal Canin diet, I do not know how to figure out the dose of either one as they are for adults, my little girl is only 11 pounds can some one stear me in the right direction. I'm still so lost  and afraid for my little girl
Thank You
William

[Dakota2012]

I recently adopted a 3 to 4 yr old pomeranian and found out his liver enzymes were over 1000. I found out today that he was born with a liver shunt but I trust my vet 200%. She told me most surgeries on liver shunts do more harm than good and she has many dogs that are thriving on the right diet and the special meds for the liver that Karla names...mine happens to be Enulose. I have been feeding Dakota what I thought were good treats because they are what my other two poms get and they have some different health issues but are quite well. I realized today that I was hurting Dakota by giving him these treats even though they were low in fat. They were higher in protein than what Dakota needs with a liver shunt and that creates toxins because his liver is not detoxifying anything. I hope we can get his liver counts down. We go back in 4 weeks for blood recheck. I taught Dakota to take a small piece of an apple today instead of the treats which I can no longer give him. I am going to buy carrots tomorrow. It is very impt in what we are feeding our dogs and also having a high trust factor in the vets we use.

[staceypal]

About a year ago, I have had a similar experience with my 2 year old yellow lab.   He had very high liver enzymes.  (I would say about the same, 170 - around there). My dog was completely acting like his normal, happy self.   He played, ate, didn't show any symptoms of having liver problems.   We had tried several medicines to try and lower his levels - nothing worked.  Thanks to the people on this site, I quickly learned about toxins in dog food!!!  I changed what I was giving my dog to eat, food and treats!!!  The vet straight out told me that toxins would not cause his liver enzymes to be this high - I didn't believe or listen.  I ended up doing a liver biopsy (for peace of mind) and the results came back all normal!!!  After a month of his liver biopsy and changing his diet, he had another blood test.  His levels went down to 130!!!    My advice is do your research (I did!) on dog food and treats (you will be shocked at what you find!), be careful in what you are feeding your dog!!!!!  

[Rage812]

No Paisley doesn't fit any of those. she loves to play go on walks always, her weight is 11.5 as always She does lay down and sleep when there's nothing to do or eat but that's what I do so I think she just follows suit. I feed her now is Royal Canin Renal LP Modified dry and a can of the same mixed in. Ive always feed her Royal Canin #24 and #33 as a pup but the treats are another altogether (I won't be this irresponsible again) 1. Yam Goods 2. Pup aroni 3. Begin strips 4. Canyon Creek PBJ 5. Busy Roll hide 6.Pup Peroni Mix Styx 7. Mini Bites Crunch and Clean. There's others but no bags to get names from. We go in today (Monday) for her sonogram Dr. Roach said she needed it so I set it up, He started out by saying he has some very bad news and went from there to scare the H out of me.Should I ask the new vet about Denosy?  SAME & Sntinel. I don't know who you are but if nothing else I feel a little better  after hearing from you, I've been so worked up over this and feel like crying everytime I look at her cute little face. Thank you I'll write back after were done today (still not sure why the sonogram) I just want my little girl to be happy and with me a long time

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Rage...First, An ALT of 170 is not alarming & your Vet shouldn't have scared you like this on just suspicion!  Many things (Toxins) can cause elevated Liver Enzymes.....Dogs w/Liver shunts fail to thrive: They don't eat, are quite sickly, lay around too much, don't play, don't gain weight, etc....Does she fit any of this?

I need more information:(Very Important)
What do you feed her & how long has she eaten it? Including treats...Names please!

STOP the Chicken Jerky treats immediately! Not only are all Chicken Jerky treats, but now sweet potato treats are causing serious damage to 1000's of dogs all over the US! Many deaths have been reported! It's associated w/ "Made in China".....People need to start reading every package before you put anything in your dog's mouth!!!!

The first thing your Vet should have done is offer you a supplement to help heal the Liver...All Vets sell one! Denosyl, SAMe, & Sentinel are the most popular at Vet offices.....They should have sold you a 30 day supply (One pill a Day) & then recheck the Liver Enzymes in a month, then go from there.......
Nothing else should have been suggested at this point! Do you trust this Vet or do you feel that they are ordering all these tests too quickly? They may just want your money!!!! Give that some thought and let me know.....Karla