Labradoodle with chronic hepatitis

[Barbara Dudas]

I am hoping someone out there will have some experience with this. Over the last three weeks my husband and I noticed some changes in our 8 year old doggie. First we noticed he seemed to have smaller than usual stools and he seemed to be straining. Second he started not wanting to get in the car. He goes to the office everyday with us and jaunt in the last two weeks he was hesitant getting in the car and we had to coax him. On Tuesday we thought his stomach looked a little larger so without hesitation we took him to the vet. An X-ray showed fluid in his abdomen which they drained to make him more comfortable. Blood work showed all his liver numbers were abnormal. They suggested we see a specialist for an ultrasound. We had that done yesterday and it showed what they believe is chronic hepatitis and pretty significant liver damage. At this point they would like to do a biopsy of his liver. The normal outpatient method of doing that is not possible since they are afraid he would bleed too much. They either want to do it in surgery or laparoscopically so we have to consult back with our vet to determine which method is the best for our guy. We have so many questions and are trying to wrap our heads around this. This seemed to come out of nowhere. The symptoms we were seeing seemed pretty minor. We were thinking we'd leave the vet on Monday with some meds or suggestions to relieve constipation and maybe some meds for arthritis. If anyone has any experience with this I would very much appreciate hearing what your experience has been. The big immediate question I have is regarding diet. The last few days I had been feeding him some chicken breasts mixed with broccoli and carrots to try to get him some relief from constipation. Generally he's been eating a mix of a high quality lamb canned food and dry food. He had gotten picky six months or so ago and we started mixing in the canned food (probably a sign of what was happening). Also any idea concerning the method for the biopsy? While I know the laparoscopic procedure is less invasive without specifying it the specialist indicated its an expensive procedure. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. The vet said they see chronic hep more frequently in the lab breed than in other breeds for what it's worth. Thank you!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

With Rx liver diets, it's really about the balance of minerals and the fat content more than the specific proteins or ingredients. 

[charlotte bednarsh]

Hi, Since Paz is undergoing treatment for lymphoma, there are days on which he must take a multitude of pills; I've discovered the only way I can ensure he takes them is to open his mouth, place the pill on the back of his tongue and then holding his mouth closed so he has to swallow the pill.  I've discovered it's important to place the pill at the back of his mouth, because otherwise he literally "cheeks" the pills and spits them out when I'm not looking.  I usually follow the pill administration with giving him a treat, so he knows that something good will happen after he swallows the pill.  Good luck!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

My heart goes out to you both and to Chase.  Here are some methods I have used to give pills, maybe one will work.  If not, the pill way back on the tongue is sure fire, just annoys the dog usually.

Hide pill in small bite of plain bagel, put pill in palm of hand with small valued treat and offer together, my dogs love Charlie Bears,  pill pushed into small bite of apple, date, cooked carrot, cooked sweet potato or whatever fruit or veggie is Chase's favorite and allowed.  Crush and stir into non fat cottage cheese feed the bite from a spoon right into his mouth just like a baby- takes time but works well if he likes cottage cheese.

[Barbara Dudas]

So I thought I would give you all an update on Chase.  Things have been going pretty well, until this past weekend.  We have now had his abdomen drained 4 separate times to remove the fluid that is building up as his liver attempts to recover.  He is on 3 drugs right now, but had been on 5 (he finished the course of treatment on 2).  The last time he visited the vet two weeks ago, they drained him and ran blood work which to our surprise showed improvement on his liver enzymes and other liver numbers.  We really thought we might just be on the right path with his treatment.  The vet told us we didn't need to rush in to have him drained each time we noticed fluid building up since that would resolve itself as the liver continued to heal.  However this weekend we could see how uncomfortable he was.  His abdomen was quite large.  During the night last night he got up to go out and he couldn't get back up the stairs to our bedroom. He was halfway up but couldn't get his legs to work to get him up the last few steps.  So I took him into the vet this morning.  He weighed him before they drained him and he was 85 lbs.  After they drained him he was 71 lbs.  You can literally see every bone in his body now (he's a big dog obviously and his normal healthy weight is around 85-90 lbs.).  The most discouraging thing is he's been eating great (he's on a steroid) but it seems that his liver is not converting that food to nourish him.  The vet fears we may be running out of treatment options.  We have run more blood work so we can try to see where his number are at.  Currently he is needing to be drained every 7-10 days, 2 weeks tops.  Obviously we can't continue like this indefinitely because he is continuing to lose weight.  After they drained him 2 weeks ago he was 76 lbs, and today was 71.  Also the vet said he is losing muscle mass.  The hardest part of this is right after he's drained, you can tell he feels great and he's like a puppy all over again.  Looking at him today I can't imagine making a decision to put him down.  How will I do this?  The only experience I have with this was with our last doggie who was almost 15 and had congestive heart failure.  That was such an easier call - he had lived a good long life and was in obvious pain.  My heart is breaking so any suggestions you can share on how to make this decision I would appreciate.  The vet discussed a biopsy of his liver again with me, but he said he may not survive it and it most likely wouldn't change the course of treatment so I can't see putting him through that. Chase is only 8 and it's just hard to believe that this may be it for him. I've always believed that as a pet owner you just know when it's time so I guess I will eventually know, but right now I think he's getting sick of being hugged and kissed so much.  We all realize that our days with Chase may be few.  

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Oh dear Barbara, this is sad news and I'm sure you are just on a rollercoaster of emotions. Happy when he's acting like a puppy again and sad when you see him failing. Losing weight and muscle mass is very discerning and it's good that he gets some joy out of eating, but it's unfortunately not nutritionally maintaining him. 

Looking at this as an outsider, who THINKS she knows what she'll do when faced with the decision to end a life, my thoughts always go to "quality of life". I just had to put my father in Hospice and we have decided that there is just no quality of life there and we all know he would not want us to make him stay alive if he were cognizant of what condition he is in now. ( Late stage Alzheimer's)  

The decision becomes all about the person, or dog in this case, and not about the loved ones.Yes it's sad to see him go, but how sad is watching him fail and knowing the discomfort and frustration he is experiencing? I say that for both my father and Chase. It's a very hard decision and only you will know when that time is right. He has had a great life with you whether 8 yrs or 18 yrs, it's just hard to say "enough, time to go."

I will keep you in my prayers as you go through this tough time.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am so sorry about Chase's situation.  I send my love and hugs to your family and to Chase.

[charlotte bednarsh]

Oh Barbara, my heart is breaking for you.  It's so obvious that you are doing everything possible for your beloved Chase, and it's so profoundly sad when despite all your loving efforts, nothing seems to work.   I doubt he gets sick of being hugged and kissed, and in many ways, it fulfills your need to hold him tight, and close to your heart.

I pray your vet will guide you regarding Chase's quality of life issues and any difficult decisions you must make.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I am so very sorry to hear this news, Barbara.  My only advice would be to try to just stay focused on making each day with this sweet guy the very best it can be.  I definitely would not put him through a biopsy of the liver.  Your love for him will guide you.

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Barbara, Your love for Chase is palpable. And just as we can all feel it, I'm sure that Chase can, too. None of this is fair -- not for you, and certainly not for Chase. I hope you know that I am thinking about you both, and am certain that you will continue to be caring and thoughtful, continuing to focus on what is best for your sweet boy, as well as your family. Hugs. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am so very sorry to hear that chase is not doing well on his medication/diet treatment. I wish you wisdom and strength if the time comes to make a final decision.

[Barbara Dudas]

I spoke with the vet again yesterday regarding the blood results. It seems that Chase's numbers are worse than the last blood test two weeks ago, but still better than they had been pre-medication.  As an example his ALT (liver enzyme) was 875 about 4-6 weeks ago and was 366 2 weeks ago but is now 488.  So not awful, but not going in the direction we would like to see for sure.  His weight remains the big issue and the vet recommended a high calorie food by Annamaet called Extra.  I was able to track some down last night and get him one feeding of it along with fresh fish (he eats well :)).  He ate it all but this morning picked at it.  I'm going home from work at lunch time to try to feed him again.  If anyone has any other suggestions for calorie rich food or treats please let me know.  We're just going day to day right now.  He was pretty perky this morning, I even saw him run across the back yard at one point but for the most part he is doing a lot of laying around.  I know his body needs rest so that't not necessarily a bad thing.  Thanks again for all of your kind words.  It means a lot!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Barbara, the food your vet recommended is not too bad, but it's far from high in calories compared to many others. Grain free foods typically have the highest calorie content. The Annamaet food has only 425 calories per cup and only 26% protein, because it's got a fair amount of grain in it. Compare that to Orijen Adult, which contains 38% and has 478 calories per cup. I think that with Chase not eating a lot, you'd be better off with a food that contains more calories per bite.

There's almost no food in the world higher in calories than peanut butter if he likes that and can have it.