Dog liver issues: Why are Destolit and Synulox making him worse?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. The medications Cassie is currently on are safe to administer to her. The Amoxicillin Clavulanic acid is an antibiotic and the Destolit will help support her liver function. To help support liver function, I also recommend using Denamarin liver supplement which can be found online quite easily. I would discuss starting Denamarin with your vet first prior to adding any an additional supplement into the mix. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am very sorry that BJ is so sick! It sounds as though your Vet is doing a very good job trying to get BJ better. All those supplements and antibiotics are perfect. Sometimes though they do not work and surgery is need to remove the gall bladder. I am assuming that BJ has had an ultrasound when he was first diagnoses? It may be warranted to recheck the ultrasound if the values have worsened. If he is feeling fine and the ultrasound has not changed then maybe you can discuss with your Vet giving him more time with the medications. If he is feeling poorly and the ultrasound reveals that the gall bladder wall is unhealthy or about to rupture then surgery is his best chance. There are no other medications that I can think of, he is on everything already! I wish you and BJ the best!

This supplement is unlikely to influence any liver enzymes and can be stopped anytime if there is any suspicion of that. ALP is elevated but moderately and I would not focus on that. Albumin is low and that is a main concern at the moment. Vomiting should be treated with symptomatic medications. If there is high temperature, antibiotics should be given/continued. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Sam certainly sounds like he could be feeling a whole lot better. The contents of the vomit do a look a little odd, sort of grainy and liquefied. It almost looks like he could have gotten into something, or was eating dirt. What kind of medications is Sam taking for his current ailments. Depending on the nature of the liver condition, there are several different medications that should be considered. There is a liver supplement available called Denamarin that is designed to promote liver health and lower increased liver enzymes. I find it very effective in most cases. Depending on the cause of the bronchitis, it may require antibiotics to be resolved or potentially anti-inflammatory medication. If the vomiting is your primary concern at this time, I would give a call to your vet and see if he can prescribe some Cerenia to get it under control. The best thing that can be done would be to get Sam back into the vet to have looked over. With his medical conditions, it would be best to make sure he does not require any hospitalization to get better.

I am sorry to hear that Mello has not been well. If liver ultrasound is not conclusive, the best way to go forward is to take liver biopsy - this usually gives definite answer what is going on with the liver. Gall bladder stones are very rare in dogs but relatively easy to pick up during ultrasound scan. My advise would be to discuss liver biopsy with your vet. The supplement you bought is not going to hurt your dog, but at the same time it is very unlikely that it is going to help much if it is not used alongside proper diagnostics and other medical treatment.

The bilirubin is a bit high, as is the ALP (alkaline phosphatase) but neither of these values is super specific in terms of what the cause or the best treatment is. We can see the ALP be elevated with stress, age, and sometimes even normal cell regeneration within the liver. The bilirubin can be slightly elevated when the blood sample is what we call "hemolyzed," which can sometimes happen when blood is spun down for a blood test to be run. Therefore, if he is still showing symptoms of illness, I would echo what Dr Ana said; it may be time to consider imaging. Either X-rays or an abdominal ultrasound maybe helpful in identifying the problem and therefore identifying the best way to treat it. Take him back to the vet if he's still having troubles, as he probably is in need of some more fluids as well. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach, I hope he's feeling better.

This is a very valid question and it is important to consider his overall wellbeing and comfort above and beyond prolonging the length of his life. If he is mobile, greeting family members as he normally would and eating enough (a specialised liver diet and supplements can help to reduce some of the symptoms of poor liver function by reducing the amount of toxins the liver needs to excrete. As long as his appetite is sufficient to prevent significant weight loss then it is likely he is feeling ok in himself. The following link can be very helpful for all family members to sit down together and discuss and can help in the medium term decision making https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/sites/default/files/import/assets/pdf/hospital/companionAnimals/HonoringtheBond/HowDoIKnowWhen.pdf