Holly's bloodwork

[Tricia]

Thanks for asking. She's doing very well. She's going to start on a drug called Denamarin. It's basically milk thistle and SAMe, which both support liver function. Then she'll go back in 2 months to have her bile acids tested again. At this point it's just a watch-and-see process. I'm not willing to put her through biopsies and what-not to determine if she has MVD, because there's no cure for it anyway. It's just something that causes them to go on a liver diet and meds when symptoms begin, so both the vet and I see no reason we can't just watch her. The other problem now is that Wellness has apparently began outsourcing their manufacturing process and many dogs are having reactions to the new bags of food. It seems to mainly be skin flare-ups that cause constant itching and hair loss. So I've just begun switching her to Innova small bites today. She really likes the new food, and it's actually slightly lower in protein than the wellness, which is better for her liver anyway. Jen, are you feeding the boys Wellness Small Breed?

[Jen]

Oh wow yes I am feeding them Wellness for small breeds Thanks for telling me

Looks like I'll be switching them to Solid Gold for small breeds since that's one of the foods that I can get right away.

Tricia didn't you say Holly was on Solid Gold at onetime and did well on it? Could you please keep me updated if you here anything about Solid Gold?

Hey I found this, CHECK REPLY #10 Now I know there could be a lot of variables that the poster forgot to mention and I don't want to spread false rumors, but do you think maybe the food could have something to do with what's happening with Holly's levels now?

[Tricia]

WOW Thanks for that site!! I'm not sure if it would have anything to do with Holly's liver problems or not. When she initially had the elevated enzyme, I really think it was from the drugs she was given for her infected anal gland. Upon recheck, that enzyme and all the others were perfectly normal, so it kind of confirmed that in my mind. Her only problem now is her bile acids, which are extremely high, so I'm not sure it would go along with the food, but I'm certainly glad I'm making the switch anyway!!

Holly was on Solid Gold Just A Wee Bit for a while when she was 2. She liked it and did well on it. However, it's salmon based, so the bag smells like fish food every time you open it ;D The only reason I switched her (if memory serves) is because Wellness was rated higher than that particular formula and PetCo started carrying Wellness so I was able to get it easily.

What I'm in the process of switching her to now is Innova Adult Food in small bites. She absolutely LOVES it and actually chews every little piece (if you'll remember, I mentioned before that she never chews her food and would sometimes throw up a few hours after eating because the pieces would swell so big in her little belly). I just checked the ingredients on that bag to make sure there was no tomato products, and there isn't. It is full of fruits and vegetables and even has a probiotic so I won't need to give yogurt anymore. I was able to find that at Pet Supplies Plus if you're interested.

[Jen]

Hmmm I think there might be a Pet Supplies Plus near me. Maybe I'll just switch them to Innova as well

[Tricia]

Jen, I asked my vet yesterday about the tomato/wellness/liver enzyme connection that someone posted on that link you gave. She said she doesn't believe there's any way that the food could have caused any dog to have elevated liver enzymes because the bad part of the tomato is the stem/plant, and there's no way a company like wellness would use that part in their food.

[Jen]

That's good to know You wouldn't believe all the sites I've found where people are blaming their dog's high levels on Wellness

[Tricia]

Well, I can tell you from experience that when you get hit with the big surprise that your dog's liver is testing bad, you immediately start looking for any possible thing that could explain it away ;D

Just a quick update on Holly -- she started taking her supplement on Friday and I'm happy to report that she's not had any side effects. The vet assured me she wouldn't because it's just adding something that her body already produces, but I always worry when I add anything to her diet. I have to get her up in the morning to give her the pill, then I put her back to bed for an hour because she can't eat for at least an hour. Thank God she's so lazy because there's no problem getting her to go back to bed without eating

[Jen]

;D

That's great she's okay with taking the supplement