# High Liver Enzymes?



## Siena (Nov 7, 2010)

My dad brought my dogs to the vet today and my 9 year old Rat Terrier was reported to have high liver enzyme levels, around 180? My dad said there was a medicine we could be using but he doesn't seem to care much. Is there anything in their diet I should give them before I get that medicine?


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## BTDogRaw (Dec 8, 2010)

What specific type of liver enzyme was high? 

Amy J-K


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## Siena (Nov 7, 2010)

BTDogRaw said:


> What specific type of liver enzyme was high?
> 
> Amy J-K


I don't know, my dad didn't pay attention and didn't pick up their packet with all of that information. Why does it differ?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

What is this dog eating? Raw? What was it fed right before the blood draw (or the night before...just the meal previous)? It matters which enzyme, so maybe call the vet and find out.


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## Siena (Nov 7, 2010)

danemama08 said:


> What is this dog eating? Raw? What was it fed right before the blood draw (or the night before...just the meal previous)? It matters which enzyme, so maybe call the vet and find out.


I called the vet and they said he has high a high ALT level, 184 and they want to give him Denamarin for a month. He started raw on Sunday and I gave him a quarter of a chicken back on the morning that he went in. He was also fed half of a drumstick the night before.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

He hasn't had raw foods for long enough to have a positive effect on his liver, it will take a few weeks at the very least. Denamarin is actually a great and safe drug made from an extract of milk thistle.

Nutramax Laboratories, Inc.


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## Siena (Nov 7, 2010)

Thank you so much Natalie! You're a great reassurance.


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

Sassy always had wonky liver enzymes but they were only elevated to 1.5x normal on one or two at a time. Denamarin didn't do a thing and costs a lot of money. She was just a very old and very ill dog with not very good dental health. I still think low thyroid contributed to a lot of her issues but the labs didn't confirm this. Here is a roundtable discussion on the subject.
http://reference.kfupm.edu.sa/content/d/i/diagnosing_liver_disease_a_roundtable_di_84409.pdf
Page 4 discusses ALT in particular. You need the reference levels to know how high the ALT really is above normal.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Sassy's right....Denamarin doesn't work for every dog but its worth a shot. ALT can be elevated for many reasons, some of which can resolve in a few weeks or months. Just do a recheck in a few months to see where his levels are.


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## BTDogRaw (Dec 8, 2010)

*Alt*

Bailey had an elevated ALT level also, which has now led us to changing vets. Our vet suggested a low protein diet. Bleck! It did nothing to change her level and made her skin dry and smelly. After much research on my own, I learned that ALT level can be higher due to periodontal disease, which Bailey definitely had, and at times a low protein diet can make the issue worse. Which made complete sense! We had work done and afterward have switched to a raw diet and new vet. We'll have her re-checked in January to see the level. She was on denamarin for many months and it did not help her level at all. It does work for some, but not for her. We're excited to have her level checked next month to see how the raw has helped her. Her teeth and gums are so much better already. Other than the ALT level, she has no issues so frankly, I've stopped obsessing over it. The raw is benefiting her in so many ways.

Good luck to you and your dog--hope things are a-okay!

Amy J-K
&
Bailey T. Dog


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Please post up the results of the blood work here! I'm very interested in knowing what rechecked values are!


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