 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Pet Forum / Miscellaneous / Animal Health / February 2007High ALT Level Mystery
At the age of 7 months, we took our Boxer "Gracie" to the vet for spading, and we discovered through their routine blood work that Gracie's ALT levels were high. They performed the spading anyway, and during surgery, the took a liver biopsy, which proved negative. They commented that the liver looked healthy. They did not suspect a shunt. It's been a year since the surgery, and during the past year, Gracie's ALT levels had dropped via a series of prescription drugs and over-the- counter supplements (ie. Sam-E, Milk Thistle) ... at least we think that's why it dropped. At it's lowest point, the ALT had dropped to 118 (it had been nearly 900 at one point). When the vet saw Gracie's ALT drop to 118, they took her off all of the prescription drugs and the SAM-E. At the very next visit, her ALT increased to around 300, so they put her back on the SAM-E and Milk Thistle. Then, at the latest visit, her ALT went up to nearly 500. You would never know, from looking at her and observing her, that there's anything wrong with this dog. She's incredibly energetic, she's eat well, and she looks and acts healthy. Are there other reasons for ALT levels increasing other than liver disease? Are there foods that we should be avoiding? Are there other treatments that we should be considering? and during surgery, the took a liver biopsy, which proved negative. They > commented that the liver looked healthy. They did not suspect a shunt. > > It's been a year since the surgery, At it's lowest point, the ALT had dropped to > 118 (it had been nearly 900 at one point). When the vet saw Gracie's > ALT drop to 118, they took her off all of the prescription drugs and > the SAM-E. At the very next visit, her ALT increased to around 300, > so they put her back on the SAM-E and Milk Thistle. Then, at the > latest visit, her ALT went up to nearly 500. http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2003&PID=6563&O=Gene ric http://diaglab.vet.cornell.edu/clinpath/modules/chem/leakage.htm http://diaglab.vet.cornell.edu/clinpath/modules/chem/alt.htm Even though they said the liver looked healthy a year ago, I wonder if an X-ray or ultrasound shouldn't be done now. I wonder about gall bladder duct problem. Blocked bile ducts can become life threatening and only half make it through surgery once it's an emergency. Since your puppy seems to have had it at a young age, this could be a congenital defect. http://www.vetinfo.com/dgallbladder.html I think I would insist on taking a next step after discussion with your vet. If it was viral, it seems it would have resolved by now. Sometimes ALT can go up with liver repair when a dog is on milk thistle, but this doesn't seem to be the case here. Please post back. Hope you can find an answer. buglady take out the dog before replying It can be very unrewarding to try to trace down the cause of a high ALT in a clinically normal dog. I don't know that I'd get too aggressive in trying to find a cause. Things you and your vet might consider: bile acids profile (this is a blood test that checks actual liver function) -- if abnormal then you have a problem; if normal means that her liver is functioning the way it should. Ultrasound -- might show a small shunt (but I'd expect an abnormal dog and definitely you'd expect abnormal bile acids. Another biopsy (very invasive and I don't think I'd go this route). If she's completely normal clinically then you also might consider simply keeping her on milk thistle or equivalent life long (it's pretty cheap and doesn't have any side effects) and just monitoring her levels periodically. You also might consider that "normal" for her may be much higher than the average normal. Averages are just that -- and there are certainly some animals who fall outside that range without having anything actually wrong with them! One other thought -- what kind of diet is she on? I believe that dogs who eat a lot of meat (especially raw meat) can often have falsely elevated ALT levels. Best to avoid high protein anyway as a precaution. Deborah DVM > At the age of 7 months, we took our Boxer "Gracie" to the vet for > spading, and we discovered through their routine blood work that [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > disease? Are there foods that we should be avoiding? Are there other > treatments that we should be considering? I believe > that dogs who eat a lot of meat (especially raw meat) can often have falsely > elevated ALT levels. Best to avoid high protein anyway as a precaution. .....I think that's BUN and creatinine. Never heard of a dog eating raw meat who had elevated ALT just because of diet. buglady take out the dog before replying > .....I think that's BUN and creatinine. Never heard of a dog eating raw > meat who had elevated ALT just because of diet. ......This was from the Antech newsletter: http://antechdiagnostics.com/clients/antechNews/2006/nov06_01.htm buglady take out the dog before replying > If she's completely normal clinically then you also might consider simply > keeping her on milk thistle or equivalent life long (it's pretty cheap and [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > that dogs who eat a lot of meat (especially raw meat) can often have falsely > elevated ALT levels. Best to avoid high protein anyway as a precaution. Well, she does probably get a bit too much "lunch meat" and eggs in her diet. Perhaps we should stop that? thanks for replying ... > It can be very unrewarding to try to trace down the cause of a high ALT in a > clinically normal dog. I don't know that I'd get too aggressive in trying > to find a cause. Things you and your vet might consider: bile acids > profile (this is a blood test that checks actual liver function) -- if > abnormal then you have a problem; if normal means that her liver is > functioning the way it should. She has had two bile acid tests. Both normal. > Ultrasound -- might show a small shunt (but > I'd expect an abnormal dog and definitely you'd expect abnormal bile acids. We've had an ultrasound ... negative. > Another biopsy (very invasive and I don't think I'd go this route). > > If she's completely normal clinically then you also might consider simply > keeping her on milk thistle or equivalent life long (it's pretty cheap and > doesn't have any side effects) and just monitoring her levels periodically. The have her currently on the following medications: SAM-e Milk Thistle Amoxicillin Flagyl Generlac Solution > You also might consider that "normal" for her may be much higher than the > average normal. Averages are just that -- and there are certainly some > animals who fall outside that range without having anything actually wrong > with them! You're not the first one who has suggested that, and I'm hoping you're right. > One other thought -- what kind of diet is she on? I believe > that dogs who eat a lot of meat (especially raw meat) can often have falsely > elevated ALT levels. Best to avoid high protein anyway as a precaution. She gets probably way too much protein. We're in the habit of giving her eggs and lunch meat. Bad habit, I know. But we'll stop that. The vet has her eating L/D prescription dog food too. One thing for sure ... all this testing, meds, and prescription diet is eating away at the wallet. ctmaiden |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.