Liver Disease and Diet

Question
One of my dogs ate toxic mushrooms in Oct. 09 (clitocybe dealbata).  He went into shock, was in cardiac arrest and needed CPR for two minutes, had acute pancreatitis.  His recovery was nothing short of fantastic, follow-up bloodwork showed steady improvement through Jan.  The vet said do more bloodwork in May and when we did, his liver values had gone up.  We just did more bloodwork last week and the liver values had increased from the May #s.  The vet wants to put him on a medication which I can't identify (we were on cell phones and I think I must have heard wrong so I won't know what it really is until tomorrow) but he also wants to put him on a low protein diet.  I have looked at the nutritional info for Hills l/d - protein is 18%.  The recipe doesn't seem too horrible but I don't trust their manufacturing processes.  I looked tonight at my local independent pet store and the only food there that was 18% protein with good ingredients was Wellness Senior.

My question is, am I being stupid?  Should I just go ahead with the prescription diet?  Or is there a better alternative even than the Wellness?  I have checked The Honest Kitchen and they don't have anything balanced with protein levels that low.

The dog is a male neutered sheltie, just turned 7 years old  last month, appears totally healthy except for the bloodwork.

Thanks!!

Answer
Hi Dede,

Sorry this reply is a little late, I have had several urgent cases this past week and I can't always get here as quickly as I would like, when that happens.

In your case I recommend a home prepared cooked diet with moderate protein, careful formulation to control copper, fat soluble vitamins and keep mineral balance very precise. I prefer a so-called liver friendly diet in which the type of protein utilized is as important as the amount. I'd also suggest supplements for liver support (SAMe, milk thistle, lipoic acid) but I prefer to sort the diet first. If you are interested in discussing this further please contact me at catlane@thepossiblecanine.com - visit my website www.thepossiblecanine.com for more information on my Services and philosophy.

And congratulations on the recovery and good work so far. Using a fresh food diet will only benefit your dog in the long run - so long as it's properly balanced.
All the best, Catherine