High liver enzymes in my chihuahua

Question
I have a 3 year old female Chihuahua who seems healthy. She pees and poos and eats and drinks and plays- no problem. About a month ago she was crying and low crawling and just not herself. I took her to the vet right away and of course when we got there she was fine.  Just to be safe we did blood work and found her liver enzymes high(over 600), did a bile acid test, came back high. then we did a ultrasound and found nothing - a slightly smaller than normal liver. now they want to do a Technesium scan and if it shows nothing a liver biopsy! She seems fine - how much more should I put her through? I think I should just watch her and see how she does. Is there a special diet I can put her on. What would you suggest?

Answer
Hi Jacqueline,

There are five common liver enzyme tests, do you know which tests were run, and the test result numbers? For a young dog such as yours, if she's really got compromised liver function, it's important to treat it, and not just watch her to see how she does. With the correct treatment your dog can live many happy years. Canine liver disease is among the top five leading causes of non-accidental death in dogs and as such should be taken seriously.

A dog may have NO outward symptoms that the liver is overburdened, it's not uncommon that liver disease is discovered accidently, with routine blood tests.

With just one elevated liver values test, I think it's too early in the diagnostic process to be talking about scans or biopsies! Your vet should run the liver enzyme test again, and then move on to additional testing, if it's necessary. Cushing's disease (Hyperadrenocorticism) is a common cause for elevated liver enzymes in dogs, and it should be ruled out.

You should familiarize yourself with what these liver test numbers mean, read more here:

http://home.gci.net/~divs/disease/lab_tests.html

http://www.thepetcenter.com/pha/cp.html

Milk Thistle (also known as Silymarin) is a very helpful herb supplement for liver function. Your problem is going to be getting a small enough dosage for your tiny dog. Standard dose is 100 mg per 25 lbs of body weight, so you'll have to decrease according to her size. You can read more about Milk Thistle here:
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/milk_thistle.htm

Certain foods can help to naturally detoxify the liver. Green vegetables contain not only valuable vitamins and minerals but they also contain natural cleansers and antioxidants that help to purify the blood and the liver. Giving your dog green vegetables such as green beans, squash or asparagus, along with some carrots can provide fresh enzymes and extra nutrition. Omega 3 fatty acids found in Amazing Omegas can be very helpful too. In general, pets with liver conditions need a diet low in animal fat, high in Omega 3s, reduced protein and high in fiber. Special prescription diets, and over the counter diets are available for dogs with liver problems. Liver disease diet should be tailored to your dog's specific level of liver function.

Best of luck,

Patti