B2B NewsPet industry newsSymptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment – Dogster

Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment – Dogster

-

- Advertisment -spot_img


Astra, the 6-year-old Cocker Spaniel exhibited several vague clinical signs like not eating every few days and occasional vomiting. Blood tests showed significantly elevated liver enzymes. Many conditions can cause an increase in these values, but one enzyme caught my attention: ALT. ALT stands for alanine transaminase and is usually part of routine screening blood chemistries. Whenever a dog has a high ALT and no other liver enzyme elevations, it indicates chronic hepatitis could be the cause. Because Astra’s other liver tests were normal, it suggested this could be early in the disease course.

Symptoms of chronic hepatitis in dogs

The clinical signs associated with chronic hepatitis vary widely as a result of the multiple functions of the liver. The most common symptoms include:

  • A mild-to-marked decrease in appetite, often irregular and intermittent
  • Lethargy or being less active
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Increased thirst and urination
  • Distended abdomen that may be filled with fluid (ascites)
  • Pale yellow (jaundiced) tinge to the skin, eyes, ears and gums

In more severe cases, dogs may act strangely or exhibit neurological signs, such as: unresponsiveness, depression, aggression, blindness or staring into space, standing in corners, pressing their heads into walls or corners, and, rarely, loss of consciousness or seizures.

Chronic hepatitis may be detected on routine blood health panels and can be diagnosed before your dog develops illness. Once clinical signs of liver disease develop, the condition is often in a very advanced or late stage.

Tests for dogs to check for chronic hepatitis

In scenarios when a patient has fuzzy symptoms (ones that could come from a variety of issues) and elevated ALT like in Astra’s case, moving quickly is the patient’s best chance of surviving many forms of hepatitis. But, we needed more information to determine if Astra had chronic hepatitis and why. To do that, I needed to have a look at her liver.

While radiographs are useful in many cases, they’re not good at detecting subtle or minor abnormalities, particularly in organs such as the liver. I suspected this could be early chronic hepatitis, and I needed to confirm it quickly to begin treatment. To do that, I needed to use ultrasound.

Fortunately, a radiologist specialist visited our clinic once a week and would be available the following day. I needed to add Astra to her already busy schedule.

The radiologist performed the hepatic ultrasound and agreed that chronic hepatitis was likely. Based on her findings, I recommended Astra have a liver biopsy. Before that, we ran some blood clotting and additional liver-function tests to ensure Astra could undergo the relatively straightforward laparoscopic biopsy. This procedure is done under brief anesthesia through a small, keyhole-like incision in the skin.

How does a dog get chronic hepatitis

While I expected the diagnosis of chronic hepatitis to be confirmed, it’s never easy to accept. The biopsy showed increased liver copper, indicating Astra had a copper storage disorder. This is often a genetic disorder, but we don’t fully understand it yet. There are many causes of chronic hepatitis, but all require an early diagnosis to achieve successful outcomes. Some potential causes of chronic active hepatitis include:

  • certain medications (carprofen, phenobarbital, trimethoprim/sulfa, etc.)
  • infections (canine adenovirus type 1, leptospirosis)
  • genetics
  • autoimmune disorders
  • excess dietary copper
  • certain liver toxins

Most cases of chronic hepatitis are of unknown etiology, and we still don’t fully understand the condition. Even when we identify chronic hepatitis early, many dogs still succumb to this terrible disease.

Treatment for dogs with chronic hepatitis

In Astra’s case, the first step was to remove the excess copper harming her liver through a medical process called chelation. I started her on d-penicillamine (D-Pen) and a low-copper therapeutic diet. The main side effect of this drug is nausea and vomiting, and it needs to be taken on an empty stomach to facilitate absorption and bioavailability. In dogs that experience upset stomach or decreased appetite, anti-nausea meds or a short course of steroids may help. I also advised offering distilled water if copper plumbing contributed to Astra’s condition.

After six months of treatment, Astra’s ALT liver enzyme returned to normal. I suggested we repeat the liver biopsy, but her owner declined. We chose to continue monitoring Astra’s liver tests every three months.

About a year later, Astra returned with the same symptoms as before. This time I noticed her eyes were yellowish as soon as I entered the exam room. Blood tests confirmed all her liver enzymes were increased, and she’d lost considerable weight. Sadly, it was time to let her go.

Chronic hepatitis is a disease that isn’t talked about enough in dogs. Even if your dog’s symptoms don’t seem specific for a disease, they’re real. It’s essential for you to be their advocate during the exam and insist on finding an answer. For Astra, her human family was able to spend another 18 months with her before she passed away, and those memories are incredibly precious to them.



Source link

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest news

“研学热”:一场“旅游+教育”的神奇化学反应

东南网8月26日报道(本网记者郑琦/文)日前,福建省文化和旅游厅评选出福建中青国际旅行社有限公司、福建智行研学教育科技有限公司等23家“优秀研学旅游服务机构”。省文旅厅将通过发挥优秀机构的典型示范效应 Source link

18个项目260亿!绍兴城市推介会走进港澳

“由衷期待双方以此次推介会为契机,持续深化经济、科技、教育、文化、体育等各领域沟通交流,努力打造更多标志性合作成果。”12日-14日,2024“港澳·绍兴周”在香港启幕,绍兴市委书记温暖率市代表团赴香 Source link

这种“教育”竟能做出撩动人心的美食?

30岁裸辞去蓝带学厨艺,毕业后仅仅用了2年的时间就一举成为百万粉丝的美食博主。这一次我们邀请到了美食博主徐人宇Vincent,以及蓝带国际大中华区董事总经理、澳大利亚蓝带学员商凌燕女士、蓝带巴黎学员侯 Source link

撒网预热进行时,小轮车推广进校园

伴随着奥运会资格系列赛·上海的临近,城市体育节撒网预热期的推广活动日益火热。4月以来,不同主题的运动项目进入商圈、学校,让更多人体验到这些城市运动项目的乐趣。近日,“极限宝贝bmx初体验骑进校园”系列活动亮相上海市黄浦区 Source link
- Advertisement -spot_imgspot_img

撒网预热进行时,小轮车推广进校园

伴随着奥运会资格系列赛·上海的临近,城市体育节撒网预热期的推广活动日益火热。4月以来,不同主题的运动项目进入商圈、学校,让更多人体验到这些城市运动项目的乐趣。4月30日上午,“极限宝贝bmx初体验骑进校园”系列活动亮相上 Source link

话说杨浦丨“赛艇女孩”,你在哪里?

上海海洋大学的历史可上溯至1912年成立的江苏省立水产学校。2006年,位于杨浦区军工路的上海海洋大学前身——上海水产大学,积极响应上海市教委号召,成功组织了“阳光体育大联赛”。宣传、动员过程中,学校 Source link

Must read

Lady Gaga and Cardi B Meet at the Grammys

What was expected of her was the same thing...

Jennifer Aniston’s Ex Justin Theroux Wishes Her Happy Birthday on Instagram

What was expected of her was the same thing...
- Advertisement -spot_imgspot_img

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you