Hello!!! We are the proud owners of a 3 year old male yellow lab. His name is Sonny and he was diagnosed with liver disease at 2 years old. Our hope is to use this site to get as much needed information as we can to give him the best options we can. So far he has had two biopsys. He has been on Ursodiol and Milkthistle from the beginning. He recently was on a prescribed medication for inflammation, Azathioprine. According to his blood work up it helped with the inflammation. Unfortunatley one of its side effects is it is a immune suppressor. Goes to the bone marrow, etc. Gave him very low white cell count and a very bad GI problem with bleeding that caused him to have anemia. He has been taken off of the inflammation med and we are now looking into natural ways to help with inflammation in hopes that when he does his next full blood work up at the end of October he will not need to go back on the Azathioprine in a lower dose. It would be his only option as weight wise and side effect wise, he is not a canidate for steriods and I wouldnt want him on them anyway. His GI bleeding was stopped by his vet prescribing him Sucralfate which works as an internal band aid. His red counts are up showing his anemia is improving. Thankfully his white cell counts are at normal showing his immune system is back to functioning. Our goal is to be able to keep him off of as many prescription drugs as possible because of the side effects. We have been using probiotics and digestive enzymes for his GI system. Also to help his immune system keep the bad bacteria out of his stomach. I have been giving him the Only Natural Immune Strengthener but he does not like it in his food. Guess the taste is what bothers him. He is great when it comes to taking pills orally but with the other supplements he is taking that way at some point his mouth starts to get dry and they stick to the back of his throat. So Im hoping to give him one less something orally. If anyone has a immune strenthener that they prefer I would appreciate the reccomend. He is on the Ursodiol, Milkthistle, fish oil omegas, E, Alpha-Lipoic Acid, NAC, L-Carnitine, B-complex, orally, and a daily vitamin powder that is added to his food along with the digestive enzymes. All of these are for liver function and some for inflammation. I would love to know if anyone knows antioxidants or other supplements that are good for liver inflammation. I have done a lot of online research, and have bought a book by an owner of a dog with liver disease who chose the natural route in treating his disease, but I would love to hear from other dog owners about their experiences with it. Anything would be appreciated!!!!

It truly sounds like you are doing a lot of the right things but I verify the Mg. amount but I would certainly add to the mix
two Sam-E tablets (400mg each)  to reduce the effects of the medications and help detoxify the liver.

A sincere wish for you and your Sonny's success 

Thanks for the reply!!! I had him on the Nutrimax Denosyl SAM-e. Said for a large dog he was to have two of the 400 something mg tablets, on an empty stomach. So I gave it an hour before his first meal of the day. I did this for about 15 days. He was also on the Azathioprine (prescribed anti-inflammatory). So when he got his really bad GI problem I did a lot of research on meds, supplements and stomach problems. I found a human site for SAM-e users. They were people who originally were on prescribed anti depressant medication but had to get off of it because of side effects. They went on SAM-e to try a more natural way. It worked for them but the problem was, some of them got GI problems. The doctor on the site said that the problem with the medical industry and even with the supplements is that they always reccomend the highest dose for everyone. (thats why I like this site so much, one new supplement a week, start low and build up!!). He said that most people can actually do a much lower dose (even as low as 100mgs) and still get results. Just start low and build up to what your stomach can handle, but naturally dont exceed the highest reccomended dose. And....he said you didnt have to take it on an empty stomach, try it with food and if it works, good for you and your stomach. He also said after being on it for a month to go to every other day. He said he did that with all supplements he was on long term. Thing I found most interesting was that people who went on the lower doses complained about having to waste half a pill since they were told the exposed half would be no good. He said as long as you wrap it up right away in plastic wrap (tightly) that the other half would be good for the next day, just not after a skipped day.

So.....now that the GI bleeding is done, the lower dose is what we have been doing with the remainder of his Denosyl. Because Im afraid to put him back on the full dose. GI bleeding was that bad, that I'm that paraniod! I have on order from the Only Natural site (love it!!!) a different brand of SAM-e, think it is about 200mgs each tablet and I plan to give him one a day (I wont have to split the tab). Maybe if no stomach problem I will up it to 400mgs but dont think I will go over that. Im left wondering if it was totally the Azathioprine alone or if the Denosyl dose contributed to the stomach issues too. Playing it safe right now.

I didnt realize until recently that I didnt have him on enough Milk thistle.  I was giving him 250mgs a day to start and worked him up to 500mgs a day. He has been on that for almost a year. Now I read in the book I ordered that it if its not just for protective purposes but your dog actually has liver disease they should take 100mg per 25lb, 2-3xs a day (he's 98lbs). So Im doing that.

He's great with the pill taking but Im sure he's tired of having pills put in his mouth!!!

Do you know if dogs can only take the dog brand SAM-e or if they can take it in the human supplements???? Also I was thinking of adding the antioxidant Taurine to his supplementation in a week. Can the capsule be opened and sprinkled on his food? Think you can with cats, dont know about dogs. Also do you know of any of the other capsuled supplements that can just be opened and sprinkled into his food, like the NAC, probiotic (is it as effective that way), etc. Again, anything, would be appreciated.

Hope all this helps his blood work up numbers the end of October.

I am new to the discussion group, I have 2 female aussies.  I am into holistic medicine (my sister is an ND) and go natural with my girls whenever possible.  The one I noticed your boy wasn't getting is vit. C.  Is there a reason why?  All the dogs I've ever had have been on vit. C, I give them ester - C to guard the stomach.  C obviously to boost the immune system.  I also have a dog client of mine ( I teach obedience) with nasal cancer, she goes to a K9 accupuncturist.  It gets the energy moving in the body and going where it needs to.  She has become more playful, eating better, and just feeling better all around.  I would check out some holistic vets in your area.  Ask about accupuncture and homeopathic remedies.  A good one will work both traditional and holistic together (As they should)  Just some more thoughts!!

Looked at the multivitamin I just bought for him at the vet, and......no C in it. Also no C in the daily vitamin powder mix I give him. Soooo guess Im going to have to get some. Dont know any reason he cant be on it. But Im pretty much using a book I bought and this site to find out natural ways to treat him, as my vet, and even the "special" internal medicine vet do not do much in the holistic area. Most they have said is milkthistle and E. I had to ask for SAM-e. I have found that there are no holistic vets in our area of AZ. We are on the far west side and they are in the far east side. Did find one online, and she is in the northern end of the state, so again, to far(way to far). As it is we have no internal medicine specialist on our side of the state either. If was very scary when he went into liver failure and we were having to drive miles just to get help as the emergency vets by us said all they could do was drain the fluid and that wasnt a good thing to always do.

Saw some cool things on the internet about nutritionist vets. Was hoping they could give me a homemade diet plan for his needs. This time, none, in our state. Have thought about accupuncture. Right now still trying to recoup from two biopsys, one at just under 2000 and last one was 3000 (with bladder stone removal which means he needs low purine food too). From just what we have done so far I can see a huge difference(hair isnt falling out anymore).

Do you know anything about Taurine? And if so, can that capsule just be opened up and put on his food? Dose I got was 1000mgs. Book says 500mg 2-3xs a day. So obviously I have to half my capsules. Even if I didnt......their huge!!!! He's good at taking pills, but even that is asking to much!!!

Thanks, Marie, Sonnyspeople

Yes, you can sprinkle it on.  I would put as many pills/supps in his dog chow as possible.  Less traumatic, even though he is good about taking them.  You might think about putting him on "The Raw Diet".  There are several versions and all kinds of info on the web.  There are many vets that don't like the raw diet however, the way I see it, the less work the liver has to do, the better.  Research this diet online as much as possible, talk to different people etc.  The liver's job is to remove toxins from the body so...... less in, less out.  I'm sure the vet has discussed vaccines with you also.  Again, less in, less processed by the liver.  We have 6 dogs on some version of the raw diet, they are doing fabulous!!  They definitely have more energy, less waste to pick up, better skin and coat and we were even able to pinpoint some food allergies without testing.  I am always thinking of the least invasive way to fix problems with my animals as well as myself.  One other benefit of a "cleaner" diet is that the dog's body doesn't need as much water to process food etc.   You may even want to get Dr Pitcairn's book or check it out at the library, lots of good info.  I don't remeber the name of it, but most people know of it.  Just some more things to think about and research.  After this you'll become a pro!  Also, don't rule out changing vets, I have done so a few times.     

I believe it's called "Dr. Pitcairn's Guide to Natural care for Dogs and Cats". I have it, and reference it often, but am too lazy to go get it right at the moment. It does contain a wealth of imformation.

Thanks!!! Name you gave sounded familiar. Remembered my husband mentioning a site he had found with that Drs. name and thought I should check it out. Then got the message from you and figured it was a sign. Sooooo........read your message and then off to Barnes and Noble for the book. Have just skimmed it but it looks like it will help a lot. Settle in for a good read later.

Im fine with our regular vet. Just not thrilled with the "specialist". I have expressed this to one of our regular vets (there are three in the office, Sonny has seen all of them). While he is not familiar with holistic/alternative treatments or home made diets he has said that he will work with me on it. Basically I research it, put Sonny on it, and he does the bloodwork up to see if it is working(end of October is when we do that). Also prescribe anything I cant do or get, like the internal band aid ulcer med (sucralfate) he just had him on to stop his GI bleeder(thankfully that is over and so far so good).

I live in AZ. We do not have any holistic vets yet on the west side of the valley. All are on the east side, where the money is at. I have found one in Northern AZ and if it gets to that point I will ask if we can see them for help with nutritional needs (although the book seems to cover that pretty good). I would much rather take a long scenic drive, than a supposedly shorter but ends up being longer, backed up stressful and unpleasant drive to the other side of the valley. Which is where we had to go if you want a "specialist" too. Fine for an emergency, but I'm done with them for anything else. Other then the 5000 they have gotten from us for biospies and stone removal, they have not been informative in the least.

Thanks again for the info!!!! Marie

Hi Marie

I do hope you enjoy Dr. Pitcairn's book. I have this weird logic to it. We have PITbulls and CAIRN terriers. So, due to superstition, I think there must be something to it. I do use his book often when referring to natural diets and supplements, as well as specific ailments.

As far as the vet goes, my vet is not a holistic vet either. However, she has been supportive of my efforts to home feed and use suppliments as I see fit. She is fully aware of what I give my dogs, and has not objected. She has also surprised me with a few holistic interventions of her own.(please refer to Help Durning Thunderstorms).

I suppose that I am saying that you don't need to see a holistic vet as long as the vet you so see has some basic knowledge of homeopathy and is willing to work with you....and that means respecting your wishes without judgement, and  helping to give you the best information available, whether it relates to homeopathy or not. There are lots of vets that are willing to meet you half-way, and they are not homeopathic. There are probably several in your area that are willing to work with you, and still give you all the information that you need to make an informed decision. Check it out, and don't settle until you are happy. If you think your vet is only in it for the money, then look elsewhere. I do believe that thre is a vet out there that will work with you within your means.

I wish you all the best.