Chihuahua with high liver enzyme numbers

[Teri]

Is anyone familiar with chihuahuas and liver problems? My 12 year old male chihuahua just had a visit with the vet and his numbers are just a bit higher than they were back in February. His numbers are like 162 when they should be around 100. He doesn't act sick at all and he's been on V.A.L. syrup since January. His vet can't figure out why his numbers are running so high. She's wanting to see him in a month to put him on prednisone to see it that gets his numbers down a little. He was on the anti-inflammatory drug Rimadyl, but I took him off of it because it affects the liver, so I ordered a holistic med instead, which is working fine. The other vet that has seen him thinks that it's just the way his body is. He said that some dogs enzyme numbers just run high. My dog plays and I don't see that he acts any different than he ever has. Any advice would really help to at least make me feel better and not worry so much.

[Chica]

Don't worry!!! :) One of the vets you saw said the same thing. All dogs are different. I have a chihuahua to.You have to consider that they are as individual as humans are. If your chi is not acting any different then I would not worry. :)

[suebgone]

I'd say its a really good thing that you got him off the Rimadyl. Good luck

[Daisy and Delilah]

I can't offer any medical advice but I will be praying for the little fella to get better. Kisses to him from me and my girls :(

[Sudilar]

My Rainbow Bridge Killian was on Rimadyl, then metronidazole just before his first life threatening liver episode.
I hope your pup is doing better now.

[dragondawg]

Both Vets should know about the side effects of Rimadyl. Neither should your dog ever take that medication again.

You should definitely take your dog back in a few weeks to see if the liver profile has returned to normal. If the arthritic pain comes back you might want to try Deramaxx. It's in the same class of drugs as Rimadyl, but tends to be a little safer than Rimadyl. Vets usually like to prescribe Rimadyl despite a high incidence of liver problems-sometimes irrreversible, simply because it's very effective at eliminating the pain. Deramaxx can also cause liver problems, but the effect on the liver is readily reversible by stopping, followed by decreasing the frequency of doses.

You might also want to give puppy a fish oil gel cap once a day. Fish oil has weak anti-inflamatory properties.

[sclick]

My 3 year old Chihuahua (Dixie) had a count of over 650. The vet did an emergency Ultrasound and they found nothing. They put her on meds for a few months and then put her on LD diet. Her count after 8 months dropped below 150. She is the most active, runs and plays so hard. There is a slight smell to her urine. Her nick name is "Monkey" sometimes "Chucky Monkey" She is a clown. You would never know that she has any problems. She is alittle overweight but she is on less than a 1/4 cup of her LD and she doesn't lose the weight. But like I said she runs and plays non stop.