High liver enzymes & Black Stool - What is it?
My 3 year old OES Chum had his annual blood check in Sept/08, & they found his liver enzymes elevated (260). Subsequent tests showed it going up & down (highest 301). We got a liver biopsy & ultrasound, nothing showed up. Vet wonders if it's a leak in the liver by a small hole, from birth, & the leaked blood doesn't get filtered by the liver. At the same time, I noticed that he had black stool, it was tested & had blood in it. Vet says these 2 issues are unrelated. We did a 6 week test, put him on a liver supporting kibble & a special vitamin with milk thistle(hepato-support). No change, liver enzyme now at 261. Vet is saying, continue with this diet, yet there is no diagnosis, she's just guessing. As an aside, also in Sept/08, he started to eat a lot more. Does anyone have any advice at all? Very much appreciated Thanks Debra |
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Wow, it's hard not knowing 
Were any of his other values off? Platelets? What did his vet think the blood in his stool was related to? I presume they ruled out infectious agents and side-effects from any NSAIDs (like rimadyl, previcox etc) before they did a biopsy. When they did the biopsy, were they looking for signs of copper toxicity? Yes, it does occur in our breed. I only know of one confirmed case, though. Did they run bile acid tests? Congenital portosystemic shunts also occur in the breed, though he's pretty mature for that to show up now. There is also something along those lines called hepatic microvascular dysplasia. Of course, your vet knows all this. Does your vet seem very concerned or think this is something that can be managed even without a diagnosis? I presume the biopsy & ultrasound ruled out cancer. How far off of the normal range is he? A liver biopsy is a fairly drastic step. They must have had a good reason for doing one. The milk thistle and liver friendly diet is a good precaution no matter what. Some also give another supplement, SAM-E - in fact, my vet had me give one of my girls this when she contracted lepto (her liver values were also off) - but that should only be as directed by your vet if so. Kristine |
| Find another vet that can get an answer for you. You may have to go to a specialist in this area. Universities with exceptional vet programs would be a great place to start if you have one nearby. |
| I have no experience with liver issues, but the blood in the stool might be an ulcer. You might want to talk to your vet about Pepcid AC, if she thinks an ulcer might be the cause.
I hope you get the answers you seek. Laurie and Oscar |
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