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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Do you supplement digestive enzymes?
Before this started I had my dogs on enzymes and since Wylie has been diagnosed, I took her off, I didnt want anything interfering. And if you do what are you using, I am now realizing there are so many out there one may be good and another not. I was reading today they are good for the liver as they help breakdown the carbs in the liver to digest better. I have a call into my vet. but wanted to hear about others, |
| Laurielee CA |
| Hi Laurielee. My dog was put on a cocktail of three different immunosuppressant drugs to fight the AIHA and as a result, in the early days when he was on super high dosages he developed very loose bowel movements. My vet recommended FortiFlora which is a canine probiotic manufactured by Purina. It took about three weeks but his diahrrea cleared up. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of the azathioprine that Duck is on is pancreatitis. A few months after I discontinued the Fortiflora, he came down with a mild bout of pancreatitis. My vet once again recommended the FortiFlora to aid his digestive system and counteract the pancreatitis. It has worked very well and we have him on it indefinitely now. No more episodes of pancreatitis. Sorry, don't mean to be gross, but his bowel movements are now healthier than I have ever seen. A lot of people on this site (me included) give their dogs milk thistle for liver support. Here is a site that sets out dosages: http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/liver_diet.htm The milk thistle was something that Dr. Dodds recommended for Duck. I also feed Duck half kibble (Wellness Sweet Potato and Fish) and half the liver cleansing diet given on that site. You might want to ask your vet about the Fortiflora and the milk thistle. Good luck to you. deb and Duck |
| Debbie BC Canada |
| Also check out Country Life Liver Support Factors. Best price at vitacost. See ingredient list there (includes milk thistle as one ingredient). Excellent blend to support compromised livers. Used extensively by Tick-L list members whose dogs are on high and lengthy doses of doxycycline. I have Chance on it. At one point his alkaline phosphatase was over 8600 (high value 212). He is now at 245. Patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Patrice, can you direct me to this Tick-L list? Wylie did show positive for rocky mtn anti-bodies and is on 30 days of doxcyclene. Darn, someone mentioned country life to me about a ont ago and I did check it out and cant remember why I didnt buy it. I remember going to the health food store and looking up the ingredients and something made me not buy it. The vet gave her pro-zyme and pet tinic and she is also on milk thistle. The vet doesnt want her on anything else right now because she goes in next Wed for surgery to remove her spleen. Laurie |
| Laurie CA |
| Laurie, Go to this page: http://saluqi.home.netcom.com/ticklinks.htm And click on this: Managing your TICK-L subscription options, etc. Subscribe, sign off, change options, or search the list archives from the TICK-L home page There are several experts on ticks that monitor this list daily, including a vet. This link: http://blackgsd.googlepages.com/home has valuable information about all things related to ticks: diagnosis, treatment, supplements, you name it. This page, part of this website, is all about Liver Support Factors, with ingredients. http://blackgsd.googlepages.com/lsf You most likely looked at the ingredients and couldn't figure out what some of them were and backed off. I have checked each ingredient on this supplement to see what it does and what harm it could cause and found everything to be safe for Chance. Some things, like digestive enzymes, are helpful in general for dogs that are ill. Other ingredients like alpha lipoic acid, taurine and inositol are natural ingredients in food. Please check each ingredient on your own, or have your vet review them, to see if it will suit your purpose. Yes, if you are doing surgery, best not to introduce anything new to the mix. Patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Patrice, thanks for the link, I found some valuable information. If I decide to sue the liver support I will ask the vet to look over the ingredients. Laurie |
| Laurie CA |
This thread was discussed between 30/04/2008 and 01/05/2008
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