VetNet®
VetNet® AIHA discussion forum
VetNet® Forum
Lifelong Learning Network
www.vetnetlln.ac.uk
Veterinary Recruitment
Premier Partner Program
Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Should I be worried, ALT is 970
| Wylie had her bloodwork this morning and her ALT is up to 970 from 190 at her relapse on 11/1. Her PCV was 27. She is 11+ years old and no spleen. I know its off the charts, but is this something to worry about while we are trying to reduce the pred. Her ALK test had to be sent out so dont know that that is. SHe has been doing great otherwise. She was like a rocket last night. Her PCV hasa been holding steady at 46 for a month. She is 50# and was on 20 mg pred, every day for 40 days and now on it 20 mg every other day. The vet thinks its pred induced and because her PCV is good we are reducing to 10 mg every other day. When she was first diagnosed it was up to 670, but she was only on high pred a short time, and as she was reduced the ALT came down. She is on 175 mg milk thistle every day, and she cant take denosyl (sam E) due to a very bad reaction. I am going to start her on the liver cleansing diet again. Laurie |
| Laurie CA |
| Laurie, In most cases this number will be quite high when using high doses of prednisone. I know Chance's alt and alk phos numbers were sky high, frighteningly so. It might be wise to use one of the veterinary formulations of silymarin (milk thistle). If you cannot use Denosyl, then see if you can use Marin, this is Nutramax's formulation of silymarin. See: http://www.nutramaxlabs.com/products/animal/liver/documents/MarinBrochure.pdf Try Dr. Dodds liver cleansing diet too. my best patrice This is a snip from a veterinary website that explains in excruciating detail what a high alt value means. The most important part of this is the word "glucocorticoids." This is prednisone and once the prednisone is decreased, the alt values should come down. http://broadwayveterinaryhospital.evetsites.net/site/view/83223_LabratoryAssessmentDescriptions.pml "The ALT, or Alanine Transferase, is quite elevated. This is an enzyme that is primarily found in liver cells. Any liver problem will result in a high ALT. Common liver diseases that could cause such an elevation include cholangiohepatitis (an auto-immune disease), severe trauma to the liver, lack of oxygen or blood flow to the liver, cirrhosis, acute biliary obstruction (such as a gall bladder stone), cancer, infection, or pancreatitis. There are many drugs that can affect the liver as well, including glucocorticoids, Acetaminophen (Tylenol®), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (like Rimadyl® or Metacam®), antifungal medications, Methimazole, diazepam, anti-seizure drugs, Tetracycline and many chemotherapy drugs. If the ALT is the only liver enzyme elevated, this value should be monitored, since it may be the first sign of emerging liver disease. Also, an elevated ALT does not mean the liver is not functioning normally. Additional tests would need to be done to evaluate this." |
| Patrice NYS |
| Thanks Patrice, I rememer you mentioning abut Chances high ALK, number, but couldnt remember about the ALT. I am glad to know I shouldnt be too concerned (like panic mode) the vet is calling me today on another issue, so I will ask about the Marin. I just cant get a break, I have a 12 year old lab that hurt himself Tuesday and they think its a torn cruciate, so now I have this to deal with. Laurie |
| Laurie CA |
| Laurie, Sorry to hear about the other dog. That's a tough issue and very expensive. Good luck If you want to save money I can suggest what I used with Chance that worked very well. It is always recommended on the Tick-L list for dogs on high doses of doxycycline. It's called Country Life Liver Support Factors. It has silymarin in it with a blend of other liver supportive items. It's not very expensive and I have checked every ingredient for safety. <VBG> The best price I have found it at vitacost.com my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
This thread was discussed between 07/01/2009 and 08/01/2009
Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) forum index
This thread is from the Vetnet archive. The live Vetnet forum is active now.
