In December, we took our dog Maggie to the vet because she had a tumor on her spleen. They removed it in the nick of time. Since then, I've been taking her in every 3 to 4 months for a complete bloodwok and x-rays. She's about 8 years old. On Thursday, I took her in for her yearly shots and bloodwork and x-rays. Everything was normal except her liver enzymes was slightly high and her x-ray showed she was really gassy and her liver looked good. ALT-PS was 198 (should be-0-80). Her ALP-PS was normal 38 (should be 0-140).

I found out my husband threw some burnt old food from the grill on the side of the house in which my dog was eating. I called the vet and he said that he's almost sure the gassiness is from that and also the elevated liver enzymes could also be from eating that.

We're taking her in for another bloodwork (just for the liver) in about 3-4 weeks to see if it goes back to normal. He said that liver enzymes fluctuates. Does anyone know of that's true? Needless to say I'm a nervous wreck.

Could eating that cause the live enzymes to be elevated? Any information is appreciated.

Thank you,

Bernice

[Lara's mom]

How old is your dog? Elevated liver enzymes is fairly common in senior dogs. I doubt that some burnt food caused it. I also have a dog with this condition. It is being well controlled with medication. However, given a bit of time, it just may correct itself.

[lulusmom]

It is highly unlikely that the elevated ALT is a result of eating old burnt food. The ALK liver enzyme is more likely to be elevated as this enzyme can come from the gut with gastrointestinal problems. Here is some information from the Broadway Veterinary Hospital and Laser Surgery Center site that might be helpful.

Broadway Veterinary Hospital / Laboratory Assessment Descriptions

The ALT, or Alanine Transferase, is slightly elevated. The significance of this finding is unclear at this time. This is an enzyme that is primarily found in liver cells, although small numbers of red blood cells and striated muscle cells also contain this enzyme. Elevations of ALT occur when any of these cells are even slightly damaged. Extreme exercise, hemolysis of red blood cells, and any liver problem will result in a high ALT. There are many drugs that affect the liver which can cause this elevation. Some of these drugs are glucocorticoids, Acetaminophen (Tylenol®), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (like Rimadyl® or Metacam®), antifungal medications, Methimazole, anti-seizure drugs, Tetracycline and many chemotherapy drugs. Copper Storage disease should be considered in Dobermans, Westies, and Bedlington terriers and hyperthyroidism should be considered in older cats. Some common causes of liver disease include cholangiohepatitis (an auto-immune disease of the liver), cirrhosis, feline infectious peritonitis, and malignancy. 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. An elevated ALT does not mean the liver is not functioning normally. Additional tests would need to be done to evaluate this.

[Lara's mom]

My Bailey who is 12 years old takes Hepato Support which is basically milk thistle and something called Deosyl. Between the two, her liver enzymes are back to normal but, she is still taking a small maintenance dose of both to ensure that the problem doesn't occur again. I'm not sure why this happens to senior dogs but, it hasn't affected her health or quality of life in any way. The point is, you want to intervene before the liver enzymes get really high because that can cause problems.

She's about 8 years old. Our vet said she's middle age. So is elevated liver enzymes common in a 8 year old dog? Could the gas that she had be what caused her enzymes to elevate? Our dog's ALT-PS was 198 and our vet's office said they've seen them at 800 which is really high but her ALP-PS was normal which is one thing in her favor. Can a dog live a normal life with high enzymes by taking medication? She's my baby and I'm a nervous wreck and hope her liver enzymes goes back to normal.

Thank You,

Bernice

[Lara's mom]

Absolutely she can live a normal life! As I mentioned in my previous post, my border collie Bailey took two different meds and her liver scores are normal. She was not in any way affected by having high liver enzymes and has no side effects whatsoever from the meds. She is a healthy girl who still runs and plays like a puppy!

Don't worry. Just keep an eye on the enzyme level with monthly blood tests and if the levels don't drop on their own, put her on medication. I'd try the Hepato Support first because it is milk thistle. If that isn't enough to bring the levels down, Deosyl worked wonders for Bailey so, hopefully it will do the same for your dog.

Do they know why your dog had high ALT-PS? How high was it? Was her ALP-PS high also? I was thinking about giving our dog SAM-E. Do you know anything about that? Our vet doesn't want to put her on anything until we check her liver in 3-4 weeks and if it's still high, he said we'll try to find out why her levels are high. Hopefully her levels will be normal.

Bernice

[Lara's mom]

The vet didn't know exactly why her liver enzymes were high but she said that it was a fairly common thing in senior dogs. At first it was they were just slightly elevated so we waited a month and had another blood. I don't remember what the actual numbers were. This happened several months ago. The next test, the levels were higher so, she was put on the Hepato Support. The levels stabilized but didn't come down. We waited one more month and still no change so, we added the Deosyl. By the next blood test, her enzyme level had begun to drop. It took 3 - 4 months before things were back to normal. I don't know anything about SAM E. We never used it.

[lulusmom]

While ALKP is more likely to be elevated with GI inflammation, I believe it can also cause an increase in the ALT. I think one of the most common causes for mild elevations in ALT are dental issues. Did your vet check Maggie's mouth thoroughly? Regardless, it is important that your vet recheck in three to four weeks as abnormalities in ALT can signal the onset of liver disease. I suspect that if Maggie's stomach issues resolve, so will the ALT so we are keeping fingers and paws crossed for normal labs for your girl. However, if levels have increased, your vet may consider doing a bile acid test to determine if liver function is compromised and/or try a round of antibiotics to treat possible bacterial infection.

A lot of time these things just resolve on their own and who the heck knows why it happened. You can help things along by putting Maggie on liver support...SAM-e and milk thistle. I have two dogs with cushing's and before treatment all of their liver enzymes were very high. Many pet owners with cushingoid dogs or other conditions that affect the liver have their babies on liver support and it helps tremendously.

Denosyl aka S-adenosyl-methionine aka SAM-e is a naturally occurring molecule found in the body so it's pretty benign. You can find this product at most health food stores or it can be obtained from your vet. The veterinary product is called Denosyl. SAMe is formed from the amino acid methionine and adenosine-triphosphatase by an enzyme produced in the liver. It generates sulfur containing compounds important for liver detox, and is a precursor to glutathione which is important in many metabolic processes as well as cell detoxification processes.

The extract of milk thistle is called silymarin. Milk thistle is a neutraceutical that is used in the treatment of acute and chronic liver disease, and as protective agent against various toxins that compromise the liver. It serves as an anti-oxidant and free radical scavenger, and can apparently alter outer membranes of liver cells that prevents penetration by toxins. Milk thistle can also be purchased over the counter at most health food and drug stores. Basically, both of these liver support supplements help regenerate liver cells by increasing glutathione levels. I hope this helps.

>>While ALKP is more likely to be elevated with GI inflammation, I believe it can also cause an increase in the ALT. I think one of the most common causes for mild elevations in ALT are dental issues. Did your vet check Maggie's mouth thoroughly? Regardless, it is important that your vet recheck in three to four weeks as abnormalities in ALT can signal the onset of liver disease. I suspect that if Maggie's stomach issues resolve, so will the ALT so we are keeping fingers and paws crossed for normal labs for your girl. However, if levels have increased, your vet may consider doing a bile acid test to determine if liver function is compromised and/or try a round of antibiotics to treat possible bacterial infection<<

So because her ALT-PS is slightly high could be because of the gassiness from eating that burnt old food which could make her ALT-PS off?

Her ALT-PS is 198 but it should be between 0-80. Is that a lot high?

Isn't it good that her ALP-PS is normal 38 and should be 0-140? Wouldn't both her ALT-PS and ALP-PS be off if it was really serious?

How long before all that gassiness is out of her system? Does is take 3-4 weeks?

He said her liver looks normal on the x-ray. Isn't that a good sign?

Our vet did look at her teeth. He said I could be doing better with the brushing. LOL. I told him that I did slack off a bit but I'll start brushing her teeth twice a week again. LOL How can her teeth affect the liver or levels?

He doesn't want me to give her anything until we do another liver test because the medication can change her levels but the problem will still be there. Hopefully her liver will go back to normal in 3-4 weeks.

I'm a nervous wreck. Please pray that Maggie's liver test will be back to normal.

Thank You,

Bernice

[lulusmom]

Hi Bernice,

Please see my comments below in blue.

Originally Posted by children11;71423So because her ALT-PS is slightly high could be because of the gassiness from eating that burnt old food which could make her ALT-PS off? [COLOR="Blue"

Yes[/COLOR]

Her ALT-PS is 198 but it should be between 0-80. Is that a lot high? No, this is not considered high.

Isn't it good that her ALP-PS is normal 38 and should be 0-140? Wouldn't both her ALT-PS and ALP-PS be off if it was really serious? Yes, it is good that the ALP and apparently, the GGT are normal.

How long before all that gassiness is out of her system? Does is take 3-4 weeks? I think your vet would be the best person to ask this question as s/he should have a good handle on what caused the gassiness to begin with. Gas in and of itself is not a disease, it is a symptom or byproduct of a disease or transient condition.

He said her liver looks normal on the x-ray. Isn't that a good sign? Yes, that is an excellent sign.

Our vet did look at her teeth. He said I could be doing better with the brushing. LOL. I told him that I did slack off a bit but I'll start brushing her teeth twice a week again. LOL How can her teeth affect the liver or levels? Just like people, dogs can have periodontal problems with underlying infections. Any infection can cause a risk in liver enzymes.

He doesn't want me to give her anything until we do another liver test because the medication can change her levels but the problem will still be there. Hopefully her liver will go back to normal in 3-4 weeks. Follow your vet's recommendation.

I'm a nervous wreck. Please pray that Maggie's liver test will be back to normal. I really think that as long as Maggie's underlying gastro intestinal problem resolves, her liver enzymes should return to normal. I'll tell you what my dogs' specialist tells me....don't worry unless I tell you that you have something to worry about. It's easier said than done but believe me, if the elevation in ALT was the only abnormality on Maggie's bloodwork, you probably have nothing to worry about. I would take those results over the ones my dogs have had in the past. Regardless, you and Maggie will be included in my prayers.

Thank you for your replies and feeback. I feel alittle better.

Maggie is playing, eating, drinking and action normal. Her potty looks normal as well. Now only if her liver will go back to normal.

I yelled at my husband for throwing that burnt old food in the yard by the side of the house. He said, it's just "ash". I told him there must have been food in there because she was eating it. Even ash isn't good for her. He keeps telling my that an animal won't eat anything that isn't good for them. I said that is completely wrong. You put choc in front of an animal and see how fast they will eat it. Or anti freeze. Look how many animals are killed by antifreeze because they lick it. I don't know where he got his theory from but it's wrong. I told him not to put anything in the yard that she can get to.

Bernice

I wouldn't be too concerned with it if your vet wasn't. All blood values fluctuate, especially in a situation like eating the old, burnt food such as your puppy managed to get into. If the vet thought it was something important, I'm sure they would have wanted to follow up much sooner.