I think Shelby has CAH

[ShelbysMom]

I didn't have a liver biopsy done, but Shelby's bloodwork shows she has hepatitis again for the second time in a year and 1/2. I suspect she may have Chronic Active Hepatitis, which is prevalent in Dobermans.
She just finished two courses of Baytril and took a liver antioxidant for two weeks but she's not springing back like the last time.
She'll be 13 in August (if she makes it that long), and I guess it's time to discuss with the vet when is the time to put her down. Yesterday, she spent 7 hours straight sleeping on the couch and didn't eat her meals. She seemed to be out of it, very lethargic and depressed. Today, she is running around with her toys like a puppy.
I am going to have the vet run repeat bloodwork to see if her ALT has come down at all from the antibiotics.
Besides the fact that she loses bladder control occasionally and is wearing my daughter's GAP underpants around the house with a cloth diaper inside, she does have episodes where she appears to enjoy life.
She seemed so miserable yesterday that I can't help but wonder how much time I have left with her.

[momPaws]

Sad news Shelby's Mom...sorry she is failing...hope vet can give you something to keep her going.

[ShelbysMom]

Thank you, Mompaws. Today is better for her than yesterday. I am hoping she still has some good days ahead.
I just hope I will somehow know when that time comes that I have to make the decision and do what's best for her.

[Traci]

Shelby's Mom, what exactly is your vet telling you? Without at least bile acids or a fine needle aspirate, you may not know to what degree the condition has progressed. Bloodwork is helpful, but not a sole diagnostic.....an ultrasound can even tell your vet more about progression and/or potential masses or encephalopathy (end stage) if he feels that is concerning.

Is she on a special diet (low protein, low phosphorus)? Is she dehydrated and/or are you maintaining with fluid therapy at home? Has she been vomiting or have diarrhea, sudden weight loss, etc? There are various medications that can help with any of these symptoms, but you need to discuss those options with your vet.

[JMM]

Diet can make a huge difference with liver dogs as can the proper medications. I agree with getting an ultrasound.

[ShelbysMom]

The vet told me to return for repeat bloodwork after she finished the two courses of Baytril. She just finished her last tablet this morning. He said if the ALT doesn't come down, then he will do an ultrasound.
The last time she had hepatitis, she bounced back very quickly after the antibiotics. This time, she is still drinking more water than usual and is lethargic and depressed.

Although she has always been quite thin, she has now lost a great deal of muscle mass. She is on a low protein diet but does not seem very interested in eating.
The only encouraging part of this is that she hasn't had diarrhea or vomiting.

[k9Karen]

So sorry things aren't going well.

I can offer no advise on the hepatitis except to say follow your vet's advice. As for your other question, only you know the answer to that. I can offer my experiences only as an example, not a suggestion.

Mickey began to fail when he was 11. He was lethargic, depressed, and slept most of the day. His hearing was almost gone. I thought he wouldn't make it another year so I got a new puppy - thinking that if he was gone, I wouldn't be able to come home to a dog-less house; it would be too depressing. Two things happened with the addition of Allie. She brought Mickey to life, and I also realized that his depression was because he could no longer hear me talk to him - I had talked to him all his life, and it seemed as though he thought I had abandoned him. (Allie is deaf, I think she was sent to us to give us this insight). As soon as I began to give him more attention - stopping to pet him everytime I passed by him and leaning down and speaking directly into his ear, he came alive. but there were still occassional bad times due to his arthritis and just the fact that he was aging. Allie wanted to play all the time, and he began to play with her. He also became very protective of her - alway vigilant and watching over her. I truly believe she added years to his life. Throughout the next few years, he had several bad times when his arthritis was really bothering him, and he got a couple of bouts of really bad diarrhea that got him down. With all of that, I asked each time "is it time?". The answer was always NO!, not yet. Finally, he got to the point I knew it was time, and it was the hardest decision I've ever made, but I know it was the right one. You WILL know when it's time; you won't have to ask.

BTW - editing this in the a.m.: I did not mean to suggest you get another puppy. After sleeping on this, I thought it might be misunderstood. My story above was to say that sometimes when you think the worst is happening, something else happens and all is well again, at least for a while. Hang in there; hope the blood test shows good news.

[Traci]

If she won't eat her diet, feeding anything is better than nothing, so alert your vet to this. Maybe preparing a home-cooked meal would entice her (there is an equivalent to the prescription low-protein diet that can be home-cooked, easy to prepare)

If she's drinking more than usual, she could be really dehydrated. Do talk to your vet about fluid maintenance at home. She may benefit from this a great deal, and the liver is usually always affected by dehydration. Lethargy and depression are both common symptoms of liver disease, regardless of the liver condition, but, it's important to notify your vet at once when you're noting multiple symptoms, each one needs to be addressed ASAP.

The meds I mentioned earlier....there are various options to alleviate some of these symptoms. Fluids of course might be beneficial; reglan can be given to curb vomiting if necessary; the lethargy may be caused by pain or dehydration or nausea (may be one reason she's not eating much)...your vet can prescribe appetite stimulants temporarily to see if it increases her appetite, or sucralfate to help prevent gastric upset. Please talk to him about these options.

I hope the bloodwork shows improvement and that Shelby starts feeling better, but do talk to your vet immediately, lethargy and depression are truly concerning.

[JMM]

Denosyl is another drug to consider.

Home cooked if a great way to go to get them to eat. Dr. Dodd's liver diet or Sunny's Miracle diet are both supposed to be good. Join the canine liver list on yahoo. Lots of people have great diet suggestions.

[ShelbysMom]

Thank you all so much.
One of the drugs the vet prescribed was Denosyl. I have to say, today appears to be a better day. She was actually looking for her food this morning and ate well. I mixed a small amount of turkey into it. I am going to look into Sunny's Miracle Diet. As I recall, this had caught my attention the last time Shelby was diagnosed with hepatitis but I never tried it.
The vet also recommended Noni Juice (sp?). He said he has seen dogs make amazing comebacks after being on it.
K9 Karen, I understand exactly what you mean. Sunday was such a bad day for her that I was sure I didn't have much time left. Today, she seems to be making a turnaround.