You make me smile (or laugh) the funny, sweet, loving things my dogs do on a daily basis that brings a smile to my face or a laugh to my lips.
Delilah, the way you appear to be smelling the dead flowers in the trash can….
makes me smile.
The fact you think you can trick me into thinking you’re not trying to eat garbage….well that makes me laugh.
Your turn, what are the sweet, loving or funny things your dogs do?
You make me laugh (or smile,) the funny, sweet, loving things my dogs do on a daily basis that bring a smile to my face or a laugh to my lips.
This dog, this dog makes me laugh.
Me? Oh Mama, you are such a flatterer.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I need a Delilah cam, because a lot of the stuff this dog does I can’t get on camera.
One of the things I love best about Delilah is her zest for life. Everything she does, she does with enthusiasm, she throws her whole being into what she’s doing. And one of those things, is greeting either the Hubby or I, when we get up in the morning or come home from somewhere.
Take the other morning for instance. Sampson and I got up while Delilah was outside. I went into the bathroom and I left the door open, as I was sitting there Hubby let Delilah in. When she saw that Sampson was up, she knew I was as well. So she went flying into the bedroom to greet me, but I wasn’t there. So she came flying back out to search the house and she had just gotten past the open bathroom door when she realized where I was and turned around. It gave me the biggest belly laugh and it was an awesome way to start my day.
Your turn, what do your babies do that make you laugh?
Book update: My current word count is 45,910.
I’ve heard Jones Windees are wonderful for elevated liver levels. Well, don’t keep me waiting!
In Friday’s post I showed a partial comment left by Retro Rover. After I scheduled that post there were a couple more that really resonated and I thought it would be good to address those as well.
First up, Retro Rover’s comment: ” Pings levels have fluctuated quite a bit over her liver disease journey of two years. Also I would ask the vet about what will be gained from the biopsy. In Pings case we elected not to do it as they said it would only possibly reveal the big C and there was basically nothing to be done about that. Of course I’m sure the situation could be very different with Delilah and there might be much to gain. I was also told that the procedure was somewhat risky.”
One of Red’s dogs has been having liver issues. In fact, Red and I have had a couple of e-mail conversations and she’s been very helpful. She has Ping on Denamarin which she buys online. Delilah has been on the Denamarin for a month. BUT since it hasn’t helped, our vet is switching the medication to Hepagen-C , this has Milk Thistle like the Denamarin does but it also has B6, B12 and Curcumin which is one of the properties in Turmeric. While reading up on canine liver issues I found one of the suggested supplements was Turmeric.
Thursday afternoon the vet called with the results of the Acid Bile test.
My understanding of a Bile Acid test is such. The dog is fasted and blood is drawn, the dog is then fed a (fatty) meal and two hours later the blood is drawn again. This tells the Vet how well the liver is functioning and doing it’s job.
According to our Vet Delilah’s levels were ‘slightly’ elevated and she recommends a liver biopsy. I asked her, what is the purpose of the biopsy. Here’s what she told me.
She feels Delilah’s liver issue (for lack of a better word) is one of three things, 1) Chronic Hepatitis 2) Reactive Hepatitis 3) the liver is storing copper.
Each of these illnesses is treated in a different way. Without knowing what is causing the elevated liver levels, we cannot treat the underlying issue and make Delilah feel better.
There is a risk with any procedure, but they take precautions. They will check her vitamin K levels and will be checking her blood to make sure it clots. From what I understand the biggest risk is bleeding. Trust me, this did not reassure me in the slightest.
I asked could these just be normal levels for Delilah. She is after all an extraordinary dog. 🙂
The vet said her levels have always been normal before, so no.
Seeing as Delilah’s liver levels are only slightly elevated, my vet feels we have time before needing to perform the biopsy. Which turns out well as funds are a bit tight right now and I’m really on the fence about this test.
I also had a comment from Hailey and Zaphod who said, “Our first dog had immune mediated hepatitis that caused psoriasis of the liver. It was a difficult journey for him and us. I hope your lovely girl does not have anything as serious. POTP.
I’m so sorry to hear about this. I cannot imagine how heartbreaking and difficult that was for you. I’m hoping since we caught this early we will have a good shot at getting to the bottom of whatever it is and making sure Delilah gets the best treatment possible.
Sherrie Petrie said “Jodi – Ask your Vet about putting Delilah on Milk Thistle it helps support and clear toxins from the liver. I had a Sheltie who had liver difficulties and this helped decrease her numbers. You never know anything could help. ”
Thank you Sherrie, the Denamarin we had Delilah on is a combination of Milk Thistle and SAMe. Our vet leans towards the holistic which is one of the reasons I love her so.
Rachele Baker DVM said, “If you ever feel that you would like more information about her liver issues or that you would like a second opinion, you might consider taking her to a board certified veterinary internal medicine specialist in your area. You could ask your veterinarian for a referral or just check online and/or talk with friends to find a specialist in your area that has a good reputation. It is usually possible to take your pet to a specialist without a referral from your veterinarian and it is usually not that expensive for an examination and consultation with a specialist.”
Thank you Dr. Baker I am going to ask my vet about seeing a specialist.
Interestingly enough, as I was researching some of the potential reasons causing elevated liver levels, I discovered they can be caused by dental disease. While Delilah does not currently have any dental disease, she does need a tooth extracted and because of this she is beginning to get some tartar build up.
While the person I spoke to at my vet’s office said Delilah’s tooth should not have any bearing on her liver levels, I prefer to have them checked again after her cleaning and extraction.
I thank you all so much for sharing your knowledge and experiences with me. I hope this has helped in explaining a little bit about what Delilah is going through. I will of course keep you informed of any changes in Delilah’s health or changes in our decisions regarding treatment.
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