My lab has a liver problem.

[fishing4fun]

I have a awesome yellow lab. He was just dianosed (sp) with a liver problem. He used to weigh 120 lbs. and now he is at 70. Last fall in Sept he was in the blue-green algae in a local lake, so I called my vet and he told me to force peroxided down his throat to make him throw it up. He did, along with a few nasty bullheads. A month prior to this I started getting him in shape for the up coming hunting season, so I just figured he was loosing weight from running a lot and a little less food. But it has just kept coming off.

Now after 3 trips to the vet, we find out that his liver isn't working right. He is one some serious medicine and some specail dog food.

Has anyone one else had this problem? Also it seems he has lost some of his eyesight during this all. He is only 6 years old and a great hunter and buddy. Could someone please tell me what else I can do for him.

[Double Griffs]

fishin4fun,

Except for the algae part, your story sounds familiar. I also had a yellow lab that was diagnosed with a liver problem at 6. He was on the k/d dogfood, etc. I brought him to a specialist that wanted to biopsy his liver, but even with thos results there was nothing really to do for him. I'm not a vet so don't take my words as gospel. Buck lived about another year before I had to put him down. I hope your diagnosis is better!

Good luck.

Bring him in the house, buy him a new bed, and enjoy his company.

[Kodiak]

did you just start having this problem or did it start a little while after he was out of the lake. Did the water he vomit have any thickness to it? there are a lot of harmful bacterias in that stuff. My pup jumped in a pond this fall and i was freaked out for a couple days but i dont think it was bluegreen algae i think it was just duckweed and some harmless forms of algae.

[fishing4fun]

I know for a fact that it was toxic b/g algae. 4 dogs in the area died. As soon as I seen that he was in I called the vet and he told me what to do. This sh*t he through up was thick smelly stuff. I can't discribe it, NASTY!!!! Double Griffs, I hope Radar comes out of it. He has alot of energy still, he just can't keep any weight on. I'm sorry for your loss. I hate it when some one looses a dog. They are part of our families.

[cyberamish]

Have you tried contacting the U of M Vet School? They have some GREAT people over there.

[moderation]

Fishingforfun

I also have a yellow lab with a serious liver ailment. Our dog was diagnosed in Jan. of 2001. At first he had trouble walking because of sores on his feet, then he started oosing

weight. The vet prescribed prednisone for his feet problems and he actually got worse, when we got home from work we would find that he had peed in the basement, he had never done this before.

It didn’t take too long to find out that when we mopped the tile it would still be sticky, more trips to the vet and he was diagnosed diabetic. Prednisone is not the drug to give

to a diabetic dog, but it did actually get us to the vet and get help sooner than if he hadn’t had it.

The vet didn’t know what was causing the foot problems, shedding and scratching.

She gave us a reference to the main U in Minneapolis.

We happened to luck out, the internist that saw our dog diagnosed him almost immediately with Hepatocutaneous (sp) syndrome. A liver biopsy, & blood tests confirmed.

The vet from the main U told us that with a very high protein diet (which is suppose to be exactly opposite of liver disease treatment) she had a dog that lasted 18 months.

Our dog diagnosed in Jan. of 2001 is still alive and doing very good. He is not the puppy he used to be, but being born Oct. 25 1992, makes him over 12 years old, and for a

98-99# dog that was not suppose to live until 10 years old he is amazing.

I think the main U is the place to go and if you find out he does have this disease please post here again and I can give you any additional information that I have from the years of experience. ---- Good Luck and I hope things work out well ---