Enlarged Liver :(

Lightplum said:
check the gallbladder, that is what was making my girls liver seem enlarged, it actually wasnt, it was the gallbladder pushing it around. They can see it on Ultrasound. Shelties are prone to GB issues, which my vet was not aware of until I informed him today...
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Amy I agree 100% with this information from Lightplum. Seamus displayed no symptoms at all and was in total liver failure and his gall bladder was enlarged. We would have gone with the vets theory that he had cancer if not for the ultra sound which showed liver failure and a diseased gall bladder. I don't want to worry you Amy, not at all just take this info and do what you will.

Hugs and Paws for Dash and you,
Kate
 
Thanks....Dash;s liver was not enlarged enough for the specialist to have concern, and when he poked and prodded and squished Dash' belly around, he did not feel it as enlarged at all, and he is a canine internal specialist. THe xray showed some enlargement, but yes, an ultrasound would be more clear. I agree with that. But we're going 1 step at a time, and Dash is not in a stressed or emergency situation. But we are being proactive with this. Hopefully, his bloodwork --- still waiting for the call -- will yield results and answers. Otherwise, we go in on Monday for an ultrasound. Thanks!!! Keeping paws crossed!!
 
The bloodwork results will reveal alot, but not necessarily root cause, but at least it will be start.

Please let us know what the counts are. And what the vet has to say. There are several of us on "liver alert" (my Bacca is one). Currently he is treated with Hepato Support (milk thistle) which so far seems to have stabilized him. I opted not for more intrusive procedures, but he gets tested about 2 times per year....at some point I may have to change my mind about this.
 
We got back the bloodwork and I finally got a hold of the specialist. He didn't want to do the ultrasound when we saw him, saying if it was his dog, he would not even bother. Saw the belly xray and had zero concerns about the slight lvier enlargement, said it didn't appear large and he did not feel a thing when he poked around. Nothing unusual. Bloodwork indicates 99% chance of primary hyper parathyroidism. He suggested the ultrasound next time we see him, although he has no new concerns. We are on the fence. Since Dash seems to have PHPT, we'll do surgery in the fall after another round of bloodwork to check for changes. There was zero change in his calcium level, so that's 3 tests w/ the exact same numbers, and only barely elevated. Dash seems to feel 100% fine -- playing, snuggling, etc -- he is peeing mroe to rid himself of the excess calcium, and therefore drinking more, but again, nothing else and nothing else turned up on bloodwork. His liver and kidney functions are 100% perfect. :) So now it's a waiting game.....
 
Amy you know your pup so you have to do what you feel comfortable with. But any doubts go for the ultra sound. It's amazing what a good radiologist can find. In the mean time my prayer are coming your way.
 
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