Hi Everyone,

It's not common to Shelties, but not unusual for many dogs. How old is Henry, and what does he eat? I would be sure to immediately put him on a good quality milk thistle supplement, which helps support the liver. My vet recommends Marin Plus which I get from Chewy.

Has your vet given you any idea what he thinks might be causing it?
 
I’m having a concern. Henry’s liver enzymes are high . Is this common to Shelties ?
How old is Henry? You should get Henry on a good milk thistle supplement, as Ann mentioned Marin plus is a good one (you can get it from Chewy) and Mercola pets also has one.
My 10 year old has been having issues also with high liver enzymes and these have helped to lower his numbers...we're still monitoring them every 4 weeks.
How high were Henry's numbers?
 
I’m not sure his numbers but he’s only 10months old . Going in for further testing in a couple weeks. Could it be his food ? I’ve been feeding him Purina proplan puppy food . I mix canned a dry food for his breakfast with some hot water . He loves it . Then just dry food thru out the day . We walk on average 4 or 5km a day weather permitting. He’s full of energy and never stops
 
Wow, he's young...just a pup still.
I'd get him off of puppy food, for one...at 10 months he should be on an adult food, and I'd go to petfood advisor and see how Purina is rated. I'm quite certain that there are many foods that are much better than Purina although I'm not sure that that would cause elevated liver enzymes.
You could do a search on this site and see if anyone has had similar problems with a dog so young as yours.
Good luck and keep us posted!
 
I'm surprised about the liver enzymes in one so young. I doubt the food would be the cause, even the worst supermarket brand shouldn't raise liver enzymes. However, I wouldn't leave dried food down for him to graze all day but have set meal times. Shelties are prone to put on weight so rarely need what is recommended on the packs and grazing can lead to over-eating.

It also depends on which liver enzymes are raised, because different enzymes can indicate different things. He may just have an infection - did he get the tests because he's been off? And I'm wondering if he could have gotten into some fatty foods and the enzymes are actually the result of pancreatitis.
 
Definitely not normal in a 10 month old pup. He definitely should not be on puppy food anymore, and I also recommend investigating food on the Dog Food Advisor website. You can also sign up there for pet food recall alerts. And, I totally agree with Caro, leaving food down all the time is not optimal. Feeding him measured food (in a measuring cup) twice a day is much preferred. That way he should have regular BMs, but also, you will immediately know if he's eating or not. Otherwise, it's too hard to tell.

And yes our Shelties are all prone to be overweight because they will eat until they pop! The dog food bag guides are usually too much. After all they are selling dog food! My Shelties all get 1/2 measuring cup of kibble morning and evening along with any supplements.

Good luck, I hope you can figure out what's going on with Henry.
 
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Thanks everyone for the advice. His weight is not an issue, he hits the ground running and playing none stop .

I’m In Ontario Canada, can anyone advise me as to the best food to give him and just around how much he should be eating?
 
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