Older dog liver problems.

Dr. Marie replied:

Sorry to hear that Duffy is not feeling 100%

It's hard to know whether these symptoms are related to the liver shunt or not.

Some of the symptoms that you described can be connected to liver problems. When a dog has a liver problem, it can cause a build up of ammonia in the body. This can affect the brain and cause a dog to sit and stare or act confused.

However, the same symptoms can be a sign of something called cognitive dysfunction. Cognitive dysfunction is very similar to what we would call senility in people. Again, dogs can act confused and stare into space.

The lack of barking could be due to hearing loss which is really common as a dog gets older.

Going back to liver disease, if there is liver disease present, it usually does not cause abdominal pain. I don't think that the licking is connected to a liver problem.

It would be wonderful if you could have some blood tests done on Duffy. This really should tell us if there is a significant liver problem. If there is a liver problem, it's possible that it is not even related to the shunt. Realistically if he has gone 13 years without having ill effects from his shunt then I would be surprised if it was causing him problems now. With that being said, if there is a liver problem then there are other things that could possibly be done to help him to feel better. If your vet feels that the symptoms of confusion are related to high ammonia levels then they may prescribe a medication called lactulose which could really help. Or, they might put Duffy on a supplement called SAM-e which can help to support the liver.

If the blood tests are normal, then this may be cognitive disorder. Although we don't have a cure for this, many dogs do well either on a medication called Anipryl or with a food called Hill's b/d.

The question that is probably in your mind right now is whether or not he is suffering and whether or not we should be thinking of euthanasia. Here are some criteria that may help you make that decision:

-How is his appetite? Sick and painful dogs do not want to eat. If he is eating well, then this is a good sign.
-Do you feel like he enjoys life more often than not? It's not enough to just have a short spurt of energy once a day. Do you feel like he's enjoying his life most of the time, or just trying to survive?
-Are you enjoying having him? This is a valid question. If a pet has become a burden because of health issues, then it may be time to start thinking of euthanasia.

I hope this information has helped. I can't stress enough how helpful a visit to the vet with some blood tests would be.

I hope Duffy does ok!

Dr. Marie.


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