High liver enzymes.

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, I am sorry to hear that Archie is having these problems. It sounds like there is a lot that we still don't know about his situation.

From what you've written I see the following: He was boarding and shortly after he came home he was sneezing with a runny nose. He was put on antibiotics and prednisone and improved, but then started vomiting. His blood work showed very high liver enzymes.

When I see a Sharpei dog with high liver enzymes I wonder about a very serious condition called hepatic amyloidosis. Dogs with severely high liver enzymes and this condition unfortunately do not survive. It is something that Sharpeis can be born with a genetic disposition towards.

However, amyloidosis doesn't fit with the respiratory signs. I really can't think of any condition that would start with respiratory signs and end in severe liver disease.

In people, doxycycline can cause severe liver damage. It has not been reported as far as I know in dogs. There really isn't a way to test if this is the cause though. It's very unlikely to be because of the prednisone.

I think that your vet's plan is a good one. If this were my case I would be putting him on some liver supplements and recheck his liver enzymes in a few weeks. I would also offer you more tests for the liver such as an ultrasound guided biopsy but this is expensive and does come with a little bit of risk.

Liver issues can be difficult to understand and often it can be frustrating when we don't know what is going on.

I really hope things are better soon.

Dr. Marie.


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