Liver health in an old dog

[ailsa]

My mum's miniature schnauzer, Lottie, is going to be 14 this year. She's a fabulous little dog, but, not surprisingly, is beginning to show signs of her age. She was very unwell in the new year, and scans showed that her liver wasn't in great shape, although no growths or anything sinister.

She bounced back pretty well, but at a visit the other day the vet told my mum that Lottie's liver is very 'fragile'. She is on a 10-day course of NSAIDs for arthritis, but he doesn't want her to take them for any longer than that.

Can anyone recommend any natural remedies or dietary changes for liver health? She's a very, very precious dog to our family, and we all want her to stay healthy and happy for as long as possible. Apart from the liver issues, she is apparently in very good shape (if a little deaf!).

[vickyb]

Bod has been put on Demamarin which you can buy online without a prescription (much cheaper than the vets) It's a super whizzy liver support based on milk thistle extract. Sapphy had it when she was so ill and her liver was getting seriously damaged by the steroids and immunosuppressants she was taking - it saved it. Our vet couldn't believe the improvement on her blood work and he's now advising it for his chemo patients but you don't have to be on meds to benefit from it.

Might be worth asking the vet about it, it's not cheap, although for a small dog wouldn't be too bad, google it to find the cheapest online and have a read about it. If not, maybe milk thistle itself might help but again I'd check with the vet

[elricc]

My old Galgo Riley had liver problems, he lived a year longer than the vets prognosis, he had a top quality protein raw diet ( he loved raw heart and chicken) and had milk thistle tablets which really helped

[mtbbuxton]

As already said, it's milk thistle that is used for liver health.  You need to check the sylymarin levels as not all supplements are made equal.  Daisy was prescribed THIS when she was on lots of meds but you can buy it without a prescription.  It's classed as a Nutraceutical and can be claimed for on pet insurance as you would other meds.

I now use THIS as Daisy isn't on as many drugs and it's of sufficient strength for her needs.

Moira x

[ailsa]

Thanks very much, everyone - I'll pass that info on to my mum.