Millie&Me Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 (edited) Hi. My nearly 7 year old Maltese terrier has just been recently diagnosed with liver disease (Bile Duct Obstruction). I am wondering if anyone here also has a dog with the same complaint. I have been told that she needs to go onto a very strict diet. I was told this morning of a diet my vet would like her to go on, Hills Prescription Diet. My problem is Millie is a very fussy eater. I am willing to put her onto this diet but I am wondering if there is any natural diets of home cooked meals I can put her onto? Also can any recommend Milk Thistle as a natural supplement for liver disease? Many thanks. Edited September 30, 2014 by Millie&Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 Sorry that your dog isn't well. I had a read up on condition and am a bit confused as most info is saying Bile Duct Obstruction is a problem of the pancreas. I would be suggesting quite different foods for a liver as against a pancreas problem. Unless the bile problem is caused by liver cancer? With the liver you need highly digestible protein and non-meat proteins are better received. The main recommended protein would be egg whites. You then need to work out if there is a problem with purines, is the dog having bladder issues too? Some dogs with liver disease do. If the problem is caused by the pancreas then other factors come into play like giving a low fat diet. Can you confirm the cause of the Bile Duct Obstruction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 Obstructive diseases of the biliary system are mostly medical or surgical problems, while diet is used as one of the supportive treatments. Has your dog had an ultrasound to identify the cause of the obstruction (intrahepatic such as from inflammation or extra hepatic such as pancreatitis like Jules mentioned, or a mass), or have blood tests shown evidence of cholestasis (slowed bile flow)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millie&Me Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 (edited) Thanks for your replies. My vet did blood tests and Millie has cholestasis and she had a major infection which my previous vet picked up but when she went to our new vet it was only now minor. My vet has printed me up all information about cholestasis. He has told me I can put her onto Milk Thistle and is on a strict diet of Hills Prescrition, she loves the biccies but not keen on the tinned food. http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_dg_bile_duct_obstruction Edited October 6, 2014 by Millie&Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-o Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 Sorry to hear of your dog isn't well. The liver is something that can heal with the correct diet so it's worth doing your own research. Personally I think Prescription Diet is awful - Read my review for k/d (Your vet would've recommended l/d which is still similar): http://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/hills-prescription-diet-kd/ Here's a really good article worth reading top to bottom: http://dogaware.com/health/liver.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 It is interesting that Brewers Yeast does seem to have some beneficial qualities when fed to dogs. However I think the dose is around 1 teaspoon per day, depending on the size of the dog. I don't think it is a bad ingredient but I am not sure if having it as the first listed ingredient makes for a good thing? I haven't done any in-depth research into this so I wouldn't be prepared to make any educated comment on it as a food ingredient. http://downeastdognews.villagesoup.com/p/ask-the-vet-question-about-brewers-yeast/908024 http://www.vetinfo.com/the-benefits-of-brewers-yeast-for-dogs.html#b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-o Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 It is interesting that Brewers Yeast does seem to have some beneficial qualities when fed to dogs. However I think the dose is around 1 teaspoon per day, depending on the size of the dog. I don't think it is a bad ingredient but I am not sure if having it as the first listed ingredient makes for a good thing? I haven't done any in-depth research into this so I wouldn't be prepared to make any educated comment on it as a food ingredient. http://downeastdognews.villagesoup.com/p/ask-the-vet-question-about-brewers-yeast/908024 http://www.vetinfo.com/the-benefits-of-brewers-yeast-for-dogs.html#b Hi Yonjuro, yep there's some benefits of brewers yeast. Reading your comment I realised I had a mistake in the review - Hills use brewers rice not yeast, and there's no nutritional value in that. Worse that it constitutes the bulk of the food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 I didn't even know brewers used rice except when making sake :D Anyway, as I said I don't know enough about it and I agree that on paper the ingredients look very cheap and nasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millie&Me Posted October 8, 2014 Author Share Posted October 8, 2014 Dave-o do you know if there are any other brands of prescription diets other then Hills? Thankyou for the links. Your review is a very interesting read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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