CAH relapse

[Melissa Andersen]

Hi everyone,

I just stumbled across this group and I hope people are still posting because I feel so lost. My almost 5-year-old pit/whippet mix was recently diagnosed with CAH after a very scary 5-day stay in our local animal hospital. She had a biopsy that thankfully showed very little scarring, but her billirubin and ALT levels were off the charts. She was put on all the usual meds/supplements and started to show a lot of improvement, so we were optimistic. Then, all of a sudden about 2 days ago (about a month into treatment), she stopped eating again and has become very lethargic, despite being on prednisone and all her supplements. The vet thinks she's relapsing. Has anyone else been through a relapse before? Is it possible for us to tame this disease? As I know you all feel, this dog is my life and I just want her to feel like her usual, goofy self again.

Thank you all in advance for any insight or information you can provide.

Melissa

[Susan Schmitz - A Dog's Life Photo]

Hi Melissa. Sorry to hear about your girl. What type of food is she eating? Many of us here are home cooking since it is the best way to have control over the amount of copper in their diet. This is a big key to keeping the ALT levels down. There are some recipes on this forum but you may want to get a custom diet made. Try www.PetDiets.com. 

Is she on zinc acetate and Denamarin or Denosyl?

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Sincerely,

Susan Schmitz 

A Dog's Life Photography at Photo Fusion Studio
Website: www.ADogsLifePhoto.com
Phone: 602-535-2444

[Melissa Andersen]

Hi Susan,

Thank you so much for your reply and for your kind words. Molly is currently on Science Diet's Hepatic Health food, both wet and dry. We've also been supplementing with rice, sweet potatoes, and chicken and I think we're going to move over to making her food exclusively ourselves. She got tested for the copper, which came back negative - should copper in her food still be a concern for us?

In addition to her prednisone (as well as an antibiotic and appetite stimulant which were just added since her relapse), Molly is on vitamin E, Denamarin, and Ursodiol (milk thistle/sam-e combo). I haven't heard of zinc acetate but will definitely ask my vet! Have you had success with that?

Thanks again,
Melissa

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Melissa Andersen
973-970-5854

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I arise in the morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. That makes it hard to plan the day.  [E. B. White]

[Susan Schmitz - A Dog's Life Photo]

I am not sure about whether you need to control the copper or not. I think most people here have dogs with copper issues. I will let one of the others respond to that question. The zinc acetate helps to stop copper storage. So, your dog may not need that. Best wishes!

[Melissa Andersen]

Thanks again Susan!