Congestive Heart Failure in Dogs: What We’re Doing Pt. 3

At A Glance Recap:

• Congestive Heart Dis-ease and Congestive Heart Failure is one of the most common illnesses pet parents face in dogs
• Sophie, my 13 yo Portuguese Podengo Pequeno (the charming girl in the pic above), went from a vibrant, puppy-like dog to being diagnosed in the ER with congestive heart failure in a matter of days.
• A team of wonderful holistic and homeopathic vets and a conventional cardiologist all worked together to create a treatment plan of conventional meets complementary
• A breakdown of the protocol, exactly what we’re doing, is in the previous post, Pt. 2
• Hopefully, what we’re doing can help other pet parents and animals

The Hunch That Revealed Another Condition

 

Sophie began the protocol suggested by homeopathic vet, Dr. Adriana Sagrera, and had been acclimating to it for a few days. We had also started on the first supplement suggested by the holistic vet, Dr. Jacqueline Ruskin, as part of her successful treatment of congestive heart dis-ease in dogs.  But, something was bothering Dr. Sagrera. She didn’t like the raised levels of Sophie’s BUN, BUN/Creatinine but not her Creatinine alone, and her eosinophils. She also took note when I told her Sophie had been a picky eater her whole life.

She had a hunch and suggested we do what’s called a Bile Acids Test, which tests how well the liver is able to process protein. This was the first I’d heard of this test; some of you may be familiar with it for your dogs. You have to get your dog’s blood drawn and spun down to the serum, which is what they test, for her Bile Acids levels. Dr. Sagrera also wanted to test her liver values, including her GGT. Gamma glutamyl transferase is an enzyme useful for diagnosing and monitoring hepatobiliary (liver and bile) disease. GGT is the most sensitive enzymatic indicator of liver disease. So, if you’re concerned about your dog’s liver health make sure that your veterinarian includes GGT as a part of the panel. Sophie’s blood work just 2 weeks prior did not include this.

Because of the vast difference in cost of doing the bile acids test at a local vet vs Dr. Sagrera doing it herself ($300 vs $60), we opted to have the local vet draw Sophie’s blood spin it down to serum and then I overnighted it on ice to Metairie, Louisiana, where Dr. Sagrera’s Natural Pet Care practice is located. Even with the cost of overnighting via Fed Ex, the inexpensive blood draw and the $60 for the test, it still came out to half the cost. The stress factor of praying it got there the next morning without any delays, was a downside, but it all worked out.

I am so so grateful to Dr. Sagrera. Her hunch revealed something so very important no one caught over the course of Sophie’s life. Sophie’s liver has a hard time processing protein. And here, I thought I was doing so well for her, feeding her a raw diet with lots of different organ meats, raw meaty bones – it’s what I talk about and teach my clients and students.

In Sophie’s case, it was causing inflammation in her body.

What Sophie’s blood test revealed:

• a bile acid level of 93, when it should be below 12
• a GGT level of 12, when it should be below 5
• a BUN level of 57 when it should be below 39

The Diagnosis

 

Sophie has Hepatic Microvascular Dysplasia (sometimes called portal vein hypoplasia). This is an inherited abnormality of the liver. In affected dogs, the microscopic blood vessels within the liver are underdeveloped or absent. This decreases blood flow within the liver. Another issue she may also have is called Portosystemic Shunt, which a condition that prevents blood from being filtered by the liver. Her creatinine levels were normal because her liver was not processing protein quickly, so it wasn’t producing additional creatinine, hence it came up as at normal levels.

Hepatic microvascular dysplasia is a congenital defect, meaning that animals are born with this condition. It is thought to have a genetic basis, although there’s not much proven around this. Yorkshire Terriers and Cairn Terriers are commonly affected by hepatic microvascular dysplasia. Other affected breeds include Miniature Dachshunds, Maltese, Miniature Poodles, Shih Tzus, Lhasa Apsos, Cocker Spaniels, and West Highland White Terriers.

Potential Health Problems of Mixing Breeds

 

Here’s what’s interesting about this: the Portuguese Podengo Pequeno was originally a short-haired breed, looking a bit like a sleeker version of a Jack Russell Terrier.  In the 1960’s, someone got the bright idea to make a wired-haired version. To arrive at what they envisioned, they mixed the original short-haired pure breed with a Yorkshire Terrier, a Cairn Terrier, a Dachshund, a Min Pin and probably a couple of others. And, while the wired-haired Podengos are adorable (and their hair unless it is hand stripped is not wired but soft), they can come with the genetic defects of these breeds. When Sophie was a 1 year old, she developed luxating patellas, first one then the other. Some of you reading this will know exactly what I’m referring to because many small dogs have luxating patellas and you can see them hopping along to knock their kneecaps back into the socket because it pops out a lot.

So, Sophie was probably born with this defect in her liver and we didn’t know. The raw food diet I’ve been feeding her her whole life has been aggravating this condition. The wonder of these amazing animals is this: Sophie’s picky eater status most of her life was probably her self-regulating because it just didn’t feel good to be eating all of this meat. It breaks my heart I didn’t know and that no one ever caught it. Sophie’s blood work throughout her life had always been normal until very recently. Time and age finally took its toll. And, again, I thank my lucky stars for Dr. Sagrera.

What To Feed A Dog Who Can’t Process Proteins Well

 

Sophie’s new diet to help bring her values back to normal, I pray, consists of 1/3 meat, 1/3 vegetables, 1/3 low protein carbs. Because the low-protein carbs are all carbs that really aren’t so good for you (white rice, white potato, pasta, etc), if I give her ancient grains or quinoa or sweet potato, a higher protein carb, I cut back a bit on the meat. This was such a wonderful learning experience and further reinforces what I’m learning working with my clients and what I’m learning in my Institute for Integrative Nutrition certification program as a human health coach: we are all bio-individual; there is no one right way. Yes, we know a raw diet is how nature intended dogs and cats to eat and it is a very healthy diet, if you source well. And, some dogs and cats have conditions that make this a diet not so healthy for them, where tweaking is needed. It is further proof we have to be observant, a detective for our babies to make sure we are looking beneath the surface at what could be behind behavior and preferences.

We started this new diet about 5 days ago and while Sophie doesn’t always want to eat it, she often does eat it and I think she’s feeling better for it. We are still adjusting and finding our way.

In my next post, I’ll share Sophie’s progress on the conventional meets complementary heart protocol and her first acupuncture appointment to help with her tremors, her heart and more.