Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

My dog is a male 45lb Pit bull / basenji mix, roughly 2 years old. At his last vet appointment I had a blood panel run and his liver levels (PT/ALT) came back high. After a repeat and more high results we had a liver function test done. His liver function came back normal. He is currently taking Denosyl (S-Adenosylmethionine) and Marin (Milk Thistle). The Denosyl is very expensive and I was wondering if you think it is still necessarry as his PT/ALT levels have now start to come down after a month.

Also, we aer considering going to a raw food / natural diet (as outlined in Dr. Pitcairn's book "Guide to Natural Animal Health" He has a lot of skin problems, much itching and dandruff. Will a natural diet be best for him even with the liver issues?

Thanks for your time!
Jess

Since his liver values are now normal, it should be OK to stop the Denosyl. Milk thistle is cheap, and is certainly cheap insurance for the liver, so I recommend continuing that. A raw food diet, consisting mostly of raw meat and bones, with small amounts of added vegetables, usually in the form of leftovers and table scraps, along with plain yogurt and cod liver oil, should clear up most of the skin problems. Due to his history, some of the raw meat should be beef liver.