# 11 year old golden retriever with high liver enzymes?



## Doglover1234

Hello!

I am new to this website and I am not sure if I put this in the right section, but I have a 11 year old female golden retriever that has high liver enzymes. We took her to the vet and she said that her enzymes have continued to increase since the last visit. We had a storm a couple days before we took her and she has always been scared of storms. The vet said that she will monitor her enzymes when we take her in again. Is her increase in liver enzymes anything to be concerned about? Should I talk to my vet again or just wait? She doesn't have any other symptoms besides high liver enzymes.


Thank you so much andhave a great day!


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## AmbikaGR

Are you giving her anything to try and help lower her levels?
Did the vet take or recommend xrays?
Why were her liver values checked? Well care check-up?


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## hotel4dogs

Do you know what the numbers are? How high is *high*? How much have they changed?
My Toby has had elevated liver enzymes for 5 years. His are mildly elevated, although sometimes they go high.


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## GoldenCamper

What is the exact number? Is she on NSAID's at all?

Milk thistle will help lower those values, worked for my boy.


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## AmbikaGR

I am dealing with this now with my 10 1/2 year old. Her alkaline phosphatase
was 1622 (normal 5-131) and ALT was 130 (12-118) 3 weeks ago. We did xrays and had a specialist review them as vet was not sure if she saw something. His feeling he saw nothing of concern so we are not doing an ultrasound at this time. I have her on milk thistle and Sam-e since the detection of the levels being elevated and will have her levels rechecked next week and see if there is any change. 
Elevated levels can be many things including unexplainable when no symptoms, but they should be monitored at minimum.


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## Karen519

*Bumping*

Welcome here I know you will get good suggestions!

I love the Seniors.

I'm bumping up your topic for more input!!


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## Hali's Mom

My vet noted that Hali's levels were elevated when I had her bloodwork done for a dental. The vet suggested a Science Diet food specifically for dogs with liver issues but Hali had grain allergies so that was not an option. I surfed the internet and found that giving them filtered or distilled water helps as does a low to mid level protein food.
The vet also mentioned that it could just be due to her age. Hali was 9.


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## AmberSunrise

I had a young dog whose liver enzymes went way up - we had ultrasounds done and ran many tests. We put him on antibiotics while waiting for the test results and it turned out he had Lepto which the antibiotics took care of (btw, he was fully vaccinated).

Another dog, not so young, had elevated liver enzymes so we ran the same tests without an ultrasound, and he had a TBD; again antibiotics cleared it up.



In both of these cases, the dogs were not acting ill; the problems were caught during routine blood work.


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## Dallas Gold

Elevated liver enzymes are something you want your vet to investigate and not just simply monitor. Two of my goldens had elevated enzymes and in each situation (3 times) we did radiographs, sonogram, full blood panel, letpo blood testing and tick borne disease blood testing. Once it turned out to be a mystery illness, once rocky mountain spotted fever and once leptospirosis. In both dogs the two key liver values were so high they were off the charts according to his vet and the emergency vet we saw (who was his former vet when she previously worked at our regular veterinary clinic).

I can think of some other possibilities for elevated enzymes, including cancer. I hope you can find a cause and it can be treated easily.


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