Riley, a Cocker Spaniel, now approximately 7 1/2 years old and 34 pounds, was diagnosed with a cirrhotic, congenitally small liver in October 2000 at the approximate age of  3 1/2 years and a weight of 26 pounds.  His symptoms were subtle and consisted of abdominal bloating, which I thought was just weight gain and a lack of appetite (he never had a ravenous appetite anyway).  The results from the blood work and ultrasound offered a grim prognosis.  There was no traditional veterinary treatment available.  I was told that once his liver began to fail, I would have no choice but to euthanize him.  Giving up was not an option.

There are many conditions that are irreversible and untreatable where euthanasia is the only humane course.  Selfishly, I was not willing to accept the inevitable without a fight.  I am not a doctor or veterinarian and have no medical training.  Working closely with my own vet, internet research and consulting with veterinarians at university research facilities, a holistic protocol was assembled.  I had another Cocker Spaniel several years ago named Mandy, who was diagnosed with viral Hepatitis July 1993. Hepatitis is the scientific term for inflammation of the liver, regardless of the cause.  Hepatitis A is viral, whereas Hepatitis B is bacterial.  There are very few treatment options available for Hepatitis A.  Hepatitis B can be treated with antibiotics.  Both forms of Hepatitis can result in scarring to the liver which is more commonly know as cirrhosis, which effects liver function.    That is how I began to research and administer human, over-the-counter herbs and vitamin supplements to treat my dogs' terminal illnesses.  Mandy was given a 5mg daily dose of Prednisone, Pet Tinic (which is a B-complex) and Silymarin (a.k.a Milk Thistle Extract, which is a liver cleanser).  She would also receive the antibiotic Baytril when she suffered from relapses.  She had two, two-week relapses within the time span of her illness.  Mandy lived for an additional 2 years with very little liver function and a high quality of life.  She eventually succumbed to the disease after a valiant fight in April of 1995. This website is dedicated to her memory and the great dog that she was.   Riley's protocol is much more extensive and offers more liver support for his furry little body.  I am sharing my experience, in hopes that it may help other dogs like Mandy and Riley who seemingly have no other options.  Please consult your veterinarian before implementing this or any other protocol. 

Riley's illness differs from Mandy's in that his liver is congenitally small, causing it to overwork which results in scarring and malfunction.   After the initial diagnosis, Riley continued to deteriorate.  He did not react well to the diuretic Lasix (for bloating), he was urinating every 15 minutes.  He refused to eat for the next six weeks, I kept him going by force-feeding him infant baby food from a spoon.  Every once in a while, he would eat a scrambled egg, pancake or a burger.  He was becoming very thin; he lost nine pounds in total.  I made an appointment with my vet to have him euthanized.  Riley had become extremely lethargic and despondent by now, miraculously, that morning before I took him to the vet, he perked up, he was alert, wagging his tail and most importantly, he wanted to eat.  The protocol began to work. 

The key here is in helping Riley's liver to function with as little effort as possible.  It is necessary to provide a quality low protein nutritious diet so that the liver doesn't have work too hard to convert the protein into forms the body can use.  Lean ground beef, turkey breast and/or chicken breast are excellent choices, but they are not a complete diet.  They should be augmented with carrots and other vegetables.  Hill's and Purina both produce nutritionally complete, persciption, low protein dog food diets which specifically target liver disease.  Hill's l/d (tm) and k/d (tm), Purina's NF diet.

The liver is the body's filtration system.  It is connected to the gallbladder and is involved in the absorption of  fat and fat-soluble vitamins. Blood carrying contents of the stomach and intestines flows directly to the liver, because the liver has a large role in protecting the body from harmful substances.  The liver is also integral to countless other metabolic processes. It produces more proteins than any other organ in the body.  The liver stores and mobilizes energy , controls blood sugar (glucose), regulates glycogen, regulates fat storage, aids digestion, produces bile and regulates blood clotting.  It also manufactures clotting factors and cholesterol (a certain amount of cholesterol is beneficial).  It filters blood, eliminates bacteria, detoxifies poisons and processes the byproducts of metabolism such as bilirubin.  Additionally, the liver breaks down drugs, produces Vitamin D, stores minerals including iron, produces essential immune system factors and monitors as well as manufactures countless other blood proteins to maintain the proper levels of numerous chemicals in the body.

As of  May 2004, Riley has been on his protocol for approximately 3 1/2 years and he has thrived.  Unfortunately,  a couple of small  problems have developed, so his protocol has been modified to address the new issues. Riley battled a chronic, on again, off again, systemic staph infection for about a year and a half, while he also endured a resistant, six month ear infection. Riley's liver has benefited greatly from Prednisone, which over the course of time has helped his liver to regenerate without scarring. Although his dosage of Prednisone has been significantly reduced, the use of Prenisone is not meant to be indefinite.  It is believed that Riley's immune system may be breaking down due to his prolonged Pred treatment. To address the issue of the staph, Riley was prescribed a month long course of antibiotics alternating from two weeks of Baytril to two weeks of Keflex while Gentocin steroid spray was used topically. His ears were treated aggressively with daily cleaning,  Synotic drops, Chinese herbal drops and Conofit lotion. To assist Riley's compromised immune system recover, his daily regimen has been augmented to include Astragalus with Ligustrum and a multiple mushroom blend supplement.

September 2004, Riley's ear and staph problems worsened. A cyst was found in Riley's ear which grew very quickly and practically close his entire ear canal. There was no choice but to remove it.  Surgery was potentially life threatening, given Riley's liver problems. The cyst was removed in a one hour surgery and the pathology indicated that is was benign. It has been recommended that his ear be resectioned, but he had to recover from this surgery first. It was touch and go for about a month.  Riley had a major lack of appetite (quite similar to when he first was diagnosed). He was offered every food under the sun and showed no interest whatsoever. Fortunately, I have other dogs, whose interest in his food motivated to him to eat (it's a good trick). The more interest they showed in Riley's meal, the more he would tease them and would continue to nibble. Eventually, he was back to his full portion and back to his happy, unencumbered little self. Whew! Needless to say, I have been vigilante cleaning his ears and have not yet decided on the resection, hoping to completely avoid it (fingers crossed). Surprisingly, both Riley's ears have remained infection free since the surgery and his staph infection has completely cleared up. I wonder if one fed the other systemically.

6/21/03 The content and photographs contained in this website are copywrited.