My Doberman ate mold, has jaundice. Can she recover at home?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Hepatitis (infection and inflammation of liver) is a very serious condition and is very hard to treat. If there is an internal medicine specialist in the area I would recommend having Nala seen by them. Otherwise I would be talking with your vet about testing for infectious diseases. However, it looks like they have treated her with broad spectrum antibiotics as well as IV fluids. I would recommend continuing treatment. She may need a feeding tube placed to try to keep her protein up during this illness. Unfortunately, with how severe this is, she may or may not pull through it, but the best chance of her making it through is to be aggressive with her treatment. I would suggest continuing to monitor her liver and white cell count, and to have imaging done and possible samples of her liver to try to determine the cause of the infection. Otherwise I would be talking to your vet about the parasites and infections present in your area and get covered with certain antibiotics. The white cells have increased however not that much, and the liver enzymes are actually improving if I can read the dates right from your picture. This is very hopeful. I would continue with antibiotics (IV if you cannot get them in orally), as well as IV fluids and I would think about syringe feeding or placing a feeding tube. Best of luck with Nala, I hope she makes a good recovery.

I would recommend withholding food for at least 6-8 hours and then initiate a bland diet as outlined below. If there is no improvement or Mary Jane worsens, I would recommend trying to get her in to see a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. You can look into CareCredit as an option to help assist in paying for veterinary care as well. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! When the liver suffers an insult (such as a toxicity) it can take some time for it to regenerate/repair and all values to return to normal. This process can take months. Typical supportive medications given to dogs with liver injury include Denamarin, Vitamin E, Acetylcysteine, and Ursodiol. A prescription hepatic diet (such as Hill's L/D or Royal Canin Hepatic) may also aid in decreasing any ongoing liver injury. Ursodiol is an oral medication, available by prescription only, that can add in reducing bilirubin by stimulating bile flow from the gallbladder through the biliary tree. It cannot be used if there is underlying gallbladder disorder, such as a gallbladder mucocele (gallstone). Your veterinarian will prescribe this if they feel this will benefit Tasha's recovery. You can certainly schedule a recheck with Tasha's veterinarian to discuss any additional medications or treatment options that may benefit her. The liver is a highly regenerative organ, and if given the proper support can make a complete or near-complete recovery.

I am so sorry that your pet ate moldy food. Mycotoxicosis can be mild or more severe depending on the amount ingested. In severe cases it can even lead to death. Severe signs can occur with dosages of 0.175 mg/kg PO. Death can occur with ingestion of 0.5 mg/kg PO. Early signs include restlessness, panting, hypersalivation, with or without vomiting. Mild to moderate muscle tremors develop and may progress to severe tremors, and/or seizures. I would highly recommend taking your pet to your local ER vet right away for detoxification, IV fluids, and supportive care to give her the best chance of survival. Here is website link for financial assistance if needed. https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/having-trouble-affording-veterinary-care carecredit.com should be used first since it offers quick financial support for pets that are in need of care immediately. I really hope your furry friend is able to make a full and speedy recovery! Best wishes and take care.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Maizy. I'm sorry she is so sick. Dogs do not always die from lepto but there will be those dogs that are quite sick and cannot make it. I would take her back into the vet immediately to get intensive care with them there including IV fluids and injectable medications to try to save her. I hope this helps.

Since molds most often impact the kidneys, there really are no supplements that you could give Izzy to help get through this. The only thing that would help would be aggressive fluid therapy to flush the toxins out of the kidneys. If Izzy continues to be painful, nauseous or having ongoing seizures you should take her to the veterinarian right away.

Your dog needs to be seen by a veterinarian right away. This jaundice is a strong indicator for liver failure and this can only be treated properly with intensive veterinary intervention. If you are in financial difficulty, there are ways of still getting your pet treated by a veterinarian. Ask if they take Care Credit and apply online. This is a credit card specifically for medical, dental, and veterinary expenses. Call a local animal shelter or college of veterinary medicine in your area and ask if they have a low- or no-cost veterinary care program. GiveForward and Youcaring.com are crowd funding websites that help you raise money to help take care of your pets Harley’s Hope Foundation is an organization that ensures low income pet parents and their companion or service animals remain together when issues arise. Many breed rescues and groups have specials funds available for owners who need financial assistance, such as the Special Needs Dobermans, Labrador Lifeline, and Pitbull Rescue Central. Banfield Pet Hospital has its own programs for owners that can’t afford their pet’s care. God's Creatures Ministry helps pay for veterinarian bills for those who need help. IMOM is dedicated to insure that no companion animal has to be euthanized simply because their caretaker is financially challenged. The Onyx & Breezy Foundation has many programs including helping people with medical bills. They are a good resource for information. Brown Dog Foundation provides funding to families with a sick pet that would likely respond to treatment, but due to circumstances, there is not enough money immediately available to pay. Some groups help with specific disease, such as Canine Cancer Awareness, The Magic Bullet Fund, Helping Harley Fund, and Muffin Diabetes Fund. The Pet Fund and Redrover.org are great sources for help to care for your pet. The Humane Society website has many links to other organizations that help with veterinary expenses.