my dog high liver enzymes and increased thirst/urination, but its not Cushing's?

[scotmat95]

Hi everyone. My 12 year old beagle recently had tests done and her liver enzymes came back as being raised...she's been panting a lot, drinking more and peeing in the house, so the vet originally thought it was Cushing's but the test for that came back negative.

Had her urine tested too and there were high levels of bilirubin so naturally vet was concerned that there is definitely some sort of liver issue (is it possible that its just age?). She has been put on a new diet of Hepatic Royal Canin Diet food, very few treats, and Denamarin supplements once a day on an empty stomach.

Unfortunately she has still been peeing a lot more than usual - accidents in the house if we don't take her out at least every 2 hours (used to manage to last between 4 and 5 hours).

What's odd is that since she started her new diet she has had more energy than she has had in months. Much more willing to go on walks (which she hasn't been nearly as interested in for the last year or so) and even pulling out all of her toys and playing fetch... which she didn't even play as a puppy! Her energy levels have been great and she doesn't seem lethargic or unwell in any way apart from the urinating issue which is what is worrying us as it doesn't seem to be getting any better. We originally thought it was a behavioural thing because she's been put on a stricter diet and is very greedy (as many beagles are!) but some research online suggests that dogs don't have the capacity to behave intentionally that way.

Going back to the vets to have her enzyme levels tested again in a couple of weeks to see if the diet and supplements are working to bring them down, in the mean time I am just hoping someone may have gone through something similar or may be able to shed some light on what could be going on?

Thanks!

[ginger899]

Firstly it is good news that she hasn't been diagnosed with Cushing's.
And it is very good news that her general condition and happiness has taken a big upturn! That's great.

But drinking/peeing too much (polydipsia and polyuria) has a definite physical cause. I suggest that you bring this up with your vet as soon as possible.

Just a basic...has she had a urinalysis? That would eliminate the off-chance that she has a urinary tract infection (easy to treat usually with 5 days of Amoxycillin)
Otherwise....did her blood-work show her kidney values? If not, they need to be tested. Diabetes? If all this has been checked -fine. If not another blood sample might be needed. Sometimes some issues don't necessarily show up in a urinalysis, but do if bloods are tested.

It is also likely that her liver problems could be causing this peeing issue for various reasons which the vet should explain to you.
I really think you need to talk to your vet about this. It may be that she hasn't had enough time yet for improvement to show across the board, or that she needs an additional medication....I don't know.

I wish her well.

Oh and never forget -if you ever feel a vet is not quite getting to the core of the issue, you aways have the right to a second opinion with a completely different vet (choose a good one of course.)