Thank you all for your replies and healing vibes.. well, final outcome so far is that he has no parasites and the only thing wrong as far as they can tell is he has an inflamed liver and has problems at the moment with absorbing protein.. could have been brought on by his milbemax treatment plus might have eaten something infected like a rabbit or some cat poo ( which they seen to love ).. he was given purina diet and does not touch it.. so frustrated as he has to eat and he is shivering with weakness from the lack of nutritions which he doesn't absorb.. will go and get another brand to try today.. maybe RC or Hills.. also started with the molk thistle which, after speaking to my vet, he recomended too... I just wish I can find a food he will eat.. the only thing he wants is pasta and chicken with some kefir in it... help!!!!!!!

So sorry to hear this mastines, I hope you manage to get him to eat something soon. It's imperative you give him a low protein diet, hence the reason they've given you the special Purina food, it's very bland.

Have you checked out supplements such as SAM-e and milk thistle are useful in both restoring and maintaining normal liver function? It all helps, and I found that on WebMD, maybe ask your vet about that SAM-e perhaps?

Good luck with him, it's a nightmare isn't it

Thank you Helena... tell me about it!!! He already started on milk thistle yesterday. 900 mg a day = 3 tablets and funny enough his poo this morning was not as yellow and neither as runny ( coincident?? ) I will call the vet this morning and ask about the SAM-e too and see if we can get another food to try but will only buy 2 kg at the time, not 14!!! .. the thing which worries me now is that he is shivering all the time unless we are out on our walk.. think his immune system is so low that he is just very weak.. ( also very cold and miserable here for Spanish standards ).. and the ****** does not want to come into the house... keep you updated!!! x

I do not know which brand Milk Thistle you are giving your lad, but it should be Standardized Silymarin Extract 30:1 containing 80% total Milk Thistle seed flavonoids. Some brands do not have that amount so a higher dosage is required in order to get a similar benefit.

I give Pereg one x 150mg Milk Thistle 30:1 capsule a day, which is the dose for an adult human. She also has one x 400mg SAMe a day, which is also the dose for an adult human. There are various theories about dosing according to weight, but on advice from my Vet I have been giving Pereg the above dose of each, and so far her liver function tests results have been perfect even though she has a comparatively high dose of Phenobarbitone for her weight.

Lots of (((hugs))) for both you and your boy - I do hope he picks up very quickly. xx

Thank you Malka, spoke to my vet about this brand of milk thistle I am giving him and he said he needed 3 tablets a day to start of with and see how he gets on after a week or so.. gone out and got some other dry food, specifically for gastrointestinal problems, this time royal canin and he ate a little bit but doesn't want it anymore... puling my hairs out by now!!!! not sure what to do if he won't eat that either... all he wants is the brekkies from my old girl...

Royal Canin do some fantastic dietry foods, especially their low fat (which is what you want for liver problems), and their sensitivity control capelin and tapioca, I had a dog on that one for years.

If the vet has said chicken and rice, then that's probably for a reason, he wants easy food for the body to digest, so that the liver doesn't have to work so hard, hence the low protein which is absolutely imperative for liver problems.

I'm wondering whether you might be better off with bland old fish and mash or chicken and mash, and forget the rice cos sometimes it can make the diarrhea worse, or so I found most of the time.

Good luck with your poor boy. The liver is a very important organ, no wonder he feels weak and shivery, he needs lots of rest and warmth.

I once had a dog with an enlarged liver, but the vet sorted that for us quickly with some big, yellow pills he gave us, but don't know what they were. Blood tests a month later were normal, whereas the original ones, the liver function had gone off the scale (((((((hugs))))))).xxxx

Thank you Helena, I will cook some potato and mash it and see if he'll eat that.... the problem is he needs this diet as hopefully it will make his poo better and take in the nutrition he needs.... will just try again later on when it's their feeding time.. just fingers crossed he will eat some of it.. it is bl**dy awful out with rain and wind and he refuses to come in to the warmth in front of the fire... Keep covering him with blankets out there and then he gets up and barks and we go again!!! I have realised that it is impossible to force-feed them

Hi you cld try warm goats milk,when my bitch was ill,the senior vet recommended Chappie,which is mainly cereal and her poo got a lot better,but she has never tolerated chicken.crystalgirl

Thank you jacquie, I will try anything... need to see if I can get chappie over here.. I am pulling my hair out at the moment. he will need to eat this, either purina or Royal Canin specially for digestive problems and he doesn't eat either of them.. he must be starving.. spoke to the vet again!!! he finds it very strange as dogs who are hungry normally eat everything.. picking up some paste in the morning from him, apparently they give it to dogs with parvo when they don't want to eat.... hope that will do the trick.. asked him if I could not cook him a diet but he didn't seem it a good idea as the healing would take a lot longer ... if you think about it.. he hardly has eaten anything and his poos are massive.. nothing is kept in the body at all... pulling my hair out now and think I am soon ready for a asylum

Hi I know what you are going through it is horrendous in feeding and caring for your dog its an act of love,and when that part goes wrong,it makes you feel so inadequate.so the only thing I can suggest is try a strong smelling white fish cook it in goats milk,and just gradually give him a littleat a time.I know I bang on about goats milk,but everytime I have used it it has been like a balm to my sick dogs,My rule of thumb is no food for a day and then start from scratch,but with yours not being able to digest anything,and something has caused this irraitation,I should start shouting,and get them to look at him via a camera or ultra.Be thinking of you crystalgirl