Would an liver ultrasound & abdominal x-ray reveal a bile duct blockage?

tailzzz24

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My cat has severely elevated liver enzymes, had both of these done, and the only conclusion made is that his liver appears small, comparable to that of an older cat, and he's only 3.5 years old.

Some days he seems lethargic and just doesn't seem himself. I have him on Denamarin, 1 pill a day. Do you think I should try giving him some activated charcoal, maybe 2 days a week on an empty stomach to take some of the load off his liver? More frequently? Please...any ideas? His poop is usually very light in color, on his worst days almost whitish tan.
 

peaches08

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Is activated charcoal the vet's advice? Activated charcoal works by directly binding to things. It won't work like a drawing agent. We rarely use it in ERs anymore due to it not being effective once drugs enter the bloodstream and the side effects of activated charcoal can be pretty yucky.
 

cprcheetah

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I am not familiar with using Activated Charcoal to help relieve the load on the liver, but it is an interesting concept.  I know it is used to absorb toxins.  I have been doing some reading and found this about detoxification of the liver.  http://us.arcanatura.com/liver-support-detoxifying-plant-extracts/  In my homeopathic remedies book it talks about Turmeric being a potent liver antioxidant.   It also talks about Vitamin E, and CoEnzyme Q10.  It also talks about certain amino acids that are good for liver disease.   It included L-methionine, L-Cysteine, L-glutathione, L-arginine and L=carnitine.    It says they have liver healing properties. 
 
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tailzzz24

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Thanks for the link. Turmeric is supposed to be antiparasitic too. It's interesting too that some of the aminos/suuplements are useful in treating heart disease as well, which is another possible issue with my kitty. I'll have to research some of those a little better. Thanks!

peaches08, no, activated charcoal wasn't my vet's advice - didn't mention it to him yet. His only recommendation for liver support was only the Denamarin, but since my cat has been feeling out of it for the last few days I figured I'd see if there was anything else I could try. Luckily he seems a little perkier tonight - well not so much perkier, but he cuddled with me for a few hours tonight and actually stretched a little and sharpened his non-claws rather than just laying there and looking at me with his eyes half-closed like he's done for the last 3 days. I did order him a liquid milk thistle extract.
 
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