Is anyone familiar with Lymphangectasia in dogs?

[yorkieluvr]

I'm new to this forum, I want to find out if anyone has had any experience with this disease in dogs. It's a long story so grab your coffee and sit back. I hope there's somebody that can help me shed some light on my little girl's problem.
3 years ago my 8 year old Yorkie, at the time she was 5, was diagnosed with Protein Losing Enteropathy due to Lymphangectasia. Since then I've been giving her 2 1/2 mg. Pred. every other day, Medium Chain Triglycerides 2 ml twice daily to keep her protein levels up. 2 years ago she started having seizures, in clusters then she wouldn't have them for a while. This girl is a scavenger, licking up dust bunnies, licking the carpet, chewing unmentionables, anything she can get her mouth on. The veterinarian I was taking her to at that time said the seizures were probably caused by epilepsy, there was nothing we could give her because of her condition. We noticed that she would have these episodes when she got into something she shouldn't have. He said it has nothing to do with her seizures. For 2 years we've seen her eat things other than her restricted diet, have a seizure, vomit up whatever it was she ate, then she's ok. I had been feeding her Nutro Sensitive Stomach for probably 2 years, in February I was beginning to think it was time, she was seizing 3-4 times a day, becoming lethargic, not doing good. The veterinarian I had taken her to had since retired so I took her to another Veterinarian. He said other than her protein level being a little low (5), she was fine, continue what I was doing. I did, on my own switch her to Purina EN, she had not had any seizures since. 3 weeks ago I lost my job so had to switch her back to Nutro because it's less expensive than the EN. I did it gradually, I'm actually still mixing the 2 together. For 2 weeks this dog has been back to having 2 seizures a day, green vomit & loose stool. All the doctors that I've talked to say the seizures have nothing to do with her intake or diet, I think it does, it all makes sense to me. The vets all think I'm crazy, am I crazy? I know my dog, when I see she's got into the bathroom garbage I know she's going to have a seizure, and she does. Has anybody had any experiences with this? Does anybody know who I can go to with my dogs problem?

[palehorse]

Hey!

Welcome to PHF!

I personally have no experience with this ailment, but I took the liberty of googling it for you. Here is what I found:

Lymphangiectasia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Why Does My Dog Or Cat Have Diarrhea?

Intestinal lymphangiectasia in a dog.

Hope this helps.

[Whizzy]

I'm not trying to second guess your vets, but I have heard anectdotal reports of seizures being associated with food allergies. Which doesn't quite explain seizures from getting into the bathroom trash, however. I've also heard of seizures being triggered by odors, sounds, and blinking lights. It's very confusing, and very difficult to explain. But I'd have to think there may be some sort of association between your dog's diet and the seizure activity.

I've heard of dogs that have become seizure free after being switched to homemade or raw diets. I'm not exactly suggesting a raw diet, as I generally don't care for raw feeding, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

What type of seizures are you seeing? Can you describe what, exactly, happens during the seizures? And do you think it's possible a "pre-seizure" aura may account for her trying to eat things that she shouldn't?

I know finances can be a problem, but I'd suggest, if/when you can afford it, have her worked up at a veterinary school, or at the very least a veterinary neurologist. Another option might be to consult with a homeopathic Veterinarian. The lymphangiectasia and the seizures may be somehow connected, but then again they may not. Her dosage of pred may also be connected, but then again, maybe not.

I wish I could offer more, but I just moved to a new house, and my library is still in boxes. I've got a couple of calls out to some vets, but haven't heard anything back, as yet.

[yorkieluvr]

Thanks for your replies, I really appreciate anything you can find out. Apparently this isn't very common, the Veterinarian that diagnosed her said this is only his second case in 30 years. Our current Veterinarian really doesn't seem to know, he just told me to continue what I'm doing. Like I said though, neither think the seizures are related, I do. I was also told when she was originally diagnosed that she would only be around for another 2 years, it's been over 3. There have been many times when I thought she was coming to the end and she'd snap right out of it again. We're having one of those bad times now. I would take her to the Veterinarian, but she was there 3 months ago with the exact same symptoms, he did a workup including chest rads, and said everything looked fine except her protein level being 5, which is not too bad for her. He really isn't much help, I know everything will be normal, or normal for her, we've been through this soooo many times.

Her seizures have lasted up to 20 minutes, which I know is very unusual. They usually come on suddenly, she'll try to hide, she usually crouches down or falls to her side, her head shakes, sometimes her legs become rigid when it's one of her bad ones. When it starts to go away we take her outside because it's always followed by vomit, containing whatever she ate (including paper, pieces of cat litter, whatever she's found) and poop. She had 3 yesterday within 2 hours. She had another this morning, vomit had pieces of paper in it. It doesn't always contain foreign objects, but most of the time it does. Luckily she's never blocked.

I was actually thinking of a home made diet, I do have 2 other Yorkies that need to eat the same thing. I've tried to separate but she always manages to get what they're eating because they pick. If you have any suggestions on that, it would help. I really think if I can get her on the right diet, maybe these seizures will stop, or at least become less frequent. I was also told that she can't have any phenobarb or Kbr so there's really nothing else to do.

Thanks again for your help!!

[Whizzy]

Assuming that she cannot have phenobarb or Kbr because of the possibility of liver problems, you might want to discuss trying Neurontin with your Veterinarian. It isn't metabalized by the liver in the same way the other, more usual drugs used to control seizures are. The major draw back is expense, but you aren't dealing with a 60 pound dog who will require a high dosage, so it may not be cost prohibitive. And it doesn't cost anything to ask, lol.

Lymphangiectasia isn't common in the general canine population, but Yorkies are one of the breeds where it's more common, and more likely to be of genetic origin. You might want to check with some Yorkie breeders and see if they're familiar with a Veterinarian who has a little more experience. Even if that Veterinarian isn't located near you, your current Veterinarian could give him/her a call to see if there's something more that can be done. And a phone consult with a Veterinarian at one of the veterinary schools might also lead to a more effective treatment.

Regarding homemade diets; they can be extremely difficult to balance, but not impossible. Before going that route, though, perhaps trying one of the foods formulated for those folks who like the idea of feeding raw, but don't find it practicle, might be worth a try. Something like Evo, (meat, fruits and vegetables, no grains) or one of the frozen raw diets.

Good luck, and I hope you find some answers.

[yorkieluvr]

I never heard of Neurontin, I don't know that her doctor has either. I'll have to mention that to him, see what he thinks.
Thank you so much for your help!!

[shelagh]

Originally Posted by yorkieluvr

I'm new to this forum, I want to find out if anyone has had any experience with this disease in dogs. It's a long story so grab your coffee and sit back. I hope there's somebody that can help me shed some light on my little girl's problem.
3 years ago my 8 year old Yorkie, at the time she was 5, was diagnosed with Protein Losing Enteropathy due to Lymphangectasia. Since then I've been giving her 2 1/2 mg. Pred. every other day, Medium Chain Triglycerides 2 ml twice daily to keep her protein levels up. 2 years ago she started having seizures, in clusters then she wouldn't have them for a while. This girl is a scavenger, licking up dust bunnies, licking the carpet, chewing unmentionables, anything she can get her mouth on. The veterinarian I was taking her to at that time said the seizures were probably caused by epilepsy, there was nothing we could give her because of her condition. We noticed that she would have these episodes when she got into something she shouldn't have. He said it has nothing to do with her seizures. For 2 years we've seen her eat things other than her restricted diet, have a seizure, vomit up whatever it was she ate, then she's ok. I had been feeding her Nutro Sensitive Stomach for probably 2 years, in February I was beginning to think it was time, she was seizing 3-4 times a day, becoming lethargic, not doing good. The veterinarian I had taken her to had since retired so I took her to another Veterinarian. He said other than her protein level being a little low (5), she was fine, continue what I was doing. I did, on my own switch her to Purina EN, she had not had any seizures since. 3 weeks ago I lost my job so had to switch her back to Nutro because it's less expensive than the EN. I did it gradually, I'm actually still mixing the 2 together. For 2 weeks this dog has been back to having 2 seizures a day, green vomit & loose stool. All the doctors that I've talked to say the seizures have nothing to do with her intake or diet, I think it does, it all makes sense to me. The vets all think I'm crazy, am I crazy? I know my dog, when I see she's got into the bathroom garbage I know she's going to have a seizure, and she does. Has anybody had any experiences with this? Does anybody know who I can go to with my dogs problem?

Hi yorkieluvr! I am new to the site and brand new to the diagnosis of Lymphangectasia as the veterinary nurse popped in to say that the results were in from the path lab whilst I was visiting my daughter's beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback, Freya, this afternoon. It has taken just over six weeks of exhaustive testing and repeated draining of her recurring bi-cavity effusions for us to have reached this point. She has already started on drug therapy on Wednesday as her condition had worsened dramatically last weekend and the Veterinarian believed he was on the right track at last with lymphangectasia. The drug is off-label so that I will obviously keep you posted on what happens. My obvious prayer is that Freya will be the trail-blazer with a miracle cure.
How is your baby?

[Luvswhalz]

I'm sorry to hear about your baby suffering! I went through similar issues with My Bone Mouth Shar-Pei Little Bob Big Bear about 5 years ago.
To try to make a long story short, my Shar-Pei started having stomach problems at the age of three. We also took him to the Veterinarian after he began vomiting & having loose stools. Over a few months, he began to lose muscle mass & get very skinny. The Veterinarian could not figure out what was wrong with him. We took him to the emergency Veterinarian one evening & that Veterinarian suggested we take Little Bob to the University of Florida's Veteranary school for testing (we live in a small town in Florida over 200 miles from there).

We took little Bob to UF in November, 2003. Although I can't remember all of the test that were run, we found out that Little Bob had Lymphangectasia, which I understand it is extremely rare, but there are certain breeds that are more likely to contract the disease. From what I remember, it causes the lining of the intestine to thicken, preventing the dog from being able to absorb protiens, fats & carbs. The university had to do surgery on Little Bob's stomach, because it had stretched & partially flipped from the excessive vomiting. He was given Science Diet (I can't remember the type but it was the one with more easily digestible proteins) and an enzyme to aid digestion.

Unfortunately, Little bob passed in January, 2004 because the disease had progressed too far by the time we had discovered what it was.

The happy side to the story is that we had bred him for the first time a few months before the symptoms had shown up. We had three pups from the litter & the owners of the mom kept one female & we took the only male & the other female. So now we have two bundles of joy & a part of their father! He was able to see the pups once before he passed.

At about the age of two, our boy D'Anthony started showing signs of the disease. After spending about $9,000 in Veterinarian bills on his father, we weren't sure whether we could go through it again. The Veterinarian confirmed it & we were crushed.

I did as much research online as I could & found someone who was cooking for their dog with lymphangectasia & giving them enzymes.
The article said to cook a lowfat protein (either beef or chicken) and to add a carb (such as rice, pasta or bread) and to give him an enzyme.

I went through SEVERAL different combinations of the above, because he was such a finicky dog, and settled on hamburgers believe it or not. I cook him double cheese burgers twice a day (that's LOVE) and give him the enzyme in the morning & evening. I'm not a spokesperson or anything, but I get an enzyme called Super Digestaway by Solaray at the local health food store. I have tried others from chain drugstores, but they didn't work as well. Apparently the enzymes assist in the absorption of proteins, fats & carbs.

I'm happy to say that D'Anthony is almost 5 1/2 now! He's thin, (and I think he will always be because he still gets the loose stools) but he is very happy and active and does not vomit anymore. I truly believe that the burgers & enzymes are what has kept him alive for the past three years.

I hope you find out what will work for your baby & that she lives to a ripe old age!

[Mac]

Hi folks I am also new to this site but I am in a very similar situation. I have a bearded collie who has recently been diagnosed with this disease after having an exploratory carried out.

To begin with Mac was given several different antibiotics as the vets were treating it as a bad case of diharrea and as none of these cured the loose stools they decided to carry out the above operation and were able to give a diagnosis.

My Veterinarian told me that this is a very rare disease. Mac is on two steroids twice daily and half tablet twice daily of a human drug which manages chrones disease. Mac is on a low fat diet and receives vitamin injections regularly.

He has lost over 7kilos in weight and more recently has started to develop abdominal fluid. Mac is 7 years old and was always a fit happy healthy dog and now he is just a shadow of himself, it breaks my heart to watch but I dont know what to do anymore. His muscle has wasted away and his hair is falling out as a result of the protein loss and steroids.

I would be ifthere is anyone who has advice on this or is or has been in a similar situation with their pet as I can't seem to see any solutions as I read that this disease can never be cured but only managed but at the moment the medication doesn't seem to be having any effect.

[michele4972]

I have a 4yr old male yorkie that became very sick about 8weeks ago. I took him to the Veterinarian for diarrhea and bloating, his stomach was huge!! She diagnosed him with Lymphangectasia and because she had only treated 3 cases in her practice ever, she referred me to Purdue University Veterinarian. They were wonderful, and unfortunatley they confirmed her diagnosis. He spent 4 days in ICU at Purdue, treated with a special fluid called "hetastarch",and they performed a surgery to explore the intestines and was back to his playful happy self for about 6weeks. We have been going to our regular Veterinarian for B12, and A,D, &K injections weekly. We had a relapse a couple of weeks ago after we stopped to injections. Purdue Univ. educated my Veterinarian so that she could treat him local with out having to travel 3 hrs. to Purdue. She gave him that special fluid and he is fine. We get the weekly injections, Prednisone 2X's a day, and he is now on Waltham/Royal Canin LF (Low Fat), Science Diet ZD was recommended until my Veterinarian could order this Waltham food. RXpetfood.com has information on the Waltham diet (100.00 or more =free shipping, let your Veterinarian know when they place your order)
Purdue University Veterinarian School had little experience with this disease, but were amazed because my Junior had every symptom. They have had great success with this Waltham/Royal Canin food.

I hope the best for you all