Amyloidosis

[LilF]

I am posting today about my dog JJ, 14 who is a Shar Pei with Australian Shepherd and Beagle mixed in, per the DNA test. Over the past 3 weeks he wet his twice. Not a big deal right? Seemed unusual to me though so I had his urine checked. Preliminary and basic urinalysis revealed protein in his urine. The vet then did the Urine creatinine test that showed protein was being lost through the kidney. Today I talked to the vet and he said he was going to talk to the internal med dr and call me monday but he is thinking amyloidosis. Well that is out of my wheelhouse of knowledge AGAIN.... In January my Gabby was Diagnosed with Protein Losing Enteropathy from intestine--that was also out of my wheelhouse but seem to have a handle on that now. So back to JJ, he is the one with spondylosis and getting Adequan injections and laser therapy. So both dogs are Shar Pei mix and both have some sort of protein loss problem. Could this be that they both ate the same kind of food---Primal, for years? I find this odd
So my question is for more information. Presumptive for Amyloidosis, I have no idea what to do integratively, diet etc.. or further diagnostics? His appetite has been pretty good the last week or so. The little I read so far says that Shar Pei and Beagles might be predisposed--he has both mixed in. Also the prognosis is not real good. The vet mentioned colchicine which I thought was used for gout and all I know is that I watched a crime show and some woman killed her husband with that drug!!!!. Are there natural treatments for it and is it safe for him to continue to get laser with this presumptive disease??? Any illumination on this would be appreciated as a place to start to broaden my knowledge on this. He is an old guy heavily vaxed before I got him when he was seven. He seems older than 14 now compared to my Gabby with the PLE who seems more vital. Thanks!!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Wow, Lil! You sure have lots going on.

Amyloid is really just one of the normal protein products of natural healing ("inflammation"). If inflammation and amyloid increase and get out of control, the filtration system of the kidney can get clogged up causing protein loss in the urine.

AA Amyloidosis | Amyloidosis Foundation

amyloidosis.org

Shar Peis (and Pei mixes) may be genetically predisposed to this. Did Embark do the DNA analysis? If so, the results may show whether JJ is predisposed to this form of inflammation sometimes called "Shar Pei Fever".

Resources + Insights

Learn about the signs, symptoms, and treatment of Shar-Pei Autoinflammatory Disease, SPAID, Shar-Pei Fever, and what to do if your dog has this health condition.

embarkvet.com

FWIW-In high Lyme areas, kidney filtration dis-ease is most commonly from excess Lyme antibodies (also a result of normal immune response and inflammation) the cause of protein in the urine.

It's probably not diet related tho a fresh and raw diet can help keep cellular energy high to reduce problems.

Perhaps schedule an appointment with a vet internist, proceed with any diagnostics with which you are comfortable (non-invasive, affordable?).

FYI- a kidney biopsy and special stains of the kidney are the definitive test for glomerulonephritis from amyloidosis.

Here's one of the reliable article's about it:

Shar Pei - Amyloidosis

Regardless of diagnosis, your next steps are to consult with an internist, and starting measuring protein loss in the urine at home.

Here's @sdeilus doing the urine testing of her own pup with Lyme-associated protein loss:

Please keep us updated, and good luck with JJ.

 

[LilF]

@Dr. Jeff @Dr. Christina . I talked to Dr. Christina last week but the results had not come back yet. I was tipped off because JJ had wet his bed at night about twice in the last 5 weeks or so and thought we should test the urine. Thank you Dr. Jeff for all the above links which I pondered through the weekend. Today I got a copy of JJ's urine and UPCR test. The vet told me the protein was high in the UPCR test but I did not know how high. First, the vet sent a digital copy that is blurry to read and I cannot read the ranges. I will investigate the poor quality copy tomorrow when JJ goes for his Adequan shot (OR are they even safe with these high protein levels?). So from what I can read his Urine Protein was 57.5, Urine Creatinine was 51.6
Urine Protein Creatinine Ratio was 0.9 Hope those are accurate given the blurriness. The sample clarity was "cloudy" Specific gravity was 1.023 , Ph is 7 WBC 0-2 Next to this number is some range of 0-5NPF? cannot read it, RBC 0-2 (cannot read the range next to this number.) All negative were glucose, ketones, blood hemoglobin, bilirubin, bacteria

So I reviewed his blood work from Mid April and the protein loss is not reflected in his bloods. I was told his bloodwork looked fine by two vets. So what is going on with his urine protein loss and how much or how bad are his values. With Gabby, also a Shar Pei mix, who has Protein Losing Enteropathy in her intestines and it showed up in her blood as low albumin but JJ's blood is fine with his protein loss from the kidneys. He has not been diagnosed with anything other than spondylosis and hypothyroid so far. He also had his spleen removed.

I am not understanding what might be going on with this. Any further explanation at your convenience would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[LilF]

@Dr.Jeff, Frustrating I just wrote my reply and the whole thing got deleted I will reconstruct.... Attached is JJ's urine protein creatinine test which showed high protein. The vet spoke with the internal medicine doctor at Idexx and she thought a diagnosis of Amyloidosis was a bit premature. She advised to retest in a month. JJ drinks a ton of water in the mornings, very thirsty. This is newer behavior. The other day after not peeing for about 4 hours, he peed about a minute which was longer than usual. Maybe this should be another post but here now the last few days I notice something "pointy" looking in his cardio thoracic region. I felt it and it is a round lump. Wondering if it is thymus. It is in that area best I can surmise. I wonder if he had it when he went for his laser about 10 days ago..seems the vet should have noticed it. Maybe it wasn't there, meaning it came on rather quickly. I have been giving him Standard Process Thymus , I thought it might improve his appetite or help his immune system. He is old and 14 so thought it would not hurt. Could this have caused a growth or a lymphoma? If I take him to the conventional vet for a better read on it, would sticking a needle in it be a bad idea? Thinking if it is a cancer, it can "seed". I do believe in that concept. Maybe I can get him in tomorrow but I want to have more information on that. JJ's appetite has gotten better since he finished the adequan series of 8. He eats all his food now, often at lightning speed like the old days. He gets good food but he doesn't take supplements readily and since that time, the protein in the urine and now this lump. He likes to sleep on toxic carpet in spite of having plenty of sleeping areas available that are clean. He nudges his nose, breathing only toxic carpet fumes between his bed and the wall. He has always been a strange dog like that, has to squeeze into tiny places. He does the same, liking to sleep in the car on the floor with his nose in the toxic carpet.