My Yorkie has low protein. What non-invasive treatments can help him?

Question

My yorkie poo has been diagnosed with low protein levels, on is albumin and I can't remember the other. His symptoms are abdominal swelling, stool changes, loss of appetite, loss of energy. He is on prednisone 2.5 mg tablets, 1/2 tablet every other day, and has made an improvement. The dog is 7 years old and I don't want to have him go through a bunch of invasive procedures. I did some research and found that he might benefit from Vit B12, or immunosuppresent drug along with the prednisone. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 4.2 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Poor Peanut! I'm assuming that he's been diagnosed with either PLE (protein-losing enteropathy) or lymphangiectasia - both of these disorders would cause the symptoms that you describe, and are unfortunately fairly common in Yorkies and Yorkie mixes. You are correct that many dogs with these problems can benefit from an additional immunosuppressant drug like azathioprine (Imuran) in combination with prednisone. Many vets are reluctant to do this without a definitive diagnosis via biopsy since there can be some dangerous side effects to these medications, but it's definitely something that you could discuss with your veterinarian. Vitamin B12 is also helpful in many cases, and I would definitely suggest starting this with Peanut since there are no risks or side effects with it. Many dogs also benefit from a prescription hypoallergenic diet like Hills z/d or Purina HA, so this is also something that you could discuss with your vet if you haven't already.

My Yorkie has low protein. What non-invasive treatments can help him?

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