Failing liver function due to Pheno - Duke 10 yr old Golden/Shepherd mix
Hello All. Our dog Duke, a golden retriever/shepherd mix, has been on phenobarbital for years due to seizures. We were slowly starting to wean him off the last 6-8 months by decreasing his dose. We had his levels checked every year and last checkup they were still good. However, the last couple weeks he started throwing up bile and started not to eat his food. We took him to vet on Monday 10/30, and they took his blood work. Tuesday they called and said his liver function is very bad and they could try hospitalizing him for several days but it would probably only be a 50/50 shot of recuperating. He's a little over 10 years old. We can't really afford any high vet bills right now due to our financial situation.
This morning he wouldn't eat anything at all except for a few small pieces of cheese and he is drinking quite a bit and also quite lethargic compared to his normal self. We currently have an appt for tomorrow after (11/2) to put Duke down. We do not want to do this. If there were any holistic alternatives, I would consider them but I don't really know what could help him. Read a little about milk thistle. Any suggestions? Maybe he's too far along at this point.