[Nancy M]

I have A “just turned 3 year old Sheltie (yes, just 3!), who was diagnosed with CHYLOTHORAX (chyle leakage into the chest cavity) in May and must be on a low-fat diet (less than 10%, but preferably around 6 or 7). He is currently doing very well, almost can’t tell he’s got anything wrong, except for high respiration rate. He has been on the Hills I/D low-fat dry/wet, along with the Rutin supplement, for several weeks, but I absolutely cringe at the ingredients of their foods. Because he IS doing well right now, I hate to change anything, but still wish their was something much healthier for him. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with this? I tried replying to a vet (can’t remember her name) who had posted some good information on low fat diets, but I don’t think it went through…….I wasn’t finished with it anyway. I’m not too keen on the raw diets so I would prefer something that’s cooked/homemade, but at this point I would do just about anything to save this dog. He has been the best dog ever…..

[InkedMarie]

If you go to the DFA, I think there’s a list of low fat foods. Have you looked at The Honest Kitchen Zeal? It’s dehydrated, you add water and low fat.

Welcome, by the way. I’m a sheltie person too. I’m on my fourth, she is Gemma, a 10 yr old that we got in January.

[RescueDaneMom]

If you are interested in doing homemade food, balanceit.com may be worth a look into. I think they can provide custom diets for dogs with particular health issues.

[Nancy M]

Thanks for the replies…..

Specifically to InkedMarie:

Actually, I have tried the HK, Preference formula, which seemed like it had the lowest fat content, but depends on the meat/protein you use with it. I had added a tablespoon of some Primal nuggets that I was trying to use up (the turkey/sardine) and within about an hour or two, he was passing very loose stools, so I stopped and returned to just what he had been on. But yes, I like the HK concept and the simple preparation, compared to either raw or cooked. Thanks for your input. I love the SHELTIES…..have had at least one in my life since 1992.

[InkedMarie]

I’ve never used the Preference, I use Zeal for one and my other two eat Thrive/Embark.

[Nancy M]

Thank you again!

I have another question for you though, this time pertaining to a new 10 week old Sheltie puppy I am getting next week. Do you have suggestions as to which HK formula might be best, along with opinions on the pro-biotic, goats milk supplement? I want to start this new little guy off the right way with a good nutritious diet. I am not raw food savvy, but in time, I want to combine some raw with a good cooked/prepared food.

I welcome all comments, from all members.

[InkedMarie]

Another sheltie? I’m so jealous! What colors are yours? My current is sable; before her was a red sable, a large blue Merle (20″ tall, 34 pounds) and the first a tri.

I’ve never fed a puppy THK, I’d give them a call. They are very helpful. I use dr Langers probiotic that I get from Swanson vitamins online. As far as goats milk, Answers has that as does THK.

[Nancy M]

Thanks for the tips……and love to do Sheltie Talk with other Sheltie lovers. I have had mostly the Blue Merle’s, one Sable and then a Tri. My favorites have been the Blue Merle’s, but I love them all! Unfortunately, my Blues haven’t done so well in the health arena, so this next puppy is going to be a Sable. I’m hoping he won’t be quite so genetically compromised, as I’ve heard about the Blues….but I don’t know that for a fact. With this guy being only 3, I am just so heartbroken over his illness, I’m ready to try something a little more “common”. I didn’t have health problems with the Tri or Sable, until they were “Seniors”…….like me. All of them have been purebreds though, and maybe that is a determining factor, rather than color.
Anyway, thanks for your conversation and helpful information.

[InkedMarie]

You’re welcome! Enjoy your puppy breath!

[lovemycanines]

I have a rescue GSD that also has Chylothorax and has had surgery (thoracic duct ligation and pericardectomy) to no avail. Plueral fluid is still a problem. They suggested Hills ID canned and rutin but that has not helped with the chyle. I really want to save my dog but am running out of options. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[Nancy M]

Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry! What an ordeal you and your dog have been through! I’m a little surprised that the surgery you did had little effect, as I’ve been told that if anything can do the trick it is that. I just could not do it financially and then just didn’t have much faith in any surgery. Very risky, expensive, life threatening, difficult recoveryand a guarded solution at best……also my vets were not too optimistic.

In my case, maybe I’ve been lucky. Time will tell. To date, the fluid that is there is minimal (since last having it drained in late September) and has not increased any. My dog acts as normal as ever and for the most part, I can’t tell there’s anything wrong. For how long, is pure guesswork. So for the time being, I am extremely happy!

This is what I have done, as far as diet and supplementation. Keep in mind though, that at the onset of this, the first specialist I saw, put him on high doses of prednisone, which after almost 2 weeks I ended up weaning him off of…..while it may have helped with the inflammation of the chyle, it gave him high blood pressure. So, I felt it was counter-productive, plus the frequent urination was very difficult to manage. So, I’m not sure if this had anything to do with the improvement I’m seeing right now or not. He has also continued taking a low dose of Benazipril, for the entire circulatory system.

Since his diagnosis, he has been on the Hill’s I/D, Low-fat Residue formula. I feed him the dry, mainly, with a little bit of the canned in with it. I have also used in place of their canned food, the canned formula made by Purina; EN Gastroenteric, also available through my vet(black can). Occasionally, I will top off his dry food with various canned meat formulas; not much, but just a little for variety. I’ve never been a fan of the Hill’s or Science Diet in general, but at this point, I’m using what they tell me. If it helps, so be it, whatever is in it.

Finally, I have, since day of diagnosis, given 500 mg. of the Rutin, (I’m using the NOW brand capsules right now, which really only have 450 mg. each), at least twice a day, sometimes 3. I have recently added the recommended dose of Solid Gold’s Sealmeal, just to give his entire system some extra support. So, that’s about it. Along with some help from above, I’m hoping for a miracle, as I’m sure you are. It is a very frustrating and unpredictable situation, to say the least.

With all you and your dog have been through, with such disappointment and probably having such a feeling of helplessness, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I wish you the very best. If I can help in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact me again.

[lovemycanines]

They told me that this condition can just resolve itself. Obviously it did not for my baby. I’ll pray yours continues to do well.

I’m not familiar with Solid Gold Sealmeal or Benazipril. I’ll have to check into those. My dog doesn’t want to eat the Hill’s diet or any others I’ve brought home. I’m now going to pay for the vet school that did the surgery to provide a home cooked diet that I can prepare that will be low fat and still nutritious. They are suggesting another surgery but said they were not optimistic it would work either so I don’t think I am going to doit. This is the most expensive rescue dog I’ve ever had. But I love her and she is so sweet. I will try to low fat diet and hope it keeps her with me longer.

[Nancy M]

Dear “lovemycanines”,

Yes, i was told that also, and I have done some extensive reading and research on the subject and know that can happen. And then even if it does resolve on it’s own, there is no guarantee it will last. But why it does or doesn’t, no one knows. It’s just a very, very appropriately named “idiopathic” condition…..and so very hard to deal with, as you also know. I will tell you what was told to me and you may have been told the same thing….apparently there can be several “veins” or branches of these little ducts that cannot always be seen or found in surgery….and so it is very difficult for a surgeon to find exactly what is leaking……sometimes. Putting all the unknowns in there, I just did not want to, nor could I afford the surgery with such little promise. And I did not want to spend what time I may have had left with my dog, subjecting him to this surgery. It’s just a very tough call! We all have to make the decisions that we feel comfortable with. And bless your heart, it sounds like you’ve had to make so many! Whatever you choose to do, I very much wish you the very best! You just never know!

As far as the diet and the Hills food, have you already tried adding something in that he really likes, to make him eat better? For mine, I made up some homemade chicken or turkey with rice, just enough to make it more appealing, so he ate it well. A little bit of anything to make him eat, surely wouldn’t make a big difference, as long as it’s not fatty.

As far as the Seameal and Benazipril, I can’t say that they have really affected anything with the CHYLOTHORAX, but the Benazipril is for him, like us taking a low dose of aspirin everyday for heart health, and it not only helped with the hypertension, it’s just something that tends to help the entire system. So I’ve kept him on it just as a support measure, same as the Seameal. The Seameal is made by Solid Gold (dog food brand) and just has a lot of minerals, vitamins, probiotics and digestive enzymes in it. There are several others on the market, but I was just already familiar with the Solid Gold product.

Please keep in touch and let me know how you are both doing. I will do the same. Be sure to take care of you too!

[lovemycanines]

Nancy,

I had to take Ruby back to be tapped this morning. Another 4 liters of Chyle. So it’s pretty certain that her situation is not improving since the surgery in mid Oct. All of your comments are greatly appreciated. Yes, it was very hard to decide to do surgery. Luckily they were able to perform the thoracic duct ligation laproscopically so it was not as traumatic on her. I do have to question if they would have been able to identify more of the veins to clip if they had opened her up, but it does no good to second guess at this point. Best wishes on your journey. I would like to believe that your dog will be one of the dogs that has spontaneous recovery and improves with management through diet.

[jim scott]

Thread “hello”: Hi guys wassup ! My name is Jim Scott and I am new to this forum. I have an active German shepherd and his name is “Jack”. I so much like to share new things about my dog and what kinda activities we do together . He’s so cute , adorable, full of energy.
I love you Jack….!!!

[lovemycanines]

I have 2 GSD’s and had one before these 2. I have done agility, search and rescue and herding with my dogs. They loved it. GSD’s are so smart and usually prefer a job to do!

[NaliniD002]

If your dog is overweight then avoid fatty diet. Don’t feed him milk, meat and heavy fats food. Feed him vegetarian food that’s have low fat. low fat food is also commercially availble in market, choose appropriate food.

[theBCnut]

Sorry, but that is bad advice. It has been shown that in dogs a high protein diet/low carb diet helps with weight loss.

In people they know that high carb diets lead to insulin spikes, which then lead to low blood sugar, which then leads to fat storage and metabolism issues.

For weight loss in dogs stick to high protein/ low fat.

[Carol M]

Hi! Nancy and lovemycanines, just saw this, I hope your dogs are still doing ok. My 6-year-old dog was diagnosed with idiopathic chylothorax in April 2013. We tried the low fat diet and rutin for several weeks and they were removing about 1 liter of fluid every 2 weeks. After several weeks we opted for the surgery (thoracic duct ligation and pericardiectomy). Lots of complications followed, long story short, the chyle came back & the surgery didn’t work.

They put a pleural port in (the port goes under the skin on the side and the attached long tube goes between the ribs and floats in the chest cavity) so we could drain the fluid at home. A lot less painful & stressful on her than chest taps. We’ve been draining her twice a week and getting about 2 liters of chyle per week (huge increase from what it started at). She is on Royal Canin Gastointestinal Low Fat food (prescription) and still takes 1000mg of rutin 3 times a day. I tried going up to 1500mg of rutin 3 times a day for several months but noticed no difference in the amount of fluid.

If I had to make the decision today, I’d go with the pleural port. It’s a lot less invasive than the surgery and a lot less expensive. Didn’t know about it until after the fact but if you’re dealing with this, you might want to look into it and ask your vet (most have never dealt with chylothorax).

My dog looks & acts fine; you’d never know there was any problem – eats well, plays, happy, active, etc. But now with removing the chyle, her protein levels are low. Vet can’t really do anything and she suggested a nutritionist. The nutritionist has not dealt with chylothorax before but researched it and said that there is a human product called Vivonex t.e.n. that is an amino acid that bypasses digestion and “should” help raise protein levels. Haven’t tried it yet; it’s about $10 a day but if it works it should show results in 10 days. She also said that a high fiber diet might help & suggested metamucil. Have to talk to vet about all this.

Wish you good luck with this. It has been a nightmare all around and very frustrating because there’s so little info available, even for people with the condition.

[Nancy M]

Carol M: I cant believe it, but I got your message on my email and have spent much time with a response, thinking I could just reply to it……but it wouldn’t go through. I’m going to try pasting it here in another message, but if it doesn’t work, I would like to send it to your regular email, if you would send an email to me directly, I will have yours as well, to respond.
Bear with me, as I try to get my response back to you on this site.

Thanks,
Nancy

[Nancy M]

OK! Nevermind….It worked: Here’s what I tried to send you:

Oh my gosh Carol, I cannot thank you enough for your email and wealth of information! And although I wouldn’t want this to happen to anyone, it is so very nice to hear from and share with others who are dealing with this problem. It’s absolutely heartbreaking and frustrating, because as you said, there are so few vets who really seem to know how and what to do.

Since my decision to not do the surgery, I have had some second thoughts, but feel it’s a big gamble, aside from the fact of putting the dog through such an ordeal, and then with such low success rates, not to mention the financial strain it can present. I’ve heard and read a lot more about the negatives and the “unsuccesses” as I have the positives. But as of a couple days ago, I can’t help but question myself. Last August, they removed about 60cc. from Oliver’s chest and since then, he has done rather well; always having his bad and good days. I have kept a pretty routine check on what’s going on through x-rays; usually every 4 – 6 weeks. In late January, it all but disappeared and we thought it had healed up on its own. Short lived; the next visit showed a minimal amount again, but still I had better hope. All the following ones, showed little change, which was good but not total relief…….until last week when he was continually showing signs of difficulty. When I took him in on Saturday, they drained off almost 240cc, and had a hard time doing it. First they couldn’t really locate the pocket, due to his increase in body fat (not much exercise tolerance anymore, especially in this hot and humid weather here) and then they had a tough time reaching it. Finally they found a long enough needle and out it flowed. All the while, he was like a little trooper…..,rarely did he even flinch.

It took a day or so, since then, to notice a real improvement in his breathing, but I definitely can tell now. I’m temporarily relieved and very grateful! And strangely enough, I have thought about this over the last day or two, and wondered why a port wouldn’t be advisable and much better management tool. So again, your email couldn’t have come at a better time. I don’t think I would want my current vet to do it though, as much as I trust them. Again, I think they are just not knowledgeable or capable enough to take on the task. So yesterday, I found online, and reached out to a Veterinary School in Oklahoma that I have heard great things about and sent them an inquiry. Surprisingly, I got a reply; even on a Sunday. However, I had reached someone in the Equine department, but he promised that he would be forwarding my message on to some of the small animal vets, and assured me that one of them at least, would be in contact. So I’m waiting and hoping that there might be someone who can lend some recommendations to this ordeal by way of an actual consultation and review.

Another thing you mentioned, which I NEVER knew or was told about; I just happened to read it on a website this weekend, that not only does this affect the dog’s ability to breathe well, I learned about the affects it has on their entire health. As you have already found, I did not realize that as you drain off substantial amounts of this fluid from the chest, it’s also representative of all the “nutrients” that have not able to circulate and nourish the body. That was absolutely astounding to me! Hence, another important reason to do somethings differently. Up until then, and now with your email, I did not even think or know to keep a check on his overall body functions and blood values. Again, it just shows how little some of these vets know and can relate to you, about the entire scope of this condition. I cannot thank you enough for writing to me which also actually confirmed this today.

Since Oliver was first diagnosed, I had to of course, change his diet. We had to go from a high-grade, more natural diet, down to this Science Diet (Low-Residue I/D) and for me, I absolutely cringe every time I give it to him. But I have to tell myself, maybe it’s a big reason why he’s still alive today, and just let it go. I’ve looked for other food possibilities, but none with low enough fat content. I did not know that Royal Canin makes a similar product. I’ll keep that in mind. As for the Rutin, yes he’s been on about the same dosage as your dog, from the get-go, and again I’m hopeful that it is helping. I have thought to increase it also, but hadn’t been able to research the pros and cons of that yet. Again, your information was helpful.

For now, I will hold on to the thoughts and information you have passed onto me, and continue to consider them in what to do next. I also want to offer you my sincere condolences because I know what you have been through and still doing. One thing I cannot relate to, but can only imagine, is the hardship, the trauma and disappointment you must feel from putting your dog and yourself through the surgery, only to have it not bring resolution. It had to be devastating! I cannot say it enough…….thank you is not enough……I so appreciate you taking the time to share with me. And PLEASE, can we stay in touch? I wish you and your dog all the best, with God’s blessings. Please let me know how you’re both doing, won’t you?

With much gratitude,
Nancy M.
Fayetteville, AR

[Carol M]

You’re very welcome, Nancy! And thank you for your kind words! I wouldn’t wish this on anyone but it is good to know we’re not alone in this.

The nutritionist said that Royal Canin is “the best food available” – it’s prescription only too. I’m pretty sure there are no by-products in Royal Canin so that’s a big plus. It looks more like regular dog food too; I don’t like the look or consistency of the I/D – I put her rutin pills in the food & make a meatball and the I/D is too stiff & crumbly to do it (and frankly, it just grosses me out; I know it’s rice mixed in but it looks nasty).

She had the chest surgery done at a specialist vet in NC; they see about 7 cases in a year but that’s filtered in from all over the area. They see more cases in cats & she said the outlook was much worse in cats. The surgeon had never put in a pleural port before so it was a learning experience for her too. There was another option of a peritoneal-pleural pump – a pump under the ribs that is supposed to move the fluid from the chest to the abdomen, where hopefully it would be absorbed into the body. But she felt it was uncomfortable for the dog (you’d have to press on the ribs several times a day) and there’d be no way to tell if it was working or not without xrays or ultrasound. It’s possible that the fluid would just accumulate in the abdomen.

The port she used is made by Norfolk Vet Products and they are wonderful to deal with – when you call, you actually speak with a human, not a machine (a rare thing). The link is: http://www.norfolkvetproducts.com/pleuralport.html – has all the info on the surgery and how to use the port on the site. You have to use a special needle – a Huber non-coring needle so it doesn’t damage the silicone covering of the port – and you can order them through Norfolk. I was a nervous wreck at first (and I’m more than a little squeamish so if I can do it, anyone can) but we’ve got it down to a routine now and my dog is very tolerant – lots of times her tail keeps wagging the whole time. It probably only takes about 15 minutes or so to drain the fluid, usually 1000cc or so each time (twice a week – yikes!). She is only 30 lbs so it’s an enormous amount of fluid for her size, and it probably weighs at least a couple lbs each time, no wonder the breathing is so affected.

The protein loss isn’t too bad at this point; her levels are low but not critically so. The other thing they check for is loss of electrolytes and that’s been fine so far.

There is a page on Facebook called “Chylothorax Cats” but I haven’t seen anything like it for dogs. They have a webpage too & info on herbal & holistic treatments, but again, it’s for cats: http://chylothoraxcats.webs.com/

Good luck! And please update when you can! Carol

[Nancy M]

Once and again, many thanks on this. Great information to go forward with. And OMG, 1,000cc’s? That’s unbelievable! I thought 240 was bad! It’s just awful!

BTW, I’m assuming that you feed the canned Royal Canin? If it’s prescription, your vet must carry it? Mine does not, so I would probably have to order it online and then wait for him to authorize the purchase? I am feeding the dry version of the I/D, mainly because my dog didn’t like the canned. Whenever he did eat it, he vomited it. Since I switched to the dry, he’ll eat it but prefers a bit of the Merrick 95% chicken formula mixed in with it……..does your dog get just the Royal Canin formula and nothing else at all, besides his medications of course? I’m trying to find some chewies or bones that won’t add to the fat situation, but so far, nothing. He loves to chew on stuff, but I’m afraid to give him anything that could add to the problem.

Keep on, keep in’ on! It’s one day at a time isn’t it? Take care!
Nancy

[Nancy M]

Hi Carol, I just wanted to ask you a few questions that I’ve thought about since our conversations……hope you don’t mind?????

1. You are giving Rutin @ 1000mg, 3x daily? I’ve only been giving 500 mg/2 x day….a big
difference. How big is your dog? Mine is now 25#. I’m thinking I should up the dosage.
Is there any particular brand you use or has been recommended? I use the NOW brand
capsules.

2. Are you adding Metamucil? How much?

3. With the pleural port, how does that affect your dog’s activities? Is he able to interact/
play with other pets, or is he restricted?

4. Do you get the Royal Canin at your vets office, or do you order it from somewhere? I’ll
need to get my vet to authorize it, I guess. You feed the canned? How much do you feed?

Please respond when you can. Greatly appreciated!
Nancy M

[Carol M]

Hi Nancy,

Yes, it is unbelievable how much fluid she gets – 2 liters in a week, that’s about a half a gallon! That’s why we do “the procedure” twice a week; don’t think she’d be able to breathe otherwise.

My dog is about 30# – the vet recommended 1000mg (2 pills) 3x a day. I use Nature’s Plus brand, there’s a health food store nearby that carries it (couldn’t find it at some of the larger stores like Whole Foods). I tried going up to 1500mg 3x a day for a few months but didn’t notice any difference in the amount of fluid so I went back to 1000mg. Don’t know that it actually does anything but I’m not going to stop in case it does.

Haven’t tried Metamucil; that was the nutritionist’s suggestion as she read that a high fiber diet helps with chylothorax. Don’t know what the dosage would be though, need to ask vet.

There are no restrictions on activity because of the port itself; it’s all contained and can only be accessed by needle (looks like a lump on her side). Vet said to just treat her like a normal dog. She is less active when she’s filling up with fluid so she restricts herself. After we drain her, she goes (on her own) to her crate for about 20 minutes or so to rest. I don’t let her run around right after just as a precaution.

The specialist vet doesn’t carry Royal Canin but my regular vet does. The PetSmart here carries it & probably Petco does too; your vet would have to write a prescription for them to fill it. I feed the dry and mix in some canned with it. I just ordered a case of canned from Petflow (www.petflow.com) – price is about the same ($61 for 24 cans) but they deliver it (free shipping for orders over $49) and you can set it up to auto ship (and get 20% off the first order for auto ship). You’d probably want to get a few cans and/or dry to see if your dog likes it before ordering that much though…maybe another local vet carries it.

She eats quite a bit actually – close to a cup of dry with maybe 1/4 – 1/3 can mixed in twice a day. The other dogs get 1/2 cup in the morning & 1 cup at night of their dry food. Her appetite is good and she’s not gained or lost weight (other than after surgery).

I kind of jokingly asked the nutritionist if giving her boneless chicken breast would help with the protein loss. She said it couldn’t hurt, just be sure to boil it and skim off any fat – I trimmed all the fat & other yuck off and then boiled it in no-fat chicken broth and have been adding some to her food but just in the last week or so. When she had the surgery she wasn’t eating so I boiled chicken & rice for her and hand fed her and that worked. Then mixed it with the dog food until it was all dog food.

I tried giving her frozen green beans as a treat and that worked for a while…then she caught on that the others were getting real treats. So, I’m giving all of them Pupcorn treats (found at Fred’s or PetSmart has their own brand) as it’s 3% or lower fat and supposedly healthy. She’s not a chewer and not crazy about toys. Wonder if maybe a Kong or similar filled with something low fat would work for your dog?

Hope that helps – do check with the vet though before you do anything. Carol

[Nancy M]

Hello again Carol……thanks again for such information, however, right now, I’m so discouraged to say the least. I just came back from the vets office and having another 350cc drained out. Through the night, my dog has stopped laying flat out on either side; will only lay upright, with both front legs spread apart some. He looks and acted very uncomfortable, with labored breathing, which really hasn’t improved much since draining the 250cc on Saturday. When he only ate about 1/3 of his food this morning, and acts pretty lethargic, it was time to take him back in. X-ray doesn’t show any improvement and my vet is not encouraging me with hope. Needless to say, I’m very sad;actually devastated. And I don’t know what to do. I’m fighting the temptation to give up and make sure my dogs quality of life and comfort doesn’t suffer more than it already has. This latest situation has risen so suddenly and seems to be going downhill just as quickly. However, if I knew or could find someone who is knowledgeable and capable of doing the port, I would at least try it. I might just get on the phone with the vet hospital in Oklahoma (they never got back to me) and see what I can find out or do. I’m afraid that losing him could be as close as over the next few days, if I don’t do something. I’m just lost in this…….awful feeling, as I’m sure you know, many times over probably.

Thanks for writing. I sure do appreciate it! You are very kind!

Nancy

[Carol M]

I’m so sorry to hear that. I would keep calling the vet hospital – be a nuisance if you have to; maybe they have some ideas. Good luck.

[Nancy M]

Thanks for your last message Carol. Things have calmed down and dramatically improved since about 2:30 this afternoon. The difference is like night and day, after having this last drain done this morning. He’s back to his old self again and eating as normal…….not sure how long it will last, but hopefully it will give both of us a “breather” and me time to think and decide on the next step. Will see what the next couple of days brings, and if I can get ahold of someone to offer some better options.

Your support and experiences have been so helpful and encouraging! Thanks more than I can say!

Nancy

[Melanie B]

Hello. My name is Melanie, and I’m from Indiana. My 6 year old male, Blue Merle Sheltie was just diagnosed 3 days ago with Chylothorax, and basically sent home with a death sentence. This is the sweetest little boy, and I am trying to fight for his life. I am unable to afford the surgery, and understand the success rate is low. I have been researching this disease, and see where a low fat diet and Lutin may slow down the fluids from building up in his chest cavity. We had 1 liter drained from the left side of his chest, and nearly that on the right side. Last night, I browned 100% pure ground venison (no fats added) and mixed it with white rice. He ate it like a little trooper – thank you, Lord. I have not started him on the Lutin, as I’m uncertain on the dosage. He weighs approx. 40 pounds… he’s lost about 5 pounds. I am just reaching out for any help anyone could offer. Cooper and I thank you tremendously.

[Rhonda S]

Hi Melanie

I’m sorry to hear about your dog’s illness. I don’t have a low-fat recipe, but you could probably get one from a holistic vet. They often treat illness and disease through diet. Also, home-made diets are often lacking in vitamins and minerals, so any vet should be able to let you know if you need to add anything to the hamburger and rice you’re currently making.

In the posts above, there are some links from other members that might be worth checking out.

[Carol M]

Melanie, somehow I deleted my reply. Was going to say that my dog was diagnosed over 2 years ago. The surgery didn’t work and the vet put a pleural port in. The cost is a lot less than the surgery ($2000 vs $5000 at specialist in NC), is less invasive, less recovery time and eliminates the need for chest taps which lead to pocketing in the chest cavity We have been draining fluid from her twice a week since July 2013 and she’s doing well (she does have pocketing on her left side from chest taps but fluid is still coming out).

She has been on Rutin 1000mg/3 times a day – she’s about 30 lbs; I think that’s a fairly standard dose. And Royal Canin low fat gastrointestinal prescription food. Hills has a similar prescription food. She wouldn’t eat after the initial surgery so vet suggested boiled chicken and rice, boiled in no-fat or low-fat chicken broth.

The port is under the skin and you have to shave the fur & clean the skin and use a special needle. I’m more than a little squeamish but have gotten used to it. If I could do it again, I would not have had the surgery. It didn’t work, caused more problems and a 2nd surgery, and cost a fortune. This is a rare condition and most vets have no experience with it. The link for the port is: http://www.norfolkvetproducts.com/pleuralport.html.

It’s possible your dog may do well with Rutin and low fat food too but wanted to tell you about the port if it comes to that. I thought it was a death sentence too but she’s done well for over 2 years and I’m thankful for that. Good luck!

[Lyndzy L]

Carol, thank you SO much posting this information it has been really helpful to me. My Great Pyrenees Mix dog ( barely 3 years old ) is battling with Chylothorax.

6 months ago he had surgery for a lung lobe torsion, they have no idea why it happened and it’s uncommon just like Chylo, but the prognosis was great so we went ahead and did it spending almost 10K after everything. I had two vets suggest we put him down before we were even able to determine that it was a lung lobe torsion and not only that, they had to open him up again when he got his chest tube stuck on their kennel ( a day after his first surgery ) and ripped it out and more air got into his chest…. it was a total disaster with one set back after another but he made it through it and we were so happy and relieved and he was acting great, my miracle dog I thought…. and now here we are 6 months later with him out of breath at the vet.

I just knew in my heart it was related to his lung lobe problem but they told me that chylo is unrelated, it’s a different kind of fluid. They tapped his chest… 2 liters I think? and told us about the surgery which I do not want to put him through. They had difficulty tapping his chest due to scar tissue from the past surgery and not only that just being at the vet stressed him SO much he went potty on himself and began panting and breathing hard way worse than before I brought him there…. this is the most laid-back, let you do anything to him dog I’ve ever met ( not to mention he is a therapy dog ) so to see him react like that broke my heart and I never want to take him into another vet’s office again.

After doing some research I found that the lung lobe torsion IS indeed related to Chylo but doctors are unable to tell what causes which but I do believe it was his torsion that created the Chylo. The vet that told me it was unrelated is a “specialist” but they don’t know jack about it, leaving me very disappointed and upset. I will NOT be taking him back to them.

I’ve been searching desperately for a vet that knows anything about this condition and the treatments but so far have had no luck ( I’m in Memphis, TN ). After seeing your post about the pleural port, which no dr. yet has mentioned to me, I believe that is the route we want to go… if we can find someone who can do it without complications and if so I’m praying that we can somehow afford it. We are already in so much debt from his torsion surgery I’m not sure what we are going to do. Right now he is acting OK with an occasional deep breath or two, it’s been a week and half since he was tapped. I have started him on Rutin.

I am concerned about how this works long term and how expensive it is to upkeep… how is your dog doing?? Are you still draining fluid twice a week? If you wouldn’t mind filling me in on how she’s doing I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Lyndzy L.

[Carol M]

Lyndzy, I’m sorry you’re going through all this! I think you need a new vet — how could the chylothorax NOT be related to the lung torsion? Or vice versa?

My dog was diagnosed almost 3 years ago; the surgery didn’t work and led to a lung torsion which caused a 2nd surgery. The pleural port was put in a few months later. It did have to be replaced not long after and then had to be replaced about a year ago- not sure what happened, it may have become clogged. (has been a financial and emotional nightmare)

When the port was replaced 11/14, they found that one side of her chest was “pocketed” from scarring from chest taps. The port’s still working and I get almost 2 liters out a week (she’s 30 lbs). She’s been on Rutin 1000mg 3 times a day and on Royal Canin Low Fat Gastrointestinal food the whole time. Did they recommend a low fat diet? it’s supposed to help.

The port surgery was around $1800 total and she went home the same day. The port is under the skin with the tube going into the chest cavity. Probably depends on the dog and how much fluid; we do it twice a week. She’s doing amazingly well considering it’s been almost 3 years. I thought it was a death sentence & the prognosis was “guarded.” She’s eating well, playful and very happy in spite of all she’s been through.

Ongoing costs aren’t bad compared to surgery (assuming you don’t have to get the port replaced). You have to use a Huber non-coring needle to access the port. You attach an injection plug to that and then use a large (60cc or 2oz) syringe to drain the fluid. Takes some effort and you keep repeating til it stops. I only shave the area once a week; might have to do it more often with your dog. Takes 2 people; one to do the procedure and another to hold/calm the dog. Very hard to do it alone and keep things sterile and her calm.

I switched from a standard Huber needle to a right angle infusion set – it has a 6″ tube so makes it easier to work with. You have to kind of push on the regular needle to keep it in while you’re pulling on the syringe at the same time. The right angle stays in place.

Costs: $48 for 12 Huber infusion sets; 60ml syringe about $1 each; 1″ 18 gauge needle about $6 for a box of 100; injection ports $55 for a box of 100; heparin flush syringes about $1 or less each. I’m thinking it comes out to about $10 each time, maybe less.

Can’t find the medical supplies in one place so I have to order from several places. Some require a prescription depending on the item. I can give you the names if you do go with the port.

The place that makes the pleural port also sells the needles – http://norfolkvetproducts.com/pleuralport.html. You might call them and see if they know of any vets in the Memphis area since they supply the port. Pamela is in sales and she’s been great to work with.

I think the port is a fairly new thing. Might be used more in cats. There is a Facebook page called “Chylothorax Cats” that has some information on it but nothing for dogs.

Good luck to you and your dog! Carol

[Carol M]

PS You usually have to buy the medical supplies in boxes or cases; so the heparin syringe comes in boxes of 30 for about $23-30 a box; injection plugs 100/box; needles 100/box, etc.

[Lyndzy L]

Carol,
Thank you SO much for all this information I cannot tell you how helpful this is. You’ve been able to tell me more than any vet so far has. I’m going to try to find a local vet that is familiar with the port and go from there. Hearing that your dog is doing well over 3 years does give me hope.

When I read that your pup also had a lung lobe torsion my jaw dropped. I am 100% certain these two are related.

Thank you very much for your help.

[Lisa O]

Hi Carol,

I hope your Sheltie continues to do well; your story has been an encouraging inspiration for me. Our Irish Wolfhound, Carrick, was diagnosed with idiopathic chylothorax two and a half months ago (March, 2016). He was exactly 3 1/2 years old on March 2nd. As you and others have already noted, we thought it was an immediate death sentence. I would like to extend a huge thank you to you for taking the time to share your experiences and reply to all the previous posts; you have provided a wealth of information for all of us struggling on this un-fun path. You may not realize just how great an impact you are making 🙂

Carrick has been tapped about every two weeks since he was initially diagnosed. The onset was sudden and our vet initially thought it was congestive heart failure. We then went to a veterinary cardiologist who diagnosed it as idiopathic chylothorax. We then went to consult with a surgeon regarding our options; the surgery estimate was $17,000 for a 50/50 chance of success (I’m sure his size factored into this insane number, and possibly our location; the veterinary hospital is about 25 miles outside of Manhattan). This was not a financial option for us. Since reading your posts, I am grateful that it wasn’t.

We are now seeing a holistic vet and have been feeding him a home cooked low fat diet and giving him 2000 mg of Rutin four times a day, among other things. The last three chest taps have been 15 and 16 days apart with a removal of about two gallons of chyle each time. Also, thanks to you for the information on the port; our vet has spoken with the manufacturer and ordered it. Any and all additional information or advice you may have will be gratefully received

[Carol M]

Hi Lisa,

Thank you for your kind words! I hope Carrick does well. I had to order more needles from Norfolk the other day — Pam, the sales rep is wonderful — she suggested you contact Animal Medical Center in NY. She said it’s a non-profit but she didn’t know if they would charge less or might have some ideas. The $17,000 is ridiculous, Manhattan, his size or not! It was about $5k here in NC…it didn’t work & in fact yesterday was the 3 year anniversary of the initial surgery. The odds were 70-80% success rate.

I drain my dog twice a week & get about a liter of fluid each time, so about a gallon over a 2 week span. I think it was about a liter every 2 weeks initially so it’s increased quite a bit. Her left side is pocketed from repeated chest taps but the vet said fluid was still coming out so that’s a good thing. Sounds like Carrick has about double the fluid but he’d be much larger – she’s about 30 lbs.

I would not have had the surgery if I’d had any idea how bad things would get but I’m very grateful she’s still here!

I think the port is the way to go but I’m not a vet. It doesn’t cause scarring/pocketing like the taps do. Took a while to get used to doing it (I am more than a bit squeamish) but she’s very good about it. She’ll even come over to be shaved. knowing what’s coming. I’m sure she feels better.

One thing that I’ve read about chylothorax is a “gradual wasting” because of the loss of fats and proteins being removed with the chyle. I haven’t noticed any weight loss, her appetite is good, although her protein levels are a little low but not seriously low. I did talk to a nutritionist and she recommended a product called Vivonex TEN. It’s a liquid diet for people who can’t absorb nutrients through digestion. I tried mixing it with chicken broth, my dog won’t take it. But, it may be worth asking about, or since you’re using a holistic vet, there may be other nutritional alternatives.

Good luck! I hope that if you have the port put in that all goes well! Keep us all posted.
Carol

[Lisa O]

Hi Carol and everyone else on the chylothorax roller coaster ride,

Everyone has been very kind and generous sharing their experiences and knowledge. Unfortunately, Carrick, our Irish Wolfhound had to be put down this past Friday, June 3rd. There are no words to describe how devastated our entire family feels.

I wish all of you all the best of luck and health on your own journies,

Lisa

[crazy4cats]

Hi Lisa-
I’m so sorry for your loss. My heart breaks for you. Take care.

[Shawna]

I’m so sorry, Lisa!! Prayers for you and your entire family!!!

[Carol M]

Oh, Lisa, I am so sorry. That is heartbreaking and I wish I had words that would help. You and your family are in my prayers. And please know that Carrick knew he was loved and that you did all you could for him.

[Kelly K]

I am so happy to have found this post but so sad to need it. My dog, Tucker, is such a trooper. About 2 weeks ago my boy started with a cough, just the odd cough here and there. In a couple of days I decided to take him to the vet, just before we left he coughed up blood and that was the first sign it was serious. Our vet took blood work and did x-rays and our vet was stymied by the results but didn’t think he had much of a chance but to be euthanized. He seemed perfectly healthy! She said we could try taking him to a veterinary hospital in the city staffed by specialists and surgeons and we drove there that night. Like Lyndzy’s and Carol’s dogs, he was diagnosed with Lung Lobe Torsion. If it was a primary condition and he made it through the night, he was given good odds with the surgery. There was no other option, that or euthanasia and so we went ahead with hope and love in our hearts (…and don’t forget the wallets). He pulled through the surgery really well, was getting the best care and it looked like he was going to come home early, when after 2 days the fluid draining from his chest tube turned from a clear pink to a strawberry milkshake colour and increased from 20-30 mls to over 100. It was chyle. I understand that the situation can resolve on its own sometimes and we are hoping. They took the chest tube out after a few days and sent him home anyway – his recovery is amazing considering he just had a lung removed! But at the first visit back an ultrasound showed the chyle is still building up.

He goes back tomorrow to get the staples removed and assess the situation. I am hoping against hope that it is resolved on its own but I am afraid they will recommend the surgery for it but the results don’t seem to be great, he is still recovering and I’m not sure that my wallet can handle anymore. It is eating me up inside. Everything else is going so well but there is a distinct lack of good information out there.

I was so sad to read about Lisa’s dog – but it gives me hope that yours is doing ok after 3 years, Carol. Lindsay, is your dog doing ok?

Right now he is on the Royal Canin Low-fat gastro wet diet. However this alone is going to bankrupt me at $50/6 days from my vet. I have to find a good, low-fat dry kibble to mix with it at the very least or figure out a healthy low-fat recipe that I can cook. My real problem with this is that he is also allergic to chicken which is a fundamental ingredient in most foods. Prior to this he was on the Holistic Select Salmon, Anchovy and Sardine diet. Very healthy but higher in fat.

My vet said if it says “hydrollised” chicken protein that it is digestible even with an allergy but at this point I don’t want to take the risk. The other brand she suggested is vegetarian with soy as the main protein – I have a lot of misgivings about that due to the protein loss that can accompany chylothorax. He is a very skinny Royal Standard Poodle – 31″ at the shoulder and honestly can’t afford much weight loss. If anyone has any healthy non-chicken low-fat diet recipes they would like to share, I would certainly appreciate it.

I will take the advice on here to heart when I go see the vet tomorrow – as well as any other suggestions, feedback, etc., that you all have. My heart is breaking for my big guy.

[Carol M]

I’m sorry to hear you’re going through this too, Kelly. This is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

My dog is still doing well & I’m so thankful for that. Her lung lobe torsion occurred after she had the surgery (thoracic duct ligation). They said some fluid build up is normal after surgery but the torsion wasn’t the cause of the chylothorax. She had to have a 2nd surgery to fix the torsion. We tried the low fat diet & Rutin for several weeks before surgery & it wasn’t working; chyle was still building up & she had to be tapped repeatedly. The surgery didn’t work & she had a pleural port put in; we drain the fluid at home.

She is on Royal Canin low fat gastro and I mix the canned & dry food together. She also takes 1000mg of Rutin 3 times a day. Did they suggest Rutin? That’s about the only thing that’s been suggested for chylothorax. That and a low fat diet.

If I had it to do over again I would not have had the surgery. It cost a fortune & didn’t work. It may work for some dogs. I didn’t know about the pleural port and hers was the first one the vet did, but I would try that before doing major surgery if at all possible. The chest taps cause scarring and pocketing in the chest, which can make getting fluid out harder or even impossible. She has pocketing on one side but fluid can still come out.

Most vets have never dealt with this at all and haven’t heard of the pleural port. It’s a much less invasive procedure; the port is under the skin with a tube that goes thru the chest cavity. You use a special needle and after cleaning the area, insert the needle into the center of the port (think it’s silicone) and pull out fluid til it stops. We do it twice a week and get about 800ml – 1000ml out each time. She’s about 30 lbs. so that’s a lot but it’s been that way for 3 years.

I don’t know anything about other foods; she’s been on the Royal Canin since she was diagnosed. The Hills Prescription food is available too but about the same price. I don’t think I’d even consider anything that your dog is allergic to though.

Her protein levels are a little low but not terribly; and she’s at the same weight she was before all this. She eats well & is active & happy. I was worried about the protein loss as it’s said to lead to wasting but that hasn’t happened.

I would ask your vet about the port – info at norfolkvetproducts.com. Maybe even print the info out & bring it with you. And I’d ask about the success rate they’ve had with the surgery; what they think caused the torsion (was it first or was the chylothorax first and caused the torsion) and if your dog isn’t already on Rutin, ask about that too.

And — it may yet resolve on its own — it sounds like it hasn’t been that long. They tried my dog for several weeks on Rutin & low fat diet to see if it would go away before talking about surgery. Don’t let them rush you into a decision – it’s not good but it’s not necessarily an emergency either.

I wish you lots of good luck and please keep us posted! Carol

[Joseph N]

Hey All, my dog (2 yr old 40-45lb Plott Hound) probably has Chylothorax. It looks exactly like it but we’re waiting on test results to rule out lymphoma and infection.

Researching this online I’ve found (like you all) that I should add Rutin to her new low-fat diet. So I ordered some. I’m trying to understand the dosing though. From what I can tell Rutin’s possible mechanisms for helping are poorly understood at best, but also that it has a very low or unknown toxicity. I’ve run across people citing 50 – 100 mg/kg body weight as a recommended dose, but I’ve found no reason for those numbers. Is it pure guess work?

I’ve found the LD95 of Rutin for rats of 19.5 g/kg, which is enormous. Various sources claim no effects for male rats at all until somewhere between 500 – 2500 mg/kg, and females can take even more. I haven’t found this data for dogs.

So, I’m betting dogs can take a lot more than 100 mg/kg, and I don’t know why that’s the number that’s floating around everywhere. My guess is some researcher picked it out of the air and ran with it. It seemed safe, so it stuck. For sure though, there seems to be a big lack of info on Rutin as a treatment :/

I think I’m going to give my dog more, but I’m trying to decide how much. For now I’ll start off at ~ 200mg/kg. Perhaps she’ll just pee it out like taking a lot of Vitamin C, but it seems very unlikely to hurt.

[Carol M]

FWIW I give my dog 1000mg of Rutin 3 times a day. She weighs about 30 lbs. She’s also on a low fat diet.

Monday marks 4 years since her (failed) surgery. If it is chylothorax you may want to look into a pleural port instead of surgery. I’m not a vet but the surgery didn’t work, she had complications, it cost a fortune. She’s been doing pretty well overall with the port — she’s still here.

There is now a group on Facebook “Afghan Hounds & Others with Chylothorax” — there may be some advice there on the rutin. Link is http://www.facebook.com/groups/125192481255653/

I wish you the best of luck! Hopefully not chylothorax but lymphoma isn’t a great alternative. Carol

[Maria S]

It has been a lot of years since I have had to worry about Chylothorax. My GSD was diagnosed at the very young age of 1 year, she is now nearly 9. She never showed any sign that she was sick, then for 2 days she only nibbled at her food and on the third day she was breathing heavier than normal. I took her to our normal vet, they took x-rays and saw fluid so they tapped her chest, 3-4 Liters and kept her chest kept filling up within minutes. They told us they were not equip to handle the situation and our only chance was to take her to the specialist right then and there or euthanize. So my husband and I rushed our girl to the ER.

Once there, they did more diagnostics to try to figure out what was causing the Chylothorax so they knew how to go about trying to treat it. After about $2500 in diagnostics, it came back idiopathic, no medical reason for it. We ended up having to leave her at the ER overnight and finally by the next day she was doing a little better. She stopped building up fluid and she was allowed to go home. The doctors told us to start a low fat diet, Rutin, and minimize the exercise. I do not remember dosing of the Rutin, I believe we started out at 1500mg 3x/day (86lb at that time). I don’t know the science behind the dosing either, I just did what I was told.

Doing this treatment, Daisy did well for about 3 months before we had to take her in again to get her chest tapped. The doctors increased the Rutin to 3000mg 3x/day, I was going through I think 3-4 bottles a week. It must have helped some though because Daisy did well until November, about 11 months after being diagnosed. She was tapped the first week of November, then the third week, then 5 days later, then 3, then 2, then needed done again the next day. Each time was harder to get fluid out because of the fibrin that was building up after each tap. They told me I had to do surgery or euthanize.

We made an appointment with the surgeon for a consultation. We were hesitant because of everything we had been told and read it didn’t look good. The surgeon, however, told us that he had a 79% success chance (that may not sound good to most people but with the 35% odds that we were reading about this sounded great) so we set up the surgery for the next day. We were quoted $2500-$4000 depending on recovery. Daisy did very well with the surgery (thoracic duct ligation and pericardectomy), ended up having to stay 1 extra day because of mild fluid buildup still. I got to take her home the day before her 2nd birthday.

Daisy stayed on Rutin for I’d say 6 months or maybe more and still to this day stays on a low fat diet. I get yearly chest x-rays to make sure fluid is not building up again and so far it has not. She plays pretty normal for the most part, she will play until her tongue starts to turn blue so I do have to watch her.

My point to this lengthy response is this: The surgery may be pricey, and yes it is not a 100% guarantee it will cure Chylothorax, but there are still better odds of it helping rather than not doing a surgery at all. I feel a drain would be best if the surgery does not work (obviously curing the condition would be better than just treating) or if it is your only option because of money issues. On that note though, I wish I had found this forum when I was dealing with this. It would have been nice to know that there was another treatment if they surgery did not work, no doctor ever mentioned this to me.

I wish the best of luck to everyone that is battling Chylothorax and if I can help in any way, please feel free to reach out to me.

[Gary W]

As a rule, veterinarians consider a diet with less than 10 percent fat on a dry matter basis (less than 17 percent of calories from fat) to be low fat, while diets with 10 to 15 percent fat (17 to 23 percent of calories) are considered to contain a moderate amount of fat. Foods with more than 20 percent fat are considered high-fat. A few dogs may need a very low-fat diet, especially if they have hyperlipidemia, or if they react to foods with higher levels of fat.

To make a low-fat homemade diet, feed about half carbohydrates, and half low-fat meat, eggs, and dairy. The percentage of carbs can be decreased, and the amount of meat increased, if you use very low-fat cuts, or boil them to remove most of the fat.

The majority of the carbohydrates should be starchy foods, such as rice, oatmeal, barley, quinoa, pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and winter squashes (e.g., acorn and butternut), to supply low-fat calories. Other types of vegetables, such as broccoli, summer squash, and leafy greens can be included, but they supply fewer calories so they can’t replace the starchy carbs. You can also use a low-fat pre-mix designed to balance out a homemade diet, such as Preference from The Honest Kitchen.

The other half of the diet should be mostly low-fat meats, or meats cooked to remove much of their fat. Skinless chicken breast is very low in fat, but other parts can be used as long as you remove the skin and visible fat. Turkey, venison, goat, buffalo, and rabbit are low in fat, while lamb and pork are generally high in fat. Ground beef comes in varying levels of fat.

Whole eggs are relatively high in fat but are highly nutritious, so they should be included in the diet in limited amounts. A large egg has about 5 grams of fat, which is not a lot for a very large dog, but too much for smaller dogs. You can hard boil eggs and then feed just a portion each day, or split them between multiple dogs. Almost all of the fat and calories are in the yolks, so the whites alone can be added to increase protein without increasing fat, if needed. When feeding just egg whites, they should either be cooked or a B vitamin supplement should be added, as raw egg whites can deplete biotin over time when fed without the yolks.

Low-fat or nonfat dairy products are also good to include in the diet. Cottage cheese, plain yogurt, and kefir (a cultured milk product that is easy to make at home using low-fat or nonfat milk) are all good choices. Avoid other cheeses; even low-fat ones are high in fat (nonfat is okay).

Homemade diets should include organ meat, and most organs are low in fat. Liver and kidney should be fed in small amounts only, no more than 5 to 10 percent of the total diet (around 1 to 1.5 ounces organ meat per pound of food). Beef heart is quite low in fat and is nutritionally more of a muscle meat, so it can be fed in larger quantities, as long as your dog does well with it.

Fruits such as apple, banana, melon, papaya, and blueberries are fine to include in the diet in small amounts. Avoid avocados, which are high in fat.

[Tamera S]

Been reading through all these posts and could find any recent from Nancy M. I was wondering how things turned out for her baby. Any of these babies really. We are heartbroken, as our 3 & 1/2 year old Sheltie has just been diagnosed with Idiopathic Chylothorax. The specialist I took him to terrified me, and he will not be going back to them even if we decide on surgery. When I told them we wanted to try least invasive options like Rutin and a low fat diet first, she wouldn’t be listen. Then came back telling me they nicked Scout’s lung when draining fluid so now his chest was filling with air! They wanted to keep him overnight, I refused to let them, he is fine, no symptoms they said he would have because of their incompetence. I feel they where just a surgery factory. My regular vet closed her practice and moved out of country on the Friday before this all happened. We are $2000 in. No surgery, just drain and diagnostic. No answers. I have talked to a Holistic doctor and he recommended supplements to ssupport his urinary tract as well. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We love our baby and want to do the best we can to give him the full and active life he deserves.
TIA
Tamera

[Melanie B]

Dear Tamara,

I know exactly how you are feeling. 4 years ago, our Sheltie,

Cooper, was diagnosed with Idiopathic Chylothorax. I had never heard of this before. We did opt to have the plural ports surgically inserted, because his lungs were so diminished. We pulled fluid from his chest for approx. one year. I also did a lot of reading about this disease. Because of the fluid buildup in the chest, the chest can become inflamed. So, we started him on 3000 mg of Rutin daily (1000 mg 3 x’s daily). Also, started him on Raw Unfiltered Honey, and sprinkled Ceylon Cinnamon on top (the only cinnamon dogs can have), this is for the inflammation. About 1 Tablespoon of honey with a good sprinkling of cinnamon on top of the meals.. breakfast and dinner. I found Nutro dog food to have the lowest fat count. My dog would not eat the food the Dr recommended.. it was really dry. This was and still is our regimen. Fast forward, our Cooper is now 9. We no longer have to pull fluid, his lungs are again in great condition. You would never know he had ever been sick. I know this is not the case for all dogs diagnosed. But, I wanted you to know this is not necessarily a death sentence, as I had thought. So, we followed the above regimen, along with lots and lots of prayers, and our boy is doing wonderful.

I wish you the absolute best with your baby!!!!!

Sincerely,

Melanie

Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device

——– Original message ——–

From: Dog Food Advisor <noreply@dogfoodadvisor.com>

Date: 9/16/18 5:51 PM (GMT-06:00)

To: noreply@dogfoodadvisor.com

Subject: [Dog Food Advisor] Low-fat healthy diet needed

Tamera S wrote:

Been reading through all these posts and could find any recent from Nancy M. I was wondering how things turned out for her baby. Any of these babies really. We are heartbroken, as our 3 & 1/2 year old Sheltie has just been diagnosed with Idiopathic Chylothorax. The specialist I took him to terrified me, and he will not be going back to them even if we decide on surgery. When I told them we wanted to try least invasive options like Rutin and a low fat diet first, she wouldn’t be listen. Then came back telling me they nicked Scout’s lung when draining fluid so now his chest was filling with air! They wanted to keep him overnight, I refused to let them, he is fine, no symptoms they said he would have because of their incompetence. I feel they where just a surgery factory. My regular vet closed her practice and moved out of country on the Friday before this all happened. We are $2000 in. No surgery, just drain and diagnostic. No answers. I have talked to a Holistic doctor and he recommended supplements to ssupport his urinary tract as well. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We love our baby and want to do the best we can to give him the full and active life he deserves.
TIA
Tamera

Post Link: /forums/topic/low-fat-healthy-diet-needed/#post-121737

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[Melanie B]

Tamera,

I forgot to mention.. the reason we only pulled fluid for a year, is because he stopped producing the fluid. 

Melanie

Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device

–.

[Author]

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