Cannoli’s Liver Biopsy Fund

Hi guys. I’ve been trying to write this out since Christmas Eve, but it’s been pretty hard for me, as it concerns our dog Cannoli. He is unfortunately very sick. In June of 2020, Jon And I took Cannoli in for his annual physical. They offered to do blood work, to make sure he was as healthy inside as he was outside. We of course agreed, not expecting any bad news whatsoever. Upon receiving his results, we were told that his liver ALT (alanine transaminase) levels were dangerously high. ALT is an enzyme in the liver that aids in converting protein into energy for liver cells. A high ALT means that the liver is damaged, and ALT is released into the bloodstream, causing levels to rise. Normal readings of ALT for Cannoli should be around 70-120. His is at ~625-750. There are many different reasonings why these levels are elevated, and being that he is a very young dog showing no symptoms, the vet suspected he may have eaten something he wasn’t supposed to. They put him on a supplement called Denamarin, and informed me to come back once a month for three months for blood work to see if his levels would level out and go back to normal. Come September, his levels barely budged, and actually increased. At this point, they recommended to perform a bile essay to see if there was a shunt, which is an abnormality where the blood bypasses (or shunts) the liver, allowing toxins to flow through the blood stream. After the vets performed this test, it came back clean, eliminating a diagnosis that he had a shunt. At this point, they recommend a sonogram to ensure that his liver has been completely formed in the womb, that he doesn’t have any other type of liver deformity, and to see if there was any signs of an infection. In October, we took him in to get his procedure done. About a week later, the internal medicine vet informed me that his sonogram came back completely clean, with his liver having no deformities, and no visible signs of infection on the outer liver. Both vet offices were now thinking that perhaps he possible has an infection inside his liver, and we all decided to put him on a 2-month round of antibiotics. If levels dropped, this would showcase that he was indeed battling an infection, and would continue rounds until levels were back to normal. If levels remained the same, they highly recommend a biopsy to see if he has something much more serious. After 2 months of antibiotics (Nov-Dec), levels were still extremely high, not even making a dent in the numbers. On Christmas Eve, I was informed by both of my vets that Cannoli will need to have a biopsy procedure done to find out why is liver is failing him. I am extremely heart broken in the fact that my sweet Cannoli is very sick, and not knowing what is wrong with him is extremely hard. Jon and I have decided to go with the biopsy option after speaking with both vets and spending many hours researching in ALT levels and what possible sicknesses he may have. I have kept this extremely private for many reasons, as I truly did not believe it would get to this point. I love Cannoli so much, and I just want to know what he has so I can treat him and hopefully get him back to normal. His biopsy comes with a hefty price tag of $6,000. I know this is an INSANE amount, but ANY help is appreciated, whether it’s financially or even a simple share or word of mouth. Any money donated will go straight to his biopsy, and if by some reason it goes over the 6K mark, it will go towards his aftercare. If you made it this far, I am so grateful for you just for simply listening. If you have any questions, feel free to message Jon or I, and we will happily provide any answers to your questions. Thank you, and much love.