My mum took my 6 year old male Westie Jack to the Vet's last Tuesday as he was not eating much, had vomited bile almost daily for about a week and his stomach was periodically gurgling very loudly. Otherwise he was his normal lively self. On initial examination the vet could not find anything amiss but offered to keep Jack for the day to X-ray him, just in case he had eaten something daft. To my horror later that day the vet telephoned and reported Jack had an enlarged liver. When mum collected Jack she was given a long list of possible causes, most of which meant nothing to her. The only thing which really stood out was the possibilty that it could be cancer. She was given a course of antibiotics (ampicillin) and told to return in 10 days time when Jack's progress would be determined. The vet said a biopsy would determine exactly what the problem was but to do it two days before Xmas would be pointless as results would not be received until well into the New Year. He was also reluctant to put Jack through this procedure if it were not absolutely necessary, in other words the antibiotics might do the trick. Well, you can imagine the sort of Xmas we've just had - worried sick & frequently in tears. The good news is Jack is eating again and has not been sick since his visit to the vet. He's in good form, his usual self. I can't stop panicking.

Has anyone any knowledge of this sort of thing?
Is the vet right to try antibiotics before exploring this further?
Are there any causes of an enlarged liver from which he could recover?
What should I expect/demand from the vet on my next visit?

Any advice/experiences would be greatly appreciated - its gonna be a VERY long week until Friday. 

T.C.

Hi Guest

If I were you I would ring your vet and ask again about the possible causes.  He obviously thinks that one of them might be an infection of some kind or he would not have given Jack anti-biotics.  Instead of thinking the worst ask for clarification.

My bitch, Fennel, had a large tumor removed last Tuesday (see Mammary Strip thread)  and though we are all taking it for granted that it is malignant we have to wait for the biopsy results to find out just how malignant.  There is nothing I can do to alter the outcome but she is getting a lot of TLC at the moment

Hope all goes well for Jack

Christine