Today, as promised, I’m explaining what a bile acid test is because I will be getting one in a few months. There are two blood tests that can help determine how healthy my liver is. One is called a liver enzyme level & the other is a bile acid test. The liver enzyme test can indicate the degree of inflammation or damage. A bile acid test measures how the liver functions & if it is working properly. A healthy liver will recycle bile acids, a damaged liver wont. Doing a bile acid test will reveal if enough healthy cells are present, if the blood supply to the liver is adequate & if bile moving through & out of the liver properly.

The liver secretes bile which is needed for proper digestion because it breaks down fats. During digestion bile acids are released by the gallbladder where they are stored &  get absorbed by the intestine, then the bloodstream. If the liver is functioning properly, the bile acids are then removed from the bloodstream & returned to the gallbladder until they are needed again. This is called Enterohepatic Circulation.

I’m having this test done because the medications I have to take daily are known to be stressful on the liver. More so over time & I am getting older. When I have my test done, huMom says I’ll have to fast, which is pawsitively displeasing to know. Not only that, I can’t even smell food because we don’t want my tummy waking up. My good vet will take a blood sample & then my good Vet or Vet Tech will feed me a small fatty meal . Two hours later, my vet will take a second blood sample.

The two blood samples will be compared to show before & after meal levels of bile acids. If they show blood levels of bile acids that are high, this means that my liver isn’t doing its job as well as it should & huMom will work with my vet to get my liver healthier. However, we are staying pawsitive & hoping for a low bile acid count.

huMom understands, this is part of living with canine epilepsy. My medications are life saving but they are harsh on my body. Which reminds me, today I’m 163 days seizure free. I’ll be pup-dating you soon on huMom’s thoughts about my CBD oil & I’ll share what I’ve sniffed out about what, if any effect they have on the liver.

CEO Olivia ❤