Hello: Is there such a thing is secondary lymphangiectasia - coming from food allergy or IBS? And if so, is there a way to determine whether my dog has genetic (primary) or caused by another issue (secondary) lymphangiectasia? My 3 year old German Shepherd was diagnosed with Lymphangiectasia about 2 years ago, but I have no way of knowing if it was caused by another issue or it is primary. He was on Pred for about 14 months which I have slowly weened him off completely. He has eaten only Purina HA (soy protein) since. Recently, because his appetite wanes so much, I tried introducing freeze dried raw lamb in his diet for palatability and overall health. 6-7 weeks later he has begun having diarrhea again and loss of appetite.

Our vet suspects our frenchie has lymphangiectasia. We’ve had a rough few weeks but now after getting used to a very low fat diet we have firm stools again and low normal levels of albumin. He has lost 3lbs (healthy is 20lbs for him) and has been very lethargic. My question- now that he’s forming hard stools again and his albumin is up will his body begin absorbing the protein and nutrients he needs to gain weight and feel better? Or will this disease always prevent him from getting proper nutrition/protein? He is being fed a little over 2 cups of boiled extra lean beef, broccoli and sweet potatoes as well as digestive enzymes and balance it canine nutrition balancer. We feed him small meals 6 times a day. He’s still on prednislone, metronidazole ands tylosin powder. Now that we are seeing positive signs I just want hope that he can get weight back on him and get his energy back.

After a case of diarrhoea and vomiting blood, our Vet took a muscle tissue biopsy and confirmed from the laboratory that there is a dilation of one of the lymphatics in the muscle layers with a focal nodular lesion, which surrounds one the lymph vessels. The lesion is comprised of large bloated macrophages with admixed small numbers of lymphocytes, plasma cells, and rare neutrophils. The muscle layers and serosa are otherwise unremarkable and no infectious agents are noted and there is no evidence of a neoplastic process. Diagnosis is Lymphangectasia - presumptive. Our Vet is not sure what has caused this disease and has taken a blood sample to determine Mechis' vitamins levels and has provided supplements and started a course of corticosteroids. Mechi does have an appetite, however very picky as he will not eat his vitamins unless they are crushed and served with mince (i've tried chicken and hot dogs). As Mechi is very picky I have narrowed down to chicken, rice, scrambled eggs, bran cereal, and turkey mince. Is there any other food I should try to introduce to ensure he is getting enough nutrition? Is a raw diet beneficial? I'm afraid he is not getting enough protein and might suffer from thrombosis. I've also noticed his eyes have a hazy look and he squints all the time. Thank you!

Our Bella has been diagnosed with Lymphangiectasia whereby in her case, the lymphatic fluid of the body is leaked into the gastrointestinal tract. She has been put onto a strict low fat diet and medication consisting of Medrol 4mg,Azapress 50mg and Meditrich.Her albumen is staying constant at 15 however, draining of the fluid on weekly basis is required as the vet is concerned that the fluid will go into her lungs. What else can be done/checked for, as her condition after 2 months treatment does not seem to be improving?

My 8 year old Kelpie cross has recently been diagnosed with intestinal lymphangiatasia. His weight has progressively decreased from 18 to 14 kg over 5 months during which he has had bouts of diarrhea and at best loose stool. Weight loss and diarrhea have been partially arrested following strict adherence to ultra low fat diet (chicken breast and potato, plus vitamin supplements). He has recently started on prednisolone/metronidazol treatment (2mg predn./kg body weight... for 3 weeks). This has not resulted in either improvement in body weight (in fact Basil has lost a further 0.5kg) or firmness of stool and he remains acutely intolerant of fat even at the low levels in Hills Low Fat Science diet). Are there any other treatments for increasing muscle mass and firmness of stool that should be investigated, either dietary (eg. branched chain amino acids, medium chain triglycerides?) or drug (additional anti-inflammatories such as chlorambucil?)? Any advice would be appreciated as I am desperate to explore any treatments that might improve his condition.