Post Surgery Behavior - Page 2 - YorkieTalk.com Forums

kjc · 06-21-2012, 04:49 PM

Oh no! Praying for good test results! Some Yorkies with mild cases of Liver Shunt aren't diagnosed until they're older. Here's some info:

Portosystemic Shunts FAQ

Charlies Mamma · 06-21-2012, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjc

Oh no! Praying for good test results! Some Yorkies with mild cases of Liver Shunt aren't diagnosed until they're older. Here's some info:

Portosystemic Shunts FAQ

Thank you for this link. It is so much to take in. you know Charlie is a very playful active pup. he doesnt have most of the symptoms on the list of things associated with a shunt. really only the stones and occasional diarrhea but none of the others. I just pray it is not a shunt, I just dont know what Ill do if it is.

gracielove · 06-22-2012, 02:49 AM

My Gracie was a small puppy. Kind of the runt of the litter. My vet was concerned about liver shunt. She told me to watch for vomiting and diarrhea which are also symptoms of pancreatitis. There are various levels of severity with liver shunt so not all symptoms would be evident in a dog with the problem. I hope they are able to diagnose and treat him properly very soon.

Charlies Mamma · 06-22-2012, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gracielove

My Gracie was a small puppy. Kind of the runt of the litter. My vet was concerned about liver shunt. She told me to watch for vomiting and diarrhea which are also symptoms of pancreatitis. There are various levels of severity with liver shunt so not all symptoms would be evident in a dog with the problem. I hope they are able to diagnose and treat him properly very soon.

Charlie has never been small he weighed about 5 lbs when I got him and he is 12 now. He doesnt vomit and he rarely has diarrhea but his stool is soft rarely a firm stool. He does have a confirmed dx of pancreatitis the trouble is those stones.... they are just not the kind a yorkie should have. I have just been sick all day knowing we have to have the test tomorrow. and then to have to wait 3-5 days for results. He does get his stiches out tomorrow so that will be good he needs a good groom he has one front leg they shaved part of and one back leg they shaved part of he kind of looks like a hobo or a really fuzzy pear of slippers

Please keep him in your prayers tonight. He cant eat after 900pm so im gonna make sure he gets something tastey

gracielove · 06-22-2012, 05:36 PM

I'll be thinking about and praying for both of you. Please let us know how things go.

Charlies Mamma · 06-22-2012, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gracielove

I'll be thinking about and praying for both of you. Please let us know how things go.

I will, thank you

Charlies Mamma · 06-23-2012, 06:16 AM

Well I dropped Charlie off for the shunt test have to pick him up in a couple hours. He was so happy and playful this morning I just cant believe he could have something so awful

He was not happy about getting in the car though, I think he knows everytime he gets in that its going to be a Dr visit

Keep him in prayers for good results.

kjc · 06-23-2012, 06:21 AM

Praying for good results for dear Charlie...

gracielove · 06-23-2012, 02:48 PM

I hope it isn't the liver but they need to know why he is producing that type of stone. Hopefully this will rule out the liver or give them a way to treat it.

yorkietalkjilly · 06-23-2012, 02:57 PM

I'm praying for sweet Charlie & for you. I know the waiting will be terrible. Try to keep yourself distracted with any other thing you can.

Charlies Mamma · 06-23-2012, 03:13 PM

Well the vet said in the scheme of things she is hoping that the issue IS a small shunt. the reason being if it isnt... then there is another reason for the imbalance of the PH in his urine thats causing the stones, she says that is much harder to treat Since charlie doest have the signs of a "regular/large shunt she feels it could be esaily treated with meds and diet.

I did ask about the diet since he is on a chicken diet for the pancreatitis and a shunt diet is low protien she says that if he has the shunt that the pancreatitis is most likely a secondary effect of the shunt. she didnt want to go into great detail since we dont even know yet but she mentioned a "white diet" it included things like cottage cheese and he would eat smaller portions of chicken.

Has anyone heard of a "white diet"?

Charlies Mamma · 06-25-2012, 02:45 PM

Well Charlies results came back today there was no waiting involved. His bile levels were way off the charts both fasting and after he ate.

Normal fasting Bile acid should be <13 Charlies was 30.3
Normal post meal Bile acid should be <25 Charlies was 71.3

Normal BUN is 6-31 Charlies was 32
Normal Neutrophils is 60-77 Charlies is 78

All other labs were normal

But this means that he has a shunt and that he should have surgery to correct it but I just dont know where I would get that kind of money. The surgery to remove the stones wiped out savings.

The vet has changed his diet to a food called prescription diet l/d and I will start him on a supplement called Vetra SAM-e it is supposed to help clean the toxins from his system like the liver should be doing.

An ultrasound with doppler can be done to see if they can visualize the shunt but there are no guarantees if the shunt is intrahepatic it would not be seen on an ultrasound. surgery is also very risky ( I knew this) but they made apoint to tell me that.

They say that the diet and supplement could buy him time but that he would probably get the stones again and be in the same place

I think I am going to repost this by itself to see if anyone has gone through this surgery I just wanted to make sure you all were updated since you have been following along with me in this.

Any suggestions or advise is welcomed.

gracielove · 06-25-2012, 06:11 PM

It seems like your vet kind of prepared you for these results. I'm so sorry. It's so difficult to believe that a 5 year old healthy looking fella like yours would have liver shunt. The chemical imbalance in his body does indicate his problem though. I'm so sorry you are facing this.
I know of a person on another forum that is facing much the same issue. Their dog is on the small size and had to have stones removed several months ago. It wiped out their extra money and have been facing the fact that once he gets filled with stones again they would have to have him put down. Their vet did not investigate the liver though. I don't remember what his stones were composed of though
I hope there are others on YT who have some assistance for you. I know there are others that have been faced with this. I think there is a pet credit card that can be taken out to help pay for some expensive treatments but I'm not sure if it will cover liver shunt. I know there are others on YT that would have more info on this.

06-21-2012, 04:49 PM	#16
kjc I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Posts: 18,866	Oh no! Praying for good test results! Some Yorkies with mild cases of Liver Shunt aren't diagnosed until they're older. Here's some info: Portosystemic Shunts FAQ __________________ Kat Chloe Lizzy PeekABooTinkerbell SapphireInfinity

06-23-2012, 06:16 AM	#22
Charlies Mamma Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: With CharlieBrown of course! Posts: 1,403	Live profile Well I dropped Charlie off for the shunt test have to pick him up in a couple hours. He was so happy and playful this morning I just cant believe he could have something so awful He was not happy about getting in the car though, I think he knows everytime he gets in that its going to be a Dr visit Keep him in prayers for good results. __________________ Mom to Bug and Charlie-R.I.P my sweet Charlie 2021

06-23-2012, 06:21 AM	#23
kjc I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Posts: 18,866	Praying for good results for dear Charlie... __________________ Kat Chloe Lizzy PeekABooTinkerbell SapphireInfinity

06-23-2012, 02:57 PM	#25
yorkietalkjilly ♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas Posts: 22,140	I'm praying for sweet Charlie & for you. I know the waiting will be terrible. Try to keep yourself distracted with any other thing you can. __________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis

06-23-2012, 03:13 PM	#26
Charlies Mamma Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: With CharlieBrown of course! Posts: 1,403	Well the vet said in the scheme of things she is hoping that the issue IS a small shunt. the reason being if it isnt... then there is another reason for the imbalance of the PH in his urine thats causing the stones, she says that is much harder to treat Since charlie doest have the signs of a "regular/large shunt she feels it could be esaily treated with meds and diet. I did ask about the diet since he is on a chicken diet for the pancreatitis and a shunt diet is low protien she says that if he has the shunt that the pancreatitis is most likely a secondary effect of the shunt. she didnt want to go into great detail since we dont even know yet but she mentioned a "white diet" it included things like cottage cheese and he would eat smaller portions of chicken. Has anyone heard of a "white diet"? __________________ Mom to Bug and Charlie-R.I.P my sweet Charlie 2021

06-22-2012, 02:49 AM	#18
gracielove YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY Posts: 6,582	My Gracie was a small puppy. Kind of the runt of the litter. My vet was concerned about liver shunt. She told me to watch for vomiting and diarrhea which are also symptoms of pancreatitis. There are various levels of severity with liver shunt so not all symptoms would be evident in a dog with the problem. I hope they are able to diagnose and treat him properly very soon.

06-22-2012, 05:36 PM	#20
gracielove YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY Posts: 6,582	I'll be thinking about and praying for both of you. Please let us know how things go.

06-23-2012, 02:48 PM	#24
gracielove YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY Posts: 6,582	I hope it isn't the liver but they need to know why he is producing that type of stone. Hopefully this will rule out the liver or give them a way to treat it.

06-25-2012, 02:45 PM	#27
Charlies Mamma Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: With CharlieBrown of course! Posts: 1,403	Results are in but not good :( Well Charlies results came back today there was no waiting involved. His bile levels were way off the charts both fasting and after he ate. Normal fasting Bile acid should be <13 Charlies was 30.3 Normal post meal Bile acid should be <25 Charlies was 71.3 Normal BUN is 6-31 Charlies was 32 Normal Neutrophils is 60-77 Charlies is 78 All other labs were normal But this means that he has a shunt and that he should have surgery to correct it but I just dont know where I would get that kind of money. The surgery to remove the stones wiped out savings. The vet has changed his diet to a food called prescription diet l/d and I will start him on a supplement called Vetra SAM-e it is supposed to help clean the toxins from his system like the liver should be doing. An ultrasound with doppler can be done to see if they can visualize the shunt but there are no guarantees if the shunt is intrahepatic it would not be seen on an ultrasound. surgery is also very risky ( I knew this) but they made apoint to tell me that. They say that the diet and supplement could buy him time but that he would probably get the stones again and be in the same place I think I am going to repost this by itself to see if anyone has gone through this surgery I just wanted to make sure you all were updated since you have been following along with me in this. Any suggestions or advise is welcomed. __________________ Mom to Bug and Charlie-R.I.P my sweet Charlie 2021

06-25-2012, 06:11 PM	#28
gracielove YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY Posts: 6,582	It seems like your vet kind of prepared you for these results. I'm so sorry. It's so difficult to believe that a 5 year old healthy looking fella like yours would have liver shunt. The chemical imbalance in his body does indicate his problem though. I'm so sorry you are facing this. I know of a person on another forum that is facing much the same issue. Their dog is on the small size and had to have stones removed several months ago. It wiped out their extra money and have been facing the fact that once he gets filled with stones again they would have to have him put down. Their vet did not investigate the liver though. I don't remember what his stones were composed of though I hope there are others on YT who have some assistance for you. I know there are others that have been faced with this. I think there is a pet credit card that can be taken out to help pay for some expensive treatments but I'm not sure if it will cover liver shunt. I know there are others on YT that would have more info on this.