Extrahepatic shunt

[scoobiedooiscoo]

lacey has mvd and sometimes i wish it was liver shunt so we could have the surg. she acts more like a shunt dog but it is what it is, and i am glad i know i am doing everything i can to help her and that we found out early enough that her liver isnt damaged anymore then it has to be she is so much better then she was thanks to the liver shunt group. i also have an awsome vet who is learning with me about all this and helps me do research on how to handle her case. she had her liver biopsy and came through it with flying colors at 3lbs 2 ozs

[bailey12]

Glad she is doing better! I think it's hard to get them stabilized and on the right protocol for their particular situation. How old is she? Zeus is also a bigger dog. After surgery he only weighed 4 lbs. I just cried......weigh too skinny for him, looked awful....surgeon told me I'd never get any weight on him. He weighs about 7 1/2 lbs. now. That's a really good weight for him. He looks great and seems like he feels good at this weight. He actually had to go on a diet because he got up to 9 lbs. A diet is not easy with his dietary restrictions!!!!!! But extra weight isn't good for him either. Juliet

[Yorkieluv]

Originally Posted by Ladymom

This is a great article that explains which foods are good for liver compromised dogs and has a recipe.

Liver | B-Naturals.Com Newsletter

It's important to remember that these diets are for symptomatic shunt dogs. Dr. Center does not recommend a special/low protein diet for asymptomatic MVD dogs. Too little protein can actually make liver problems worse so it's important to consult your vet before making any diet changes.

The goal is to give them as much protein as they can handle without having symptoms and gradually increase to what they can handle. Dr. Center herself recommends starting at 2 g of protein per kg of body weight and working up gradually.

Also, like I mentioned before, you can increase their protein tolerance by feeding smaller more frequent meals. Less protein to handle at any one point in time will allow them to be able to handle more protein overall in the entire day.

[Yorkieluv]

Originally Posted by bailey12

He did have the surgery. That's when they discovered he had MVD, not a shunt, so they closed him up and told me he probably wouldn't see 2 yo. He definitely surprised them!!!!! They couldn't surgically correct his problem but he has done really well and is living a happy and "healthy" life. If you don't know he has liver disease, you would not guess. Juliet

That's so wonderful that he is doing so well!!! Similar thing happened with us. Miko went in for surgery, and they could not find the shunt. His liver is atrophied though, and he is very much symptomatic. We have gotten the symptoms under control, but any little thing can completely throw him off. Aside from an allergic reaction that he had recently, he has been completely seizure free and stone free since July '07. The right protocol for him completely saved his life.

[Yorkieluv]

The b-naturals website has a lot of good information. The only thing I want to mention is that they recommend chicken a lot on their site for liver compromised dogs.

The truth is that animal proteins produce higher amounts of ammonia which are very hard on the liver. Symptomatic dogs should not really be given animal proteins like beef, chicken, turkey, etc because they cause the liver to work too hard unnecessarily.

Egg whites are good for them though, along with dairy, soy, and vegetable proteins are easiest on them and produce less ammonia.

[Sunnie]

Originally Posted by pack leader

Thanks for the advice, but I am new to this chat stuff! How do I find this Ronnlunn?
There was someone from Miramar who spoke of having a successful surgery in S. Fla
but I can't seem to find that person again, now that I am officially a member and
able to ask questions.
Appreciate your feedback,
Pack Leader

Here is a link to her profile page.. you can send her a message from there.. sorry, there was a typo in her name in the message I sent before

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/members/ronlynn.html

I believe Ronlynnn's baby had her surgery in Tennesee and she is doing wonderful. Just saw her again last weekend

[pack leader]

My Bubba just came home today after having his surgery in WPB with Dr. Robert Roy on
Monday morning.
When he was first put under, both the nurse and the surgeon said he was not responding
to anesthesia like a shunt dog and the xray of his liver did not show any shrinkage. He
gave me the option to do a needle biopsy through his body without opening him or opening and looking for a shunt, which might have required a portagram or contrast study of the liver if no shunt was found. I opted for the full exploratory surgery for a
definitive answer. Sure enough, they found a SHUNT!! Thank God. He now has a
constrictor ring and hopefully, he will live a long and healthy life.
The vet said he was eating L/D for them, but he's not eating much for me at home.
I've ordered the Royal Canin Hepatic but it's very hard to get.
I'll check out Ronlynn's story.
Thanks again,
Pack Leader

[TLC]

Originally Posted by pack leader

My Bubba just came home today after having his surgery in WPB with Dr. Robert Roy on
Monday morning.
When he was first put under, both the nurse and the surgeon said he was not responding
to anesthesia like a shunt dog and the xray of his liver did not show any shrinkage. He
gave me the option to do a needle biopsy through his body without opening him or opening and looking for a shunt, which might have required a portagram or contrast study of the liver if no shunt was found. I opted for the full exploratory surgery for a
definitive answer. Sure enough, they found a SHUNT!! Thank God. He now has a
constrictor ring and hopefully, he will live a long and healthy life.
The vet said he was eating L/D for them, but he's not eating much for me at home.
I've ordered the Royal Canin Hepatic but it's very hard to get.
I'll check out Ronlynn's story.
Thanks again,
Pack Leader

So happy hear the little fella made it through surgery.

You can homecook for him if he doesn't like the dog food

[yorkielovs2chat]

I agree with the homecooking. We have had no signs except bladder stones and when we visited cornell, they said that blood flow through his liver was almost normal. My dog has multiple external shunts. We found them during bladder stone surgery. It may have started as one shunt and branched off or there could be a problem with the portal vein or many other reasons Dr. Center herself suggested. I wish I had bile acid tested him right when I got him but because I went to a show breeder, I didn't think I needed to.

We homecook using a diet made for us by cornell: cottage cheese or egg, vegetables, and supplements. Except for bladder, he is doing great. No pickiness whatsoever.

Originally Posted by iwannalollipop2

Well, if you're asking me, like I said Lacy has no symptoms whatsoever.

For people struggling with finding diets for liver-compromised yorkies, I would recommend wholeheartedly making your dog's food yourself. Actually, I would recommend that for any dog of any breed. I'm not being an organic freak or anything, and I don't think that much about the processed food that I eat. But have you ever really thought about dog food--really? It didn't even exist until the 1960s or 1970s in heavily manufactured form. It's made for profits, not health. Even the better brands are made with fillers like ground up chicken by-products and corn. I loveeeee "Dog and Cat Diets" by Donald R. Strombeck, DVM, PhD. We took it out to show the veterinary internist and she got all excited, "Ohhh we love that book--we have photocopies for every patient for diet management!" He includes regular diets for healthy dogs, along with a selection of special diets for hepatic disorders, renal disorders, weight management, heart diseasew, all kinds of stuff. And it's all really wholesome and easy to make: usually some form of protein (beef, chicken, or tofu or eggs for shunt dogs), carbs (white rice, cooked potatoes, pasta), vitamins, etc.

What we do is make a big batch of a recipe and freeze it into little yorkie-sized muffin tins, then take one or two out and thaw them in the microwave for every meal (which are 4 times a day now).

Here's one of the hepatic disorder diets that we give Lacy all the time:
"Cottage cheese, tofu, and rice diet (moderate sodium):
1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 percent fat
1/3 cup tofu, raw firm
1 1/2 cups rice, long-grain white, cooked
1 tablespoon chicken fat
1/4 teaspoon salt substitute (KCl)
3 bonemeal tablets (10-grain or equivalent)
1 multiple vitamin tablet
Provides 651 calories, 36.9 grams protein, 21.8 grams fat, .28% sodium. Two to 3 ounces or ore can be added to increase bowel movement frequency." Once you get the tricky-to-find ingredients in large quantities, it's really easy to just make up a batch and freeze it to feed your dog for a week or two. No chemicals, no preservatives, and quality sources of protein and carbohydrates for shunt dogs.

[TLC]

Originally Posted by yorkielovs2chat

I agree with the homecooking. We have had no signs except bladder stones and when we visited cornell, they said that blood flow through his liver was almost normal. My dog has multiple external shunts. We found them during bladder stone surgery. It may have started as one shunt and branched off or there could be a problem with the portal vein or many other reasons Dr. Center herself suggested. I wish I had bile acid tested him right when I got him but because I went to a show breeder, I didn't think I needed to.

We homecook using a diet made for us by cornell: cottage cheese or egg, vegetables, and supplements. Except for bladder, he is doing great. No pickiness whatsoever.

Can you give me the name and number of the nutritionist from Cornell. I would like to speak with someone about the diet I currently am feeding. I think it is ok, but I'd like to know if I am missing something. Thanks!