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12-09-2012, 06:04 AM | #1 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: canada
Posts: 87
| Becky going for ct scan for dx of liver shunt:( Hello everyone , have not been here in a long time , but i have had such a rough time with my Becky ever since we bought her she has been pretty sick 9 months ago in September she got beyond sick Anorexic , weak etc..... we did bile acids and pre 6 post 129 we put her on L/D and Zentonil advance ( sam-e and milk thistle) she was doing great but took a down ward spiral since her first heat , have not been able to get her spayed because was never welll enough , so now it has been about 3 weeks i have been force feeding her she is very sleepy all day does nothing my vets were hoping it might be hormonal but at this point no , back in September we did so much blood work and ultra sound the only thing they can find was the bile acids everything else was excellent this time we did a whole bunch of blood work again everything is normal we did not do bile acids this time ,so we have decided its time for ct scan with angio to see if she has a shunt or what is going on with her liver , ultra sound they saw nothing wrong ????? im so scared im tired she has been full time job for me , anyone with shunt babies can you please fill me in on how you got the diagnose and if surgery what that is all about ??? Anna |
Welcome Guest! | |
12-09-2012, 06:34 AM | #2 |
Donating YT 3000 Club Member | I am so sorry to hear she is not doing so well again.I have not had experience with this. I just wanted to send a big hug out to you and Becky. My good thoughts and blessings go out to you both.
__________________ Teri . . . Galen Jameson Frazier Seraphina Luna Rosencrantz, Saber Tooth Tiger, Pussy Willow Pandora Guildenstern |
12-09-2012, 09:53 AM | #3 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Texas
Posts: 664
| Good morning. I first brought my Lola home when she was about 10 weeks old. Who knows how old she really was because I bought her from a backyard breeder who could have substituted any papers just to get a sale. Anyway, the first weekend I had her, she became sick. I took her to the Emergency Clinic and I suspected a shunt. She would have bouts of anorexia for the next 10 months. She was always very quiet and I just thought I had a very well behaved yorkie...but she was not getting much bigger and was a very picky eater. I tried everything to get her to eat! I continued to try to get my vet to test her for a shunt and my vet argued with me because Lola showed no neurological symptoms. She did not "head press" did not wobble when she walked, and had no seizures. She just did not grow, was very quiet and had terrible reactions to any vaccines. When I took her to be spayed, they did pre-op blood work and her liver values were elevated and they decided to Bile Acid test her - finally. Her numbers were very, very high - pre 43, post 237. They wanted to do an ultrasound but my research showed that an ultrasound was not always conclusive in showing shunts and SOMETIMES could be a waste of money. I researched and researched and decided to take her the following week to University of TN, to Dr Tobias, to have the shunt repaired. At UT they did a scintigraphy instead of ultrasound to locate the shunt. That was in 3/09 and Lola has not been ill since. She has had 1-2 bouts of a little upset stomach, but she has grown and her hair now reaches the floor (another symptom of liver shunt is poor hair growth). She runs and plays and is like a different dog - she has 2 yorkie "brothers" and she, definitely, is the boss. The difference in her is incredible. The liver shunt surgery certainly made a HUGE difference in her life, if not saving it! She was a sick little girl and my only regret was not pushing my vet harder and having the tests and surgery done sooner. Lola will be 5 in January and is doing great! Last edited by Lolasmom1211; 12-09-2012 at 09:55 AM. |
12-09-2012, 10:03 AM | #4 | |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: canada
Posts: 87
| Quote:
Hello Lolas mom , Becky was bought from reputable breeder she has had diareah on off since we got her became fussy eater around 7 months of age before that no, she is not gaining since September , i cannot go to UT im in canada and impossible for me i do not drive can you please tell me a bit about surgery ??? im dong ct scan with angio they arte injecting a dye to see al her vessels i think??? i will know more when my app with internist ..... | |
12-09-2012, 10:11 AM | #5 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: montana
Posts: 2,945
| Good luck. Hope everything turns out ok |
12-09-2012, 10:16 AM | #6 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Texas
Posts: 664
| Can they do scintigraphy instead of a ultrasound? Is there a teaching hospital near you - a vet school? I live in Texas and would never have thought about going to University of Tennessee to have Lola's surgery done until I got prices from the surgeons in Texas. It was cheaper for me to fly to TN and stay in a modest hotel, have the surgery done and fly home 3 days later, than to have the surgery done at home! And, it was supposed to be the best surgeon (Dr Tobias) to do it. Now, this was 4 years ago but I can't imagine the surgery has gone up THAT much. To have Lola's shunt repaired, the scintigraphy done, have her spayed, and remove her baby teeth was $1800. In Houston they wanted at least double that for just the shunt surgery! Remember, that was 4 years ago. She went in on a Thursday and we were flying home on Sunday. Her stitches dissolved on their own and we never had one minutes problem. |
12-09-2012, 10:18 AM | #7 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: canada
Posts: 87
| No scintigraphy i have looked but its CT scan with angio being done the vet school will do it ... im so scared !!! and feel alone and helpless will she die with surgery heard its not easy ??? |
12-09-2012, 10:20 AM | #8 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Texas
Posts: 664
| I am certainly not seeming to act as though $1800 is not ALOT of money, but compared to what the vets in Texas wanted for the surgery, UT certainly was alot more affordable and they were supposed to be the best at the time. I have not researched any of this in the last 4 years - things may have changed. |
12-09-2012, 10:22 AM | #9 | |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: canada
Posts: 87
| Quote:
im in Canada cannot get there 17 hours drive and i dont drive i have stick around here .....what were they charging in texas here its like 3000 -3500$$$ | |
12-09-2012, 10:23 AM | #10 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Texas
Posts: 664
| Oh, I think the surgery is the best thing I ever did for Lola. Be sure the surgeon is qualified and has done this surgery before. Lola was a tiny little thing and I, too, was so frightened. She was my baby and I was all alone in TN. How big is Becky? |
12-09-2012, 10:25 AM | #11 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: canada
Posts: 87
| [QUOTE=Lolasmom1211;4074472]Oh, I think the surgery is the best thing I ever did for Lola. Be sure the surgeon is qualified and has done this surgery before. Lola was a tiny little thing and I, too, was so frightened. She was my baby and I was all alone in TN. How big is Becky?[/QUOTE Becky is around 4.8 pounds she has lost some (((( and is going to be 1 in Dec 21 , thank you so much for your caring im really scared , cant loose her she is my best friend and my baby ........ |
12-09-2012, 10:26 AM | #12 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Texas
Posts: 664
| That is about what they were charging in Texas. That is why it was cheaper to fly to TN and get a taxi to the hotel. The airfare was only about $200 and the hotel was not expensive. I did not have to drive at all - but it was a little scary going by myself! Once Lola was at UT with Dr. Tobias, I knew she was safe. They do these operations all the time and they know how to take care of these little babies. |
12-09-2012, 10:28 AM | #13 | |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: canada
Posts: 87
| Quote:
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12-09-2012, 10:31 AM | #14 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Texas
Posts: 664
| When I found out Lola was sick, really sick, I thought someone had kicked me right in the stomach. I know how you feel. I was scared to death and was so angry for her...so angry that she had to go through all of that! You should see her now....you'd never, ever know that anything had ever been wrong with her! And because of all that she and I went through together, there is a bond that we have that is unbelievable. |
12-09-2012, 10:32 AM | #15 | |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: canada
Posts: 87
| Quote:
So lola had her surgery 4 years ago and she is fine i have heard horror stories !!! like seizures after etc.... many dont make it ((( | |
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