Help my little Gizmo is sick! :(

[Gizmo-Melgar]

Hello,

I need some advise on my little Gizmo. Gizmo weights less than 5 pounds and just turned one this May. He was the runt of litter and has always been a bit sickish since he was a pup. He's always been a picky eater and throwing up food once in a while. Besides it all he's always been energetic and playful.

He develop a weird nasal noise (almost like a cat with a hairball) ever since we moved to my brothers place (I thought it was allergies) but it got a bit worst now that we moved to the new house.

That's why the last visit to the vet (last week). We thought the snorting sound was getting worst and making him throw up but the vet said the sound was probably from an irritated stomach. There is a possibility that he was eating crap off the floor or the back yard since it was dirty when we moved in (yet he was doing that sound from way before). He was still doing okay besides the throwing up... Eating and pooing normal but I feel this week he's been looking more sad.

He sleeps allot during the day and then around midnight he wakes up restless and walks around the room moving from one place to the other non-stop. He doest seem to want to play during the day like before or run. Last time the vet gave him a toothpaste looking thing... apparently small dogs like him suffer from low blood sugar when they don't eat. I gave him that the days he was throwing up before the vet visit (Told the vet about that) and maybe he seem better when the vet saw him saw she didn't think it was anything but a stomach bug.

Last few days he has been sleeping allot so I started giving him his paste again (I'm thinking is the low blood sugar again). Yesterday we decided to take him to the vet again because he throw-up allot over night. He seem very week and sleepy. Vet just wanted to do blood test again tomorrow morning to check on his liver.

What what next? Has anyone had a similar issue? Is he has a bad liver what can we do? We can't really afford so many vet visits as it is.

Other info: He eats good but sometimes won't eat when we're at work and waits until we get home and maxes out. Drinks water allot. He's poo and pee are normal. Has been very restless at night.

[Patti]

Welcome! Sorry Gizmo is not feeling well. I would have your vet check for liver issues ie shunt and possibly a reflux issue. Hopefully it is something easily treated. Liver shunt can require surgery which is not cheap but is very successful in fixing the problem. If he has internal shunts (MVD) a lot can be done with diet and medicines. I hope you get some answers tomorrow. Please keep us posted.

[I Wuv yorkies]

Welcome, I don't know but all I have to say s I hope Gizmo gets better!!

[chachi]

You'll have a good idea of what's going on or not going on when the bloodwork comes back. I would wait for the results and try not to stress out worrying what if

[sandy simpson]

Little yorkies need to eat little bits often- is he sleeping next to you- these dogs love human contact- is he eating a high quality dog food- i will pray he gets better-

[ladyjane]

I agree that he may need liver shunt testing done. If you cannot afford routine vetting, I am worried about what you will do if he needs surgery.
Perhaps you might want to look into Care Credit:
Healthcare and Medical Financing for Consumers | CareCredit™
Welcome to YT

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by chachi

You'll have a good idea of what's going on or not going on when the bloodwork comes back. I would wait for the results and try not to stress out worrying what if

I agree. I missed the sentence that said blood work was done.

[Miranda_Bay]

The noises he makes, could be a collapsing trachea? Or a reversed sneeze? Look them up on youtube to see if thats what he does..

And it sounds like it could be a liver shunt. It is so common in little dogs. There is a good video on youtube of someones yorkie who has a liver shunt and the strange things he does and I wouldn't have any idea unless I saw that video of strange things.

Hope you find out what is wrong and are able to fix it.

[Marhcarter]

What kind of food is he on? My Huey used to throw up a lot but otherwise acted perfectly normal. Once I changed him from Purina One to Blue Buffalo Freedom, the vomiting completely stopped. Huey also will not eat unless someone is home. Hope you get some answers and Gizmo gets to feeling better soon!
Also, welcome to YT!

[Gizmo-Melgar]

Sadly my little Gizmo has a liver shunt... After doing the Bile Acid test they discovered that the levels are extremely high. They want to do an ultra sound and more testing that at this point we can't afford. The ultra sound at the clinic our vet recommended found cost from $375-$600.

At this point they have him on antibiotics, lactulose, and low protein diet. The Hills food the vet prescribe he won't touch... Someone else told me about a Royan Canin Hepatic which apparently is the same and dogs like better. In the meantime I have him on low protein home cook meals like rice, pasta, veggies, low fat cottage cheese, oatmeal, and snacks like cheereos, apples, melon, and other fruits.

for some reason he seems to be more hungry than usual but after a night we almost lost him he seems to be doing better. From all the research I been doing evryone is saying the only way to save him is with the surgery. Has anyone been able to do just diet/meds successfully?

In advance take you for any help


Wendy & Gizmo

[ladyjane]

He needs the surgery. Perhaps you can get Care Credit to pay for it. Healthcare and Medical Financing for Consumers | CareCredit™

Good luck!

[ladyjane]

You might want to look into having the surgery done at the University of Tennessee. I believe they cost much less than most places. You can call them or email and they will speak with you and also help you with ideas on how to pay for this surgery. I don't know if they have a payment plan, but worth contacting them for sure.

The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine - Liver Shunt Research

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

You might want to look into having the surgery done at the University of Tennessee. I believe they cost much less than most places. You can call them or email and they will speak with you and also help you with ideas on how to pay for this surgery. I don't know if they have a payment plan, but worth contacting them for sure.

The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine - Liver Shunt Research

If one of my babies had a liver shunt, or ANY liver malformation, I would crawl over glass to get him to Dr.Tobias and her team at University of Tenn. Please call them.....they are sooooo helpful and have so much to offer.....IMO, these people are the benchmark for liver disease research and treatments.

[ladyjane]

Liver shunt surgery can be done all over the country...it really is not difficult surgery. My Teddy Bear had his in Houston at GCVS. BUT..she is having an issue with the money aspect of it all so I suggested UT.

[ladyjane]

I should have clarified that...I have been told that UT does the surgery for much less than other places. I don't know it for a fact...just something I have heard. Worth looking into.