Has anyone heard of a Liver Shunt?

[buddysalley]

Yesterday my 12 week old little Paddington bear started having seizures!
We rushed him to the vet. They took his blood XRAYs ect. Everything looked normal but they had me do this last check for a liver shunt. It requires surgery. His levels were all normal. They said he seemed too old for it to be epilepsy. They gave me nothing for the seizures until I went to the Emergancy Vet and they gave him doggy valium. Since then he has been symptom free. This vet said that it was problably juevenile epilepsy.
Any Ideas!! Any thoughts?

[MeganS]

I'm so sorry! I don't know what to tell you. We did have a puppy that had liver shunt, but they did not catch it in time. However, I have heard MANY very successful cases where everything turned out perfectly in the end! It's great that his levels were normal! All I can say is to follow ANY advice your vet gave you, and keep on top of him and if you see any symptoms of anything that doesn't seem "normal" to you, get him checked out. You may also want to research epilepsy and liver shunt to learn what you may have to do in the future and everything to ensure that he has a normal happy life.

Best of luck to you! You are bound to find TONSS of information on those problems here.

[diggy4]

Originally Posted by buddysalley

Yesterday my 12 week old little Paddington bear started having seizures!
We rushed him to the vet. They took his blood XRAYs ect. Everything looked normal but they had me do this last check for a liver shunt. It requires surgery. His levels were all normal. They said he seemed too old for it to be epilepsy. They gave me nothing for the seizures until I went to the Emergancy Vet and they gave him doggy valium. Since then he has been symptom free. This vet said that it was problably juevenile epilepsy.
Any Ideas!! Any thoughts?

Hypoglycemia?? Its very common in these lil ones...make sure he eats every 2-4 hours even thru the night.

[Ellie May]

Do you have any specific questions about liver shunt?
Did they do a bile acid test?

I'm sorry.
Did they rule out hypoglycemia?

[buddysalley]

Yes. They did that bile test thing. He does not have hypoglycemia. They said he would have to have surgery when he gets between 5 and 6 pounds.
He is 12 weeks and one pound 10 oz. He may never reach that weight. Has anyone else had this sort of problem?
Thanks for hypoglycemia concern. I am soooo worried. He is my best friend.

[bchgirl]

Originally Posted by buddysalley

Yes. They did that bile test thing. He does not have hypoglycemia. They said he would have to have surgery when he gets between 5 and 6 pounds.
He is 12 weeks and one pound 10 oz. He may never reach that weight. Has anyone else had this sort of problem?
Thanks for hypoglycemia concern. I am soooo worried. He is my best friend.

Are you saying they want you to have a biopsy done? But his levels weren't elevated on his bile acid test? A bile acid test simply indicates liver function...if the levels are elevated...then you would need to determine what is causing the elevation. There are other tests that can be performed other than a biopsy. A protein c will tell you whether or not...it is liver shunt.

If the levels weren't elevated...I'm not certain why a biopsy would be done.

[buddysalley]

He took the test today. It takes a week to 10 days to get the results. He will need surgery if he has the disease. I am just super worried about him. The symtpoms are vauge. I just wonder if anyone else has had to go through this and what their experience is with dealing with seizures. He had seven yesterday. He has not had any today. It was just horrid he froze up, trembled, foamed at the mouth and then howled until he realized he was ok. That happened 7 times yesterday. It was horrible.

[RONLYNN]

Well if it is a liver shunt I would definitely joing this yahoo liver shunt group. My Teddi had a liver shunt and had surgery at University of Tennessee and is now all better. She only weighed 2 lbs. 10 oz. when she had surgery. Here is the yahoo group...they can answer all your questions about LS's.

Liver_Shunt_And_MVD_Support : Liver Shunt & MVD/HMD Support

[RONLYNN]

Originally Posted by buddysalley

He took the test today. It takes a week to 10 days to get the results. He will need surgery if he has the disease. I am just super worried about him. The symtpoms are vauge. I just wonder if anyone else has had to go through this and what their experience is with dealing with seizures. He had seven yesterday. He has not had any today. It was just horrid he froze up, trembled, foamed at the mouth and then howled until he realized he was ok. That happened 7 times yesterday. It was horrible.

Where is Fort Smith? Are you anywhere near Knoxville, Tennessee? That is the best place to have the surgery (and the cheapest).

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by buddysalley

He took the test today. It takes a week to 10 days to get the results. He will need surgery if he has the disease. I am just super worried about him. The symtpoms are vauge. I just wonder if anyone else has had to go through this and what their experience is with dealing with seizures. He had seven yesterday. He has not had any today. It was just horrid he froze up, trembled, foamed at the mouth and then howled until he realized he was ok. That happened 7 times yesterday. It was horrible.

Some symptoms of liver shunt are:
seizures
Shaking
Circling
Head Pressing (pressing head against a solid object)
GI upset
Odd smelling breath
Urination Problems
Sensitivity to drugs
Inappetance
Depression
Lethargy

Your pup would not have to be 5 pounds to have surgery.
The best place to get it done, in my opinion, is University of Tennessee and they deal with tiny Yorkies there often. Dr. Tobias was the first to do this surgery. Hopefully it's not needed though.

[buddysalley]

That is good news. He only has the seizures while he is asleep. Is that odd to anyone?

[Sandysbabies]

I have no answers as we are new yorkie owners. Just wanted to tell you I hope they can help your little one. Its so hard seeing them sick. God bless!!

[RONLYNN]

Teddi never had any symptoms and then one day I came home from work and she was drooling and didn't know who I was...that's when I rushed her to the doctor and then to emergency and then we figured out what it was. Some times they don't have any symptoms. I would suggest a bile acid test. That's the best place to start.

[mscat]

I am so sorry about your Yorkie baby. Liver shunts , as far as I know can happen to very tiny Yorkies. Unsure as to the rate of it , but, in some cases can be treated with surgery. Best of luck to your yorkie and family.

[Ladymom]

My Lady is an epileptic so I know more than I'd like to about the disease.

First, primary epilepsy in a 12 week old puppy is very rare. Seizures usually don't start until a dog is 1-5 years old. In a puppy under a year, seizures are usually a symptom of an underlying disease.

These are the most likely causes of seizures in puppies:

LESS THAN 1 YEAR OF AGE

Anomaly: hydrocephalus.

Inflammatory:
Infectious - Viral: canine distemper; parasitic; bacterial; fungal
Immune mediated

Metabolic:
Hepatic - portosystemic shunt; Autoimmune thyroiditis (early stage: TgAA
positive); Hypoglycemia; Electrolyte disorders

Toxic: Single or combination vaccines; Lead; Drug related; Other exposures

Trauma: Acute; Delayed

Degenerative: Storage disorders

POSSIBLE CAUSES OF SEIZURES BY AGE

Since your puppy is a Yorkie and Yorkies are thirty-six times more likely to have a liver shunt than all other breeds combined, your vet was right to suspect that first.

Here is some information about liver shunts for you:

Portosystemic Shunts FAQ

Hepatic Vascular Disorders - WSAVA 2006 Congress