I'm in a holding pattern with my baby girl, GiGi too. I think she has MVD, but my vet, (who only has 1 other patient with liver shunt) says her numbers are very very high, and she most definitely has a shunt. She's had 2 BAT, and both came back about the same.... pre in the 2 range, and post in the high 70's low 80's. She has no symptoms, except she is small. we changed her food to Hills L/D, canned, and we giver her Milk Thistle and Lactulose every time she eats. Oh, and I had a complete blood panel work up done on her, and every other test came back normal, only the BAT came back high.
I hesitate to have our ONLY board certified surgeon in the state do anything to her because he only will do the dye test AFTER he opens her up, and he CAN'T FIND A SHUNT. And he doesn't do liver biopsies on Yorkies, because their livers are so small to begin with, especially if they have liver issues.... so that really doesn't help me much at all. I could spend $2600 and the only thing I would know is that he didn't SEE anything. I'm about 8 hour from UT, but I've thought about bundling her up and making the drive.... as soon as I can scrape together the money.
But, then if everything is being well controlled by diet, and she's having no symptoms, and she's happy and eating well, and her blood work is coming back normal except for the BAT.... isn't that what you would do for MVD anyway? So, I feel you pain from wanting to do what is best for your baby, but not wanting to throw money in the wind, when you don't have to.
I am a member of the yahoo group..... they are a great group, and I learn from them everyday! |