I just got back from NC State for testing on my dog. He had no symptoms of anything - just an abnormal bile acid test 40/65. He didn't have any symptoms that are listed other than being a smaller little guy (at 2 years he is at 2 pounds). He has always been the perfect dog in terms of overall health (unless he ate things he shouldn't) and exercise level (my husband and I can't keep up with his drive).
It depends on how far you want to take the exploration. I told NC State they could run every test they wanted but couldn't cut Kody open unless they had a reason. At the end of the days spent there and all of the testing, they didn't find anything. All bloodowork, urinalysis, ammonia levels, ultrasound, scintrigraphy, etc checked out perfectly. I opted not to change his diet but to give him the vitamin for the liver to help (because even if nothing is wrong it couldn't hurt). I will get extra tests done through my vet annually above and beyond the normal Bloodwork we have done, watch his behavior, etc and switch his food if necessary down the road.
They said it was a strong belief that many dogs live with MVD their entire lives and never know b/c they don't exhibit a symptom (so don't have the tests that may show it is a possibility - e.g. bile acids). They live happy/healthy long lives. There are obviously varying degrees.
I am happy I went somewhere that had specialists and I could get exact answers and talk to a lot of different people. My vet is great - but vets are like general practitioners (for the most part) and just don't have details on specialized cases (normally). Not that our vets locally aren't the best - so please don't take that statement that way.
I hope this helps. |