We adopted Lola from an online ad last february to join our family. The women who had her was moving to a new apartment in Manhattan that did not allow pets - at the time Lola was 6 mos old. We have a huge house and yard on Long Island - two teens -and another yorkie named Ted. Lola "had us at hello". She fit right in from day one, Ted accepted her, the kids loved her and everything was great.
As time went by we noticed Lola not being able to hold her urine for extended periods, constant crying when she was in her crate, and just looking like she was dazed. After quite a few vet visits, with no real diagnosis we switched vets. To make a long story short Lola was finally diagnosed correctly with a Liver Shunt - a congenital condition from birth in Yorkies where a hole in the liver allows her blood to bypass her liver and go back into her body. Lola's body was slowly poisoning itself. We were devestated.
We were referred to another vet specialist who after some testing decided the only way to save Lola was with surgery. In mid February Lola was operated on and a "lap-band" or "c-clip" was placed around her liver to allow the hole to close and heal naturally, and slowly allow her liver to start functioning again. Lola survived this complicated surgery and is doing wonderful today. I am astounded at how tough these little dogs are - she had 17 staples down her tiny belly. As soon as we brought her home after 5 days in the clinic she was looking to play with Ted. Obviously we kept them apart for a few weeks until she healed. We had some bile/blood tests done yesterday and are hoping they come back favorable. We can see just from her actions and interactions with Teddy and the family she is a different dog - she just looks healthy and vibrant.
I have to admit this specialized surgery was very expensive - the new car and family vacation this summer will be put off and we all could care less. Lola being home and with us healthy and happy is the best Easter gift we could have. I have educated myself in Liver Shunts quickly - Research is being done to see if there is a gene that causes this condition and wonderful research is being done at the University of Tennessee - it seems overbreeding may play a huge part in this also.
In closing i would like all yorkie owners to be aware of Liver Shunts and how they affect this wonderful and proud breed of dogs we all love so much - a simple blood/bile test does exist to indicate if a yorkie might have this condition. Lola's story has a happy ending (so far) and she is our miracle dog.
