Quote:
Originally Posted by Yorkieluv  Liver shunt would not necessarily show up on the bloodwork because the liver would have to be 70% damaged before it would show up...The best way to check for liver shunt is with a bile acid test...Blood is drawn before a meal and 2 hours after a meal...If the numbers are elevated, then there's a problem in the liver.
One of the symptoms of this is hypoglycemia. Many times liver shunt is misdiagnosed as hypoglycemia and the pup may seem to get better at first but later on symptoms may begin to appear.
I always recommend that anyone who gets a yorkie has him/her bile acid tested, especially if there are any hypoglycemic issues.
My yorkie was also severely hypoglycemic when he was a pup and he did indeed have a liver shunt which caused the seizures... |
Routine blood work will not necessarily show a liver shunt or MVD. He needs to have a bile acids test done. They are easy and inexpensive, around $50-100 depending on where you live.
Did you know that Yorkies are 36 times more likely to have a shunt than all other breeds combined? Dr. Center recommends that all Yorkie puppies have a bile acids test done before even going to their new homes.
Here's a good article for you to read:
http://www.vet.utk.edu/clinical/sacs/shunt/faq.shtml