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Originally Posted by belindaY  OK, but if bile acids are normal in a 12 week old puppy, can we safely assume it does not have congenital liver shunt of MVD? |
From what I have been told and from our vet speaking with Dr. Tobias...no this is not a safe assumption, the chances are obviously better but not guaranteed. Dr. Tobias even had an adult with normal BAs test positive for MVD via a liver biopsy.
It really depends on what vet you talk to as to what opinion you will get, there are several that do not think Bile Acid testing should be used as a screening tool, that they are just too unreliable. The last surgeon we talked to who does LS surgery, when asked his opinion he recommended starting with a full blood panel and then going from there if there is an indication of a problem.