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Originally Posted by magicgenie  I'm posting in pieces beause once again I keep getting logged out while composing...
We're not medical people, so bear with us as we try to understand these med records. How bad is a BAT of 52.9? Is an ultrasound that says "appears to be a shunt...bla bla bla, and liver appears to be normal size" conclusive enough to warrant opening up a puppy whose tests otherwise do not look bad and has only vague symptoms that just happen to have started after the first lepto vaccine.
A few other irregularities include a surgical cost estimate for intrahepatic shunt when the diagnosis if for extrahepatic shunt. Isn't intrahepatic more complicated?
This vet hospital is part of the VCA chain and we are concerned about possible issues with "clinic revenue augmentation" procedures rather than any real concern for the dog. |
BAT of 52.9 I believe is more of an indication of MVD...but I'm not an expert. Still need to be addressed. If the ultra sound says shunt, I would do the surgery. Right now he/she is okay...but what happens as time goes on. You could end up with bills like I have or worse!!! Some dogs have gone YEARS with a shunt and no one knew and then something dramatic happened to bring it to light or they caught it by fluke. If it is a single shunt, it was not caused by that vaccine but the vaccine may have aggrivated it. My vet says no more vax for my dog because the liver can't handle it. I don't know much about intrahepatic. MVD is multiple internal shunting and cannot be operated on. I've read about some single intrahepatic shunts in big dogs that I guess could have surgery????? I'm not sure about that.
Extrahepatic can be operated on as long as it isn't multiple in nature which is becoming more frequent.
if I were you DO the surgery. Go to a really good internal medicine surgeon and get it done.
I am NOT an expert and only share what I know from doctors I've talked to and what I've read.