Quote:
Originally Posted by Hurlygirl001  I took him to the vet yesterday that I have been taking all my dogs to for years. I do not know what a liver shunt is? Is that something they test for? He was acting normal last night and today, eating and drinking like always. |
Since the vet said it could be a liver issue, they should've checked for a shunt. The first step is to run a bile acid test. The dog is fasted for 12 hours (although the new protocol says this part isn't necessary but most vets don't know it yet), then blood is drawn. The dog is fed and then blood is drawn 2 hours later. This is sent to a lab. Normal number are usually 10 and under pre-fast and 15 and under post-fast. With a shunt the numbers are often over 100. With microvascular dysplasia they can be lower (anyway from maybe even normal to below 100 but sometimes they go above 100 also).
Portosystemic Shunts FAQ
Microvascular dysplasia is small shunting throughout the liver that is inoperable.
If it isn't this and the vet thinks it was a seizure, then other testing may need to be done.