It is possible to have a shunt and be asymptomatic (that is, having no symptoms).
I know the little mini panel my vet will run before surgeries does not contain a bile acids level. It has 5 values (two liver, two kidney and blood sugar).... That being said, those 5 values can come back completely normal, but they could still have a shunt.
I don't think a person is ever wrong to have a bile acids panel performed on their yorkie, considering how prone the breed is to liver problems. A bile acid panel is just a blood test and unless there's some reason your dog couldn't handle having his blood drawn, he should be fine.
Sometimes the shunting isn't bad enough to cause problems and it's not detected until later on in life. I know of a couple dogs who were diagnosed with it after they were a few years old because it took a while to cause a problem. |