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Originally Posted by Frederick1030  Well, I got the bile acid results today and I'm a little worried. His pre-meal results were fine, but post meal was 56.9, and it's supposed to be under 25. The paperwork shows that a shunt is likely with numbers above 100, so I don't know what to think at this point. I made the mistake of taking him to PetSmart and I never have liked their vets, so I'm taking him to my regular vet friday since I trust them much more. They said the next step is a sonogram, so I guess I'll have to wait and see the results of that.  |
Please take him to a vet who is knowledgable about liver disease.
A sonogram is not the next step.
You can waste a lot of money on vets who don't know much about liver disease. This is not a slam against vets, but the truth is most vets just don't see enough liver disease in their practice. A lot of research has been done on liver shunts in the past few years and the protocol has changed dramatically. Do you have a vet school near you? That would be your best option.
The next step is a Protein C test. Then, depending on the results, a scintigraphy would be next.
I have attached a link for you from Dr. Center, the developer of the bile acids test. It explains the different tests. Notice Dr. Center states that ultrasounds can be as low as 60% reliable in detecting shunts.
Hepatic Vascular Disorders - WSAVA 2006 Congress