[Yorkease]

THIS CAME FROM ANOTHER SITE:

Hypoglycemia is defined as a blood glucose or blood sugar concentration of less than 70 milligrams per deciliter(mg/dl) of blood. Symptoms depend on how quickly the blood glucose concentration decreases but rarely occur until it falls below 50 mg/dl.

Symptoms reflect the rate of decrease of the blood glucose concentration, the underlying cause of hypoglycemia, and the chronicity of the problem. One common form of hypoglycemia is called juvenile hypoglycemia because it occurs in puppies less than three months of age. Juvenile hypoglycemia is common in puppies because they have not fully developed the ability to regulate their blood glucose concentration and have a high requirement for glucose. Stress, cold, malnutrition, and intestinal parasites are problems that may precipitate a bout of juvenile hypoglycemia. Toy breed dogs less than three months of age are most commonly affected.

Other causes of hypoglycemia include fasting before vigorous exercise, which may be a factor in the syndrome called “hunting dog hypoglycemia”; Addison’s disease, an endocrine problem caused by a lack of hormone production by the adrenal glands which can cause weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, and collapse; excessive insulin administration, as may occur in pets with diabetes mellitus; insulin-producing tumors of the pancreas, called “insulinomas” or “beta cell tumors”; severe liver disease; some other tumors that produce insulin-like factors; dogs with portosystemic shunts, which are congenital blood vessel abnormalities the cause blood from the intestines to by-pass the liver; hereditary diseases arising from abnormal storage of glucose as starch in the liver, or glycogen storage disease; and serious systemic bacterial infection, or sepsis.

What to Watch For


Loss of appetite

Extreme lethargy

Incoordination

Trembling

Muscular twitching

Weakness

Seizures

Unusual behavior

Dilated pupils

Apparent blindness

Stupor or coma

Diagnosis

Diagnostic tests are needed to identify hypoglycemia and determine its cause. Tests may include:


A complete medical history and physical examination


Measurement of blood glucose concentration


Other diagnostic blood tests such as complete blood count (also called hemogram or CBC), routine serum biochemistry tests, urinalysis, and serum insulin concentration to try and establish the underlying cause of hypoglycemia.


Ultrasound examination of the abdomen to try and identify a pancreatic or other tumor that could be causing hypoglycemia.

Treatment

Treatments for hypoglycemia may include the following:


Administration of glucose orally or by intravenous injection to increase blood glucose concentration.

Treatment for the underlying cause of hypoglycemia

Home Care and Prevention

Administer as directed any medications prescribed by your veterinarian. Observe your dog’s general activity level, appetite and attitude.

If you have reason to suspect hypoglycemia, you should rub Karo® syrup on your dog’s gums and call your veterinarian immediately. Schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to identify, treat, and monitor the underlying cause of hypoglycemia.

See your veterinarian for regular check-ups as directly.

Provide a warm environment, frequent feedings, routine vaccinations and de-worming procedures for puppies as recommended by your veterinarian. Provide frequent, regular feedings. Young puppies should be fed at least 3 to 4 times a day.

Feed a high quality dog food and provide extra feedings or snacks to working dogs.


I Will post the liver shunts in a minute. Hopefully.


Portosystemic Shunt (Hepatic Shunt)
by: Dr. Erika De Papp


Next Page (Information In-depth)


Section: Overview

A portosystemic shunt is an abnormal communication between blood vessels, which causes blood to bypass the liver. The portal vein is a major vessel in the body which enters the liver and allows toxic components of the blood to be detoxified by the liver. When a shunt is present, the portal vein, or one of its related veins, is inappropriately connected to another vein which creates blood flow around the liver.

The most common type of shunt is a single congenital shunt. This means that the animal is born with the problem. Acquired shunts may occur secondary to liver disease.

Congenital shunts occur in both dogs and cats. Most animals start showing signs by six months of age. However, shunts have been diagnosed in adults as old as 10 years.

Shunts are more common in purebred dogs than mixed breeds. The breeds predisposed to congenital shunts include: miniature schnauzer, Yorkshire terrier, Irish wolfhound, cairn terrier, Maltese, Australian cattle dog, golden retriever, Labrador retriever, and Old English sheepdog.

It occurs more often in female dogs, and of the affected males, there is also an increased incidence of cryptorchidism, in which one or both testicles remain undescended.

The impact of a portosystemic shunt on your pet can present itself in a variety of ways. The most common clinical signs are a result of elevated toxin levels in the blood secondary to failure of removal by the liver. One of the important toxins is ammonia, which causes abnormalities of the central nervous system.

What to Watch For


Lack of appetite

Lethargy

Weakness

Disorientation

Stumbling

Circling or pacing

Apparent staring into the corner

Pressing of the head against objects

Seizures

Blindness

Behavioral changes

Excess salivation (more common in cats)

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Increased thirst and frequent urination (more likely in dogs)

Straining to urinate

Blood in the urine

Failure to grow and thrive

Weight loss

Diagnosis


History and physical exam

Complete blood count (CBC)

Biochemical profile

Urinalysis

Bile acids

Blood ammonia level

Clotting tests

Abdominal radiographs (x-rays)

Abdominal ultrasound

Portography (special dye study)

Transcolonic scintigraphy to monitor the pattern of blood flow

Abdominal exploratory surgery

Treatment


Surgical ligation (closure) of the shunt is the treatment of choice. However, animals must be medically stabilized prior to surgery.


IV fluid therapy restores hydration deficits and corrects electrolyte imbalances.


Lactulose decreases absorption of intestinal toxins such as ammonia by altering intestinal pH.


Antibiotics alter intestinal bacteria such that ammonia production is decreased.


Feeding a protein restricted diet since protein in the diet can precipitate neurologic abnormalities.


In animals with vomiting and diarrhea, gastric protectants help reduce acidity of the gastrointestinal tract and may alleviate some of the symptoms.


Anti-convulsant drugs may be necessary in animals with seizures that are not responsive to the aforementioned medical treatments.

Home Care and Prevention

Give all medications as prescribed by your veterinarian. Feed only the prescribed diet. Monitor your pet for recurrence or worsening of the original clinical signs that alerted you to a problem.

As this is a congenital disorder, there are no known preventative measures for your individual pet. However, any cat or dog with a shunt should never be used for breeding purposes.


I got this information from Petplace.com it looks like they have a whole medical library.