Great news that they found no evidence of a shunt! I'm sure Lacy probably has MVD and will be just fine with a change of diet and some supplements, but I can understand why you want to do the biopsy.
Lacy's case is a wonderful example of why Dr. Center recommends that all Yorkies have BAT's as puppies, so that they won't have to have an invasive procedure like a biopsy later on.
Don't you wish this information was out there when Lacy was a puppy?
From page 22 of Dr. Center's seminar handout. (Note that based upon her research, Dr. Center has changed the recommended age from four months to five months.)
"2: The best approach to avoid "over diagnosis" is to test bile acids in young dogs of highly affected breeds (at 4 mths of age) while they are clinically healthy and before they are adopted into pet homes. Highly affected breeds include: Yorkshire Terrier, Cairn Terrier, Maltese, Tibetan Spaniels as well as many other "terrier" type breeds (Miniature Schnauzer, Lhasa Apso, Shih Tzu, Dachshund, Bichon Frise, Pekingese, Toy and Miniature Poodles, and Havanese and others). Proactive assessment of serum bile acids will limit the awkward circumstance imposed when an MVD dog, with minor health issues, is suddenly recognized to have abnormal bile acids by a pet owner's veterinarian. This circumstance can lead to unnecessary diagnostic confusion and unwarranted invasive tests such as liver biopsy and portovenography." |