Quote:
Originally Posted by Mardelin  My vet in Dallas works closely with Dr. Centers and after attending a conference with her, shared with me some information. Yorkshire Terriers are an anomolie when attemting to diagnose LS and urinalysis has been more revealing in diagnosing LS in Yorkies.
portosystemic shunt after some simple bloodwork (CBC, chemistry, urinalysis and a bile acids test) and X-rays (revealing a small liver because of poor circulation). |
It is not possible to find a shunt or MVD with a urine test. One must do a before and after. I wish it was this simple. We can contact Dr. Tobias
Faculty
to see if they have new information. Can you please share the logic of it? I would love to know your resources. Would you ple
From CrownRoyal Yorkies
Dogs with shunts will almost always have high bile acids 2 hours after eating, and at least 95% of dogs will have high bile acids after a 12 hours fast. For the most accurate test results, samples are taken after a 12 hour fast, and then repeated 2 hours after feeding. This is done for several reasons. Some dogs normally release bile acids in the middle of the night, and therefore would have a higher fasting result. Other dogs may have fat in their blood after eating, which could interfere with the results. If only one sample can be obtained, it is best to take it 2 hours after feeding.
Do all dogs with high bile acids have shunts?
Bile acids can be increased with any liver disease. Bile acids can also be mildly increased in normal dogs, particularly in some breeds (such as the Maltese) where chemicals that naturally occur in their blood interfere with the test. Most dogs with liver shunts have after feeding results of well over 100 (normal is 15-20). If the bile acids are only slightly increased, the vet may want to re run the test in 3 to 4 weeks.