Quote:
Originally Posted by Rklane56  I have a yorkie named timmy that is now almost 14 months. When he was nine months old he began to act drunk or as if he was having a stroke, i rushed him to the vet and after tons of bloodwork they can to the conclusion that he probably has a liver shunt. He has been through an ultrasound, biopsy, and exploratory surgury and they cannot place the shunt but they said that its there. I don't know what to think or do and from what i know a dog with a liver shunt won't last long! I am going to get a CAT scan done on him in mid march, the vets said that it would let us know if there is a shunt, they inject a form of dye into his blood stream and trace it on an xray to see if the dye gets out from the vessels (which is a shunt) That is the last thing i am willing to do, unless they say they can close it through surgery, but no more testing he has been through so much these past couple of months...Is there anyone who knows more information about shunts or has dealt with them...PLEASE HELP!!! I am trying to do whats best for him! |
WOW that is alot that was done, kinda backwards if you ask me...Poor Baby...
Liver Shunts are very common in this breed, so is MVD:
MVD
What are the results from your Bile Acid Test (BAT) ???
The ultrasound is pretty useless, as it is only about 60% accurate in finding a shunt, and the person reading the u/s has to be pretty skilled. So, that's why I am sure they said to do a biopsy and exploratory surgery. Personally, the Scintigraphy:
Portal Scintigraphy in Veterinary Medicine (Scan w/dye) should have been done first BEFORE a biopsy and exploratory surgery. As that would have been more helpful in seeing a shunt or not.
Going back to the biopsy, did they give you the results yet? MVD is found thru the biopsy, did they say anything about MVD?
Sounds to me as if he either has an Internal Shunt (can't be operated on) or MVD (tiny microscopic shunting throughout the liver - can't be operated on). Either case, he can be managed through diet and supplements, and he CAN live a very happy and long life.
Please don't fear, Liver Shunt or MVD is NOT a death sentence. We are here to support you and help you and guide you. Lots of us here have LS or MVD babies. I have a MVD girl and she is 5 now, she is doing very, very well thru a special diet and special supplements.