[ellabee]

My Billie turns 6 tomorrow. Her belly got very large over Xmas but I thought it was bcse I was feeding her too much. It went away on its own.

It happened again in the last 6 weeks or so. I took her to the vet, and her belly is filled with clear fluid (they drained it and tested it, no cells, no nothing). That vet believes it is lymphangiectasia. Billie does not have diarrhea (which my internet reading says almost always happens with this diagnosis), she eats voraciously, she is so happy and her quality of life remains excellent.

I took her to a holistic vet, she has not ruled out the original diagnosis but she says its possibly liver related...shunt?

Has anyone had their pup fill with liquid? We have been without hope, and were going to put her to sleep this week with the original concern that if we don't, her lungs will fill with the fluid and drown her. But we just can't do it with her being so happy, and mobile, and loving. Other that the big belly, she truly seems fine. Neither vet has seen this in a yorkie before.

Billie is on an ultra-low-fat diet now and holistic medicines (holistic vet). Other vet is recommending plasma transfusion and steroids. Both offer a very low prognosis, but this is dependant on getting the right diagnosis and while one vet is convinced its lymphangiectasia, the other one is not.

We have done extensive blood work, xrays, ultrasounds. She is having her bile acid test tomorrow. The vets are both asking us to take Billie to a the critical care unit for more imaging (she has had 2 ultrasounds, including a very expensive one that was reviewed by an ultrastenographer), possible biopsy. I don't know how much to put her through, at what cost, and to what end.

Please, if anyone has expereinced something similar, or has any thoughts, please let me know. Any and all advice would be appreciated greatly.

Thanks so much.