[107barney]

PS A liver shunt can pop up at any time...However, given the lack of symptoms for two years and then a sudden onset of events, I would think it was an ingestion of something like the mushroom. Usually a shunt you see bile acids (post number) of over 100. Even then, you never know...could be an MVD situation as with my dog who had a 107.

There should be 2 readings for BATs - a pre and a post feeding. What was the other number?

Originally Posted by pookiebear

New update on Bella, and I'm dizzy and lightheaded over all this. . .

I got Bella to the vet at about 6:00 a.m. yesterday morning. She was doing pretty good through the night, but she got really bad about 5 a.m. I almost lost her about that time. I had to give her mouth to mouth to help her breathe until the doctor got there, she couldn't hold her head up, she was almost gone. When we got her to the vet he examined her and put her on the ground and she started the head pressing and walking in circles. That is something she has never done before. The vet is thinking that she has ingested a toxic mushroom.

Yesterday afternoon my husband and I went to see her and she had started to perk up upon hearing us, but I'm not sure if she can see or see clearly, but she wanted to come to me. We took her outside to use the bathroom, and she did both, and we took her back in, because she little walk tired her.

Dr. Rich ran some more blood work today, and It's not good. Her bile acid should not be over 10 and it is 60. Her alt is 6,000 and should be over 118.

I'm picking her up this afternoon around 5 to take her home for the night, then take her back in tomorrow for more fluids. I can pick her up again late in the day and have her home for the weekend, but take her back in again on Tuesday for more blood work. She will go home with an antibiotic and a laxative which helps get the amonia out of her body, and a canned food diet that helps support the liver. He will do the blood work again next to see where we are. The vet now is considering the possibility of a liver shunt.

It seems like to me that if she had a liver shunt, she would have started having problems before now. She's never been a sickly dog, always really active. I'm not thinking shunt at all. I guess we'll know more about that next week when the blood is run again. If her numbers come down, then it is a direct result of the mushroom she ingested.

I'll get back on when I get home with her this afternoon, and post an new update. Bless her little heart....I love that baby more than..... well you all know.

Thank you all for your concern. If anyone can clear me up on this, I would really appreciate it. I just don't understand how Bella could live 2 years, and us not ever having the first symptom or sign of a liver shunt. Certainly that head pressing and walking in circles would have started a long time ago. I'm about a space cadet right now.

Hugs, Denise