[sugarpig]

@ Becca1- Yes, I spoke to a resident at UT who was VERY helpful. She stated a great deal of the pups they see are young in years (less than 2 years old) and between 5-7 years. The younger pups exhibited symptoms consisted with liver shunt and/or MVD while the older pups generally did not. Gigi was asymptomatic until I brought her in to the vet for a possible UTI and wanted to get blood work done for teeth cleaning. The vet discovered bilirubin crystals in her urine. Gigi was given antibiotics for the UTI and retested 2 weeks later. Infection cleared but still had bilirubin issues. BAT results were high and off we went to the vet internist.

Thanks for sharing! There aren't a lot of stories about older pups having the liver shunt surgery. The resident advised they have had great success with liver shunt surgeries in older pups. I am very hopeful Gigi will be a good candidate for surgery.

Erica