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Originally Posted by MyLittleLooster  Thanks for all of the replies! We live in Florida, so Tennessee is sort of out of the question. We are having to save (like we have been) for the surgery. I'm pretty sure we're going to choose the surgery over medically treating him. My number one desire is to have him as long as I possibly can, so the surgery is a big consideration.
Kjc: I'll ask my local vet about Denamarin. I'm also wondering if I should put him on milk thistle since I've heard it does wonders for the liver.
I'm hoping our next visit will be better. I was thinking that, since he did go through liver failure, maybe it's just liver disease? I have no idea.
Again, thank you! |
First welcome to YT. Yahoo groups does have a liver shunt support group.
If your dog has an "extrahepatic" shunt, as opposed to Microvascular Dysplasia or MVD, many of the first kinds of shunts can be operated on successfully, baring complications from other system disease(s).
I am not sure if you had done all the diagnostic testing to confidently confirm a diagnosis of Liver Shunt. Scintography is usually recommended.
Dr Karen Tobias herself or her office can recommend the top knotch hospital in FLA for this procedure, and will consult with your general vet or even that Internal Medicine Specialist
What I can say is that I probably live a 10 - 12 hr drive from that University and I would go there myself for this kind of operation. In fact a person I know that lives near to me, just last year did the very same thing! All in, including hotel room stays(6 nights), she made most of her own meals, gas, pre surgery testing the cost was about $2500. The scintography and various pre lim blood work was done here in Toronto, the rest in the USA.
Note the six nights - worked out 2 overnights on the road, 2 nights in hospital, one day hanging around "just in case" ... she is a very conservative woman and wanted if anything untoward happens after hospital discharge she could hurry back, and she was so anxious to get home she did the 12 hour drive in one day
Just my own thoughts having "liver failure" in the past as a puppy, have you asked the question how much or if any liver damage is apparent with the liver?
There are a multitude of different threads in Sick and Emergency and sometimes Yorkie Health and Diet on LS. You can do a search for LS and believe me many will pop up.
The very best to you and your boy
