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Originally Posted by Scoobstersmom  Yeah, I am running out of ideas too Charlie's Mama. But I feel like it's the VET that should be coming up with the ideas instead of leaving it to me to figure out. Grrr....
How is MVD diagnosed? Is it visible on ultrasound, or does it require a biopsy? Our vet has suggested a biopsy, but not sure I can agree to that as anesthesia is pretty risky with his liver numbers.
As far as the medications, this all started in September of 2012. So he has been on Denamarin for six months. He has been on Enalapril and Omega 3 a little longer than that. He has fluid filled cysts in his kidneys which caused some protein in the urine, and has high blood pressure. It is controlled well with Enalapril. His UPC is down to 1, so we're comfortable with that and it is not affecting his kidney numbers. He was first on Amoxycillin for about a month and did well, but when he finished it, his appetite fell off, so the vet decided to put him on Clamavox. And he was on that for 90 days. No change. He did not really have any signs of an infection, in that his WBC etc has always been normal, but we did the antibiotics in case there was something hiding that hadn't been found. He has been off Clamavox now for about a month. He was on Metro-however you spell it - zide for about 4 or 5 months. It didn't seem to help or hurt anything either way, and he HATES that pill and will do everything he can to spit it out! The IM vet just took him off that last week, hoping he was having a rare side effect to it that was driving up the ALKP. Haven't noticed any difference since we stopped it. He started Actigall on January 27th, after his last terrible blood test, so it might be helping and it might not. I don't notice any difference, but then he's not really had any symptoms except in the blood work, so I guess I wouldn't notice anything. We're scheduled for blood work in about ten more days, after he's been on Actigall a month, to see if there might be an improvement from that. So there you have it. I am completely out of fresh ideas.
Diana and the Scoobster
(Who talks to much! LOL Not the Scoobster- his crazy mom!) |
After being in the ER clinic and finding the bladder stones our vet did surgery to remove them and when the results of the stone type came back is when we were referred to the specialist, in the mean time I called and spoke with Dr Karen Tobias' team @ Univ of Tenn. (
Portosystemic Shunts FAQ) to get the most effective information that I could (they are the best with liver shunts) they were able to tell me things that I should ask, tests that I could ask to have done and who should be doing them. The website I listed is to their site, the test that they wanted me to have done (scintigraphy) was not available to me so I had to do the ultrasound, I was instructed that if I was going to have the ultrasound that I needed to make sure that the person doing it had a high experience of CORRECTLY diagnosing a liver shunt BY Ultrasound, I made clear when we went to the specialist that this is what I wanted and there was only 1 vet there with this experience. I was fortunate that the specialist that I went to was very familiar with Dr Tobias and how she worked.
An external shunt could not be found on Charlies xray and Charlie was not symptomatic in the typical way, he had only a couple of the symptoms and not that often, other than the stones of course taking his history into consideration the specialist believed that Charlie does have shunting but it is the MVD this is based on his health history and the ultrasound. MVD cannot be seen on an ultrasound but can be found with the scintigraphy.
Now the lactulose we use to keep his PH level the lowest we can and to help prevent him form getting more stones. the metrozonizide I have compounded into a liquid that tastes like chicken he loves that.
Its allot of work and at times allot of worry but I would not change anything about what I have to do for him, he is SO healthy now and you can just tell he is happy. He on occasion has a bad day but we just take extra care at those times. I know I already said this but the vet is the main key to your babies health, they have to be good, they have to know yorkies and their health issues, its just a must.