I am just going to put this out here....when my Teddy was diagnosed with a liver shunt he was much older. There had been no typical symptoms and no alterations in any of his blood work over 7 years...he had blood drawn yearly. I will post the link here....I was stunned and learned so much more about shunts than I knew previously. The ONLY symptom I missed was that he could be finicky at times about food and he would vomit occasionally but nothing I thought was a concern and you all know how I am about going to the vet.
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...ver-shunt.html
Additionally, Dr. Tobias has all of the symptoms in this brochure that I find to be so detailed and informative. I always share it with people who suspect or have pups with diagnosed shunts.
https://vetmed.tennessee.edu/vmc2/Do...D-Brochure.pdf
This is from the above link...pay special attention to the bolded sentences....
Clinical signs of dogs with congenital
portosystemic shunts (PSS)
Animals with congenital PSS often present at a young
age, unless blood flow through the shunt is small or
intermittent. Dogs with congenital PSS are often small
in size and have poor muscle mass and hair coats;
breeders may note they are the “runts” of the litter.
Most commonly these dogs have behavior changes
such as weakness, a quiet demeanor, or dull attitude.
Occasionally neurologic signs can be more severe,
particularly if blood sugar is low or if excessive amounts
of protein are consumed. In those instances, the dogs
may pace, circle, act blind, press their heads against
the wall, or even have seizures. Because the liver is no
longer efficiently processing ammonia from proteins,
large amounts of the toxin are excreted into the kidneys
and bladder where the ammonia can concentrate
into spikey crystals (ammonium biurate crystals) or
condense into stones (urate stones) that are not visible
on plain x-rays. Both crystals and stones will result
in urinary tract inflammation and infection. Dogs
with congenital PSS may also urinate more frequently,
and therefore drink more, because they lose the ability
to concentrate their urine.
Occasionally dogs will be
nauseous, causing poor appetite, vomiting, or excessive
salivation. Some dogs may even develop stomach ulcers.[/COLOR]
Neurologic and
gastrointestinal signs can vary from day
to day. (Figure 1)
Clinical Signs & Diagnosis
C
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I am NOT saying Joey has a shunt. I am just saying if he were mine I would rule it out to be on the safe side. More than likely it is not; but, it is a cheap, non invasive test. Stomach issues can be a royal pain in the backside to figure out...before I even went there I would rule out a shunt just because this is a yorkie.