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Clynd1 · 03-06-2019, 11:18 AM

Just wanted to share my story because I haven't seen one exactly like it.
We adopted our Yorkie pup Bowie from an all breed rescue. The rescue told us a Yorkie "breeder" sometimes gave them pups who were unsellable. Ours was the wrong color (brown on brown). Bowie was 9 months and 5lbs when we got him, in December 2018.

He was a little weird from day one, but we had never owned a yorkie before and thought his strange behaviors were maybe part of the breed. He never wanted treats and could sometimes go all day without eating. Sometimes he would drink too much water, sometimes he wouldn't drink at all. He did a lot of head rubbing. As cat owners we just thought, "Oh look, isn't that cute? He is acting like the cat!". He would stare into space sometimes. He would be full of energy sometimes and sleep for HOURS others. One day he was so full of energy ALL DAY, so we took him on a LONG walk to get his energy out. It did no good, and when we returned he continued to pace and head rub. He refused water but was drooling. In the middle of the night I woke up to find him limp in the chair, but when I tried to put him in bed he got back on the floor and started pacing again. It was scary to witness, and I thought he was dying. I took him to the vet in the morning and they said he was fine. I had to INSIST on a blood test. The results of the blood test along with my description of symptoms, and the fact that he is a Yorkie finally rang some bells in my Vet's head. He suggested Bowie might have a liver shunt. Of course l immediately hit the internet and was devastated. My only hope was that MAYBE, because he was a puppy that he had the single extrahepatic kind that could be operated on. We paid $1200 for a scinthegrophy and CT scan. Bowie did in fact have the single extrahepatic shunt, and we were excited to have the surgery and get him on his way to recovery. However, upon speaking with the surgeon we found out that the portal vein AND the vena cava vein were so underdeveloped, that to clamp the shunt would most likely result in a catastrophic and fatal event.

So here we are. We have had Bowie for about 12 weeks, and spent over $2000 on a puppy that is most likely going to die before he makes it to two years old. Our decision going forward is to keep up with the prescription food and lactulose as long as his symptoms are minimal and he is happy, but we will not be taking any extraordinary measures beyond that. I am just so sad that this had to happen to our family. I have two daughters that are devastated. We lost our King Charles Spaniel to Mitrial Valve Disease a year ago, and had waited and searched for a rescue dog and thought we had found the perfect one. We only adopted a younger dog because we didn't want to have to go through a wasting illness until much later...we spent years with our older KCS, taking care of him, getting his meds, having fluid drained from his body. We were ready for a dog with energy we could walk and run around with. And now here we are, basically in a hospice situation a mere year later. Please don't respond to this with words like he could live for 6 years...I'm part of a few Liver Shunt FB groups, and I hear that a lot. His situation is a bit different and based on his symptomatic behavior, I can tell he isn't going to last very much longer. We will love him while we can. For anyone else out there that has to say goodbye to a puppy, my heart goes out to you. It is so hard and sad. I don't even know if I can ever adopt another dog I'm so sad. I know I won't be getting another Yorkie (which is sad) but I can't go through this again. MVD was the main reason I didn't get another King Charles Spaniel. Anyway, as you can imagine I'm so angry right now at "backyard breeders" in general. That story in Georgia makes my blood boil. Although we got our little guy from a rescue, I feel like it was poor breeding that probably got us here. I mean, how good of a breeder can a person be if they are turning over their "unsellables" to the kill shelter?

03-06-2019, 11:18 AM	#1
Clynd1 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: Frisco, TX USA Posts: 1	Liver shunt story Just wanted to share my story because I haven't seen one exactly like it. We adopted our Yorkie pup Bowie from an all breed rescue. The rescue told us a Yorkie "breeder" sometimes gave them pups who were unsellable. Ours was the wrong color (brown on brown). Bowie was 9 months and 5lbs when we got him, in December 2018. He was a little weird from day one, but we had never owned a yorkie before and thought his strange behaviors were maybe part of the breed. He never wanted treats and could sometimes go all day without eating. Sometimes he would drink too much water, sometimes he wouldn't drink at all. He did a lot of head rubbing. As cat owners we just thought, "Oh look, isn't that cute? He is acting like the cat!". He would stare into space sometimes. He would be full of energy sometimes and sleep for HOURS others. One day he was so full of energy ALL DAY, so we took him on a LONG walk to get his energy out. It did no good, and when we returned he continued to pace and head rub. He refused water but was drooling. In the middle of the night I woke up to find him limp in the chair, but when I tried to put him in bed he got back on the floor and started pacing again. It was scary to witness, and I thought he was dying. I took him to the vet in the morning and they said he was fine. I had to INSIST on a blood test. The results of the blood test along with my description of symptoms, and the fact that he is a Yorkie finally rang some bells in my Vet's head. He suggested Bowie might have a liver shunt. Of course l immediately hit the internet and was devastated. My only hope was that MAYBE, because he was a puppy that he had the single extrahepatic kind that could be operated on. We paid $1200 for a scinthegrophy and CT scan. Bowie did in fact have the single extrahepatic shunt, and we were excited to have the surgery and get him on his way to recovery. However, upon speaking with the surgeon we found out that the portal vein AND the vena cava vein were so underdeveloped, that to clamp the shunt would most likely result in a catastrophic and fatal event. So here we are. We have had Bowie for about 12 weeks, and spent over $2000 on a puppy that is most likely going to die before he makes it to two years old. Our decision going forward is to keep up with the prescription food and lactulose as long as his symptoms are minimal and he is happy, but we will not be taking any extraordinary measures beyond that. I am just so sad that this had to happen to our family. I have two daughters that are devastated. We lost our King Charles Spaniel to Mitrial Valve Disease a year ago, and had waited and searched for a rescue dog and thought we had found the perfect one. We only adopted a younger dog because we didn't want to have to go through a wasting illness until much later...we spent years with our older KCS, taking care of him, getting his meds, having fluid drained from his body. We were ready for a dog with energy we could walk and run around with. And now here we are, basically in a hospice situation a mere year later. Please don't respond to this with words like he could live for 6 years...I'm part of a few Liver Shunt FB groups, and I hear that a lot. His situation is a bit different and based on his symptomatic behavior, I can tell he isn't going to last very much longer. We will love him while we can. For anyone else out there that has to say goodbye to a puppy, my heart goes out to you. It is so hard and sad. I don't even know if I can ever adopt another dog I'm so sad. I know I won't be getting another Yorkie (which is sad) but I can't go through this again. MVD was the main reason I didn't get another King Charles Spaniel. Anyway, as you can imagine I'm so angry right now at "backyard breeders" in general. That story in Georgia makes my blood boil. Although we got our little guy from a rescue, I feel like it was poor breeding that probably got us here. I mean, how good of a breeder can a person be if they are turning over their "unsellables" to the kill shelter?