[Meichelle]

So for starters, Im sorry if Im posting in the wrong area.. Please forgive if I am..
I just found out thro a bile acid test that my little Laylah, a 3yr old Yorkie quite possibly has a liver shunt. I am doing all the research I can at the moment.. Here are her numbers from yesterday when I had the test done:

Bile Acids Preprandial/Random 707.0
Bile Acids Postprandial 503.6



My vet is to "vetty" if that makes sense and I cannot for the life of me figue out exactly what he is talking about but he is insistent on my getting Laylah to a surgeon ASAP and get her a CT Scan and a liver biopsy an ultra sound as quickly as I can..

I am beside myself as I do not have millions of dollars and as much as I want to save my little girls life, I just do not have the resources to do it.

I need to know if this test and those numbers are out of this world crazy???

Also she has been on phenobarbital for a year and a half for seizures, that I just weaned her off of as I found out that phenobarbital should only be given in low doses and for short periods of time. I did not now that or I would not have had her on it as long as I have..

I am working with a nutrionaslist who seems to feel if we get her diet right, that I may.. MAY...Be able to bypass surgery and hopefully get her numbers down some..

Ive looked this website over and over and cannot find if this is extremely high or not..

Laylah can go for a very long time without an "episode" is what I call them and she hasnt gone into one in 7 weeks now (yes I am counting)


Also, if it matters she is already spayed..



What she does is walk about the house for hours upon hours upon hours and will not take comfort from me at all and drools so bad her chin and chest are saturated in it.. She does not go into full bloom seizure activity.. She just walks around the house for hours..

I am pretty much beside myself right now feeling that Im failing her but currently she is a happy little 5 pound girl and if you didnt know any better, you'd never think anything was wrong with her..

I am with the nutrionalist's suggestion and guidance daily, feeding her Primal Turkey and Sardine and Rabbit too - we trade the meets now and then.. I also have her on goats milk and milk thistle too and I just started this diet about a month and a half ago..

I was shocked at the numbers... My vet doesnt tell me just how high is too high.. And he isnt a nutrionalist either.. So I dont know how much I trust him..

Also I would like to know if possible, the life expectancy WITHOUT surgery as I do not have the resources to do so..



My vet...WITHOUT an ultra sound or anything of the like is already saying this is a liver shunt..But my argument is that shes been on phenobarbital for so long, how do we know its not the phenobarbital that is causing her tests to come back so high??? She normally is a very playful little girl and if you didnt know any better, you might not think shes sick... She just goes into these episodes from time to time and so I had her bile acids tested and now this.. I am beside myself...

How high is too high?? How long will/can she live without surgery?? And what else can anyone suggest???

I would appreciate all suggestions and help and thank you so much already...

*~Meichelle & Laylah