First of all, she is NOT too small for surgery!!!! Good grief, they operate on birds and other small animals all the time! I have had many yorkies over the years that were small and had surgery with no issues! I have a foster right now who is 3.5 lb and she has been anesthetized a couple of times for tests (MRI) and also for spay surgery. She has multiple neuro issues.
Secondly, it is NOT true that an adult dog ONLY could have multiple shunts. Here is a link about my adult yorkie who had a shunt as an adult .... https://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/si...ver-shunt.html
This is a great link about yorkies and liver disease :
http://www.theyorkshireterrierclubof...re_9_16_13.pdf
Diet: there is NOTHING wrong with prescription liver diet. PLEASE do not read the label and assume it is bad food. There are too many arm chair nutritionists on the internet who have advised people to do this and it is simply bad information. If you don't like Hill's then I suggest looking at Royal Canin liver diet OR do a consult with a boarded vet nutritionist. (ONLY a VET Nutritionist!)
Here is a website that is amazing regarding pet food.....veterinary nutritionists there will actually answer your questions if you cannot find the information on the site. There is a search tool and LOADS of great questions and answers about pet food!
www.petdiets.com When you go to the site, click on Ask The Nutritionist
The other thing I am concerned about here is her age. This is when other things show up in yorkies such as GME. The fact her bile acids are elevated suggests liver, but she also could have neuro issues.....the sudden collapse is very concerning as USUALLY when an adult has a shunt show up it is because it was a small shunt that didn't show symptoms previously.
What *I* would do is go to a board certified internist lickety split ESPECIALLY if my vet told me my dog was too small for surgery. That is simply scary to me that a vet would say that. If money is an issue, I urge you to get a second opinion at another general vet.
To find a specialist in your area:
https://www.vetspecialists.com/speci...ernal-medicine
Please keep us posted. I do hope your baby is ok.