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Lacy's Mom · 08-10-2006, 09:00 PM

Part II

WHAT CAN WE DO?
The first thing that every breeder should do is be aware that liver shunt is a problem in the Yorkshire Terrier breed and should be of great concern and every effort should be made to not produce puppies from afflicted animals or from 2 recessive carriers. This however is tougher to do than it is to say.

The gene apparently can be carried Recessively and when this happens the dog producing the afflicted offspring does not have the condition themselves but are carriers of the gene and when two like recessive genes come together it produces an afflicted offspring. This is where the problem lies. Many offspring may be produced before the breeder becomes aware that they have a recessive gene problem in their lines. Though it is estimated that 25% of puppies produced from 2 recessive carriers will have affected offspring, 50% will be carriers and 25% will be clear of Liver Shunt the problem lies in misdiagnosis of the 25% that are affected. Many are never taken to the vet that die and the assumption is hypoglycemia since it is an ever increasing problem of the breed due to the determination of many irresponsible breeders to continue to downsize the breed. Most breeders who find a dead puppy in their pens never have an autopsy done so no diagnosis is ever made as to cause of death. Many breeders blame a reaction to a vaccine as the cause of death when in actuality the vaccine may of just been the catalyst. Other pet owners refuse to have an autopsy done due to cost or emotional stress.

The second problem being that there is no simple and easy test for the accurate diagnosis of liver shunt. There are several test that could lead you to believe that your dog may be affected but a very invasive test is required for a Conclusive Diagnosis and few are willing to put their animal through such an invasive test if they themselves are not showing any signs and symptoms of liver shunt.

So that puts us back at square one. What can we do?

WHO IS TO BLAME?
Blame is such a harsh word and sometimes nobody is to blame.
There is no shame in producing a liver shunt puppy. The shame is if you KNOW you are producing liver shunt puppies and have not taken steps to prevent it in the future. EVERYBODY has problems in their lines with something and liver shunt is just another concern for those who breed Yorkshire Terriers. Liver Shunt however is one of those MAJOR concerns as it is life-threatening. It is however, NOT something that everybody should assume is going to take them by storm and wipe out their bloodlines.

Nobody seems to want to blame the breeder for producing hundreds of Hypoglycemia puppies a year but yet hypoglycemia is a problem that is easier to remove from your breeding program and control than liver shunt. But yet let a liver shunt puppy be produced and everybody is up in arms and wanting to point fingers and yell from the rooftops - Irresponsible breeder!

Once again let me repeat:

There is no shame in producing a liver shunt puppy. The shame is if you KNOW you are producing liver shunt puppies and have not taken the first step to prevent it in the future.

And I ASSURE YOU THAT THERE IS NO EASY ONE STEP PROGRAM.

IS IT RUNNING RAPID IN YORKIES?
NO it is not running rapid in Yorkies but it has shown to be on the increase in the past 20 years. The notice in increase is very likely to be that more Vets and Breeders have become aware of Liver Shunt and are having the test run that confirms liver shunt as the problem.

The Yorkshire Terrier however has shown to test more often Positive for Liver Shunt than any other breed of dog. In 2001 - 483 Yorkies were reported as diagnosed with Liver Shunt. That number is comparably small though if you figure how many Yorkies were born in the year 2001. At that time it was considered to be less than 2%. That leaves 98% of all Yorkies unaffected.

With 98% unaffected I'd say it is not running rapid and you have a better than average chance of receiving a healthy puppy.

You have a far greater chance of receiving a puppy affected with hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is also life-threatening, to be sure, so I'd be more concerned about my puppy be affected by hypoglycemia than liver shunt.

08-10-2006, 09:00 PM	#11
Lacy's Mom YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: El Paso, Texas Posts: 3,065	Part II WHAT CAN WE DO? The first thing that every breeder should do is be aware that liver shunt is a problem in the Yorkshire Terrier breed and should be of great concern and every effort should be made to not produce puppies from afflicted animals or from 2 recessive carriers. This however is tougher to do than it is to say. The gene apparently can be carried Recessively and when this happens the dog producing the afflicted offspring does not have the condition themselves but are carriers of the gene and when two like recessive genes come together it produces an afflicted offspring. This is where the problem lies. Many offspring may be produced before the breeder becomes aware that they have a recessive gene problem in their lines. Though it is estimated that 25% of puppies produced from 2 recessive carriers will have affected offspring, 50% will be carriers and 25% will be clear of Liver Shunt the problem lies in misdiagnosis of the 25% that are affected. Many are never taken to the vet that die and the assumption is hypoglycemia since it is an ever increasing problem of the breed due to the determination of many irresponsible breeders to continue to downsize the breed. Most breeders who find a dead puppy in their pens never have an autopsy done so no diagnosis is ever made as to cause of death. Many breeders blame a reaction to a vaccine as the cause of death when in actuality the vaccine may of just been the catalyst. Other pet owners refuse to have an autopsy done due to cost or emotional stress. The second problem being that there is no simple and easy test for the accurate diagnosis of liver shunt. There are several test that could lead you to believe that your dog may be affected but a very invasive test is required for a Conclusive Diagnosis and few are willing to put their animal through such an invasive test if they themselves are not showing any signs and symptoms of liver shunt. So that puts us back at square one. What can we do? WHO IS TO BLAME? Blame is such a harsh word and sometimes nobody is to blame. There is no shame in producing a liver shunt puppy. The shame is if you KNOW you are producing liver shunt puppies and have not taken steps to prevent it in the future. EVERYBODY has problems in their lines with something and liver shunt is just another concern for those who breed Yorkshire Terriers. Liver Shunt however is one of those MAJOR concerns as it is life-threatening. It is however, NOT something that everybody should assume is going to take them by storm and wipe out their bloodlines. Nobody seems to want to blame the breeder for producing hundreds of Hypoglycemia puppies a year but yet hypoglycemia is a problem that is easier to remove from your breeding program and control than liver shunt. But yet let a liver shunt puppy be produced and everybody is up in arms and wanting to point fingers and yell from the rooftops - Irresponsible breeder! Once again let me repeat: There is no shame in producing a liver shunt puppy. The shame is if you KNOW you are producing liver shunt puppies and have not taken the first step to prevent it in the future. And I ASSURE YOU THAT THERE IS NO EASY ONE STEP PROGRAM. IS IT RUNNING RAPID IN YORKIES? NO it is not running rapid in Yorkies but it has shown to be on the increase in the past 20 years. The notice in increase is very likely to be that more Vets and Breeders have become aware of Liver Shunt and are having the test run that confirms liver shunt as the problem. The Yorkshire Terrier however has shown to test more often Positive for Liver Shunt than any other breed of dog. In 2001 - 483 Yorkies were reported as diagnosed with Liver Shunt. That number is comparably small though if you figure how many Yorkies were born in the year 2001. At that time it was considered to be less than 2%. That leaves 98% of all Yorkies unaffected. With 98% unaffected I'd say it is not running rapid and you have a better than average chance of receiving a healthy puppy. You have a far greater chance of receiving a puppy affected with hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is also life-threatening, to be sure, so I'd be more concerned about my puppy be affected by hypoglycemia than liver shunt.