We almost lost Sophie yesterday!

[GucciMyGirl]

I don't want to scare you, but my Gucci had liver shunt and had the operation over a year ago. If you look up my threads you can read them as you go along.

It has been awhile now but at the time Gucci got sick on me in a matter of a few days. She was healthy and growing nicely. At the time she was almost 2 yrs old. The first sign was that she was heaving and wanted to throw up, I rushed her to vet and they thought maybe she had pancreatis. The next day I was away at a bridal shower and my son called and said that she was shaking and not walking straight.I always kept the nutrical handy, my son gave it to her and they rushed her to the vet and she was hypoglycemic and her levels were very dangerous. To make a long story short she has had the ameriod constrictor put in. She is doing great as of today.


I suggest that you have Sophia throughly checked for liver shunt and please do not feed her human food. This does not help if she does have it. I hope that she doesn't if you have any questions feel free to pm me anytime..

[chattiesmom]

What a terrible scare. Thanks to your quick thinking, Kayro syrup and a close emergency vet you saved Sophie's life.

Especially if Sophie is a finicky eater, I would discuss liver shunt..... it is always a concern with teeny tiny's until it is ruled out. You might want to discuss doing a full blood panel -- doing a bile acid test alone does not give a clear picture of liver function.

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by Sophie Bella

I'm not sure how we're going to do the bile acid test. The emergency vet wrote in the papers that given Sophie's history, it isn't a good idea to fast her for 12 hrs. (we've only had her for 2 wks., but she had a minor episode when we first got her. She was really weak and couldn't stand.... I gave her food, and within 5 minutes, she was fine again). She just really needs to eat. Hmmm.... what to do.

The bile acid test was developed at Cornell by Dr. Center. She wrote the initial protocol which called for twelve hour fasting, but have since updated it:

Taken from Page 5 of Dr. Center's handout at her recent seminar:

"7. Random "Fasting" Bile Acids ARE NOT reliable for RULING OUT liver dysfunction or abnormal portal circulation. Rather, you need PAIRED SAMPLES AROUND A MEAL. We no longer collect 12-hr fasting bile acids but instead collect a bile acid sample before a meal (pre-meal) and 2 hours after a meal (post-meal or postprandial)." (all emphasis was added by Dr. Center)

Please don't waste precious time or money on the outdated test or a urine bile acids test. If you follow Dr. Center's current protocol, it will be safe for Sophie since fasting is no longer required.

[yorkiecrazy]

I know you were out of your mind with worry, how scary that must have been for you. Now I know you must be worried about liver shunt. I'm so sorry about this. I will send prayer for Sophie. Please keep us posted on Sophie.

[tmatherly]

I made the satin ball recipe for Miss Pippa when she was little and a picky eater. It really works in helping them put on the weight and she loved them! The only problem is that I had to watch her closely because she prized them so much, she would try to "bury" them in the couch...or wherever. Not a pleasant thing to come across later! hehe

[Sophie Bella]

Originally Posted by Riddicks Mommy

Try this recipe for her.. I am so happy she is ok.. I'd be so scared I'd be crying!!

http://theherbs.info/Pets/satinball.html
"Satin Ball" recipe for dogs who won't eat

This recipe is for dogs who desperately need calories and need to put on weight, but who have no appetite. It sounds yucky, but when these are done they are really appealing, even to me.
In my experience, this is a kind of "last resort and hope" food that many sick dogs will eat.

Thank you so much for the recipe! I will definately try it.

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Here is some info on urine bile acid testing:

* the sensitivity and specificity of urine bile acids measurement were similar to those of serum bile acids, but the urine bile acids test was more specific for canine liver dysfunction than was serum bile acids testing.
* a pattern of results showing very high serum bile acids but only slightly increased urine bile acids may be indicative of a shunting disease such as PSS or MVD.
* while bile acids testing can identify animals with hepatic dysfunction, it may fail to recognize animals with hepatic disease in the absence of hepatic dysfunction.

I have read a little bit about it. I know it looks good but the people on the liver shunt group (yahoo) don't seem to go for it. I think one person has said she thinks it less accurate. I really don't know and I could be wrong.

[Rocco'sMom]

Originally Posted by Sophie Bella

Oh my gosh..... we had a horrible scare yesterday. We kept little Sophie, and her doggie sister in their wire crate during the Christmas festivities yesterday. We didn't want them getting into the mass amounts of chocolate everywhere, or stepped on during all the excitement. Sophie seemed to be fine, and was napping alot, which I was happy about. The scare happened at about 4pm when I went to let the girls out to run around, and Sophie didn't wake up! She was limp and shaking and I figured that she was hypoglycemic. I put a bit of Karo syrup in her mouth and rushed her to the Emergency vet. They instantly hooked her up to an IV, drew blood, and began administering sugar water. I was so thankful that she made it to the vet alive. It took a good few hours to get her conscious again, and then they wanted to keep her for the night. I picked her up this morning and she seems back to her old self again. She is eating well. I have her eating canned puppy food, mixed with her kibble.... and if she doesn't eat, I sneak a bit of ground beef in to make it taste better. She is 5 1/2 mths. old and right at 2 lbs. I want her to gain weight..... another lb. or 2 would be great, but she hasn't been gaining. I didn't want to "spoil" her with canned food, but her kibble just isn't cutting it.... she eats human grade food with plenty of nutrients, but she must not be eating enough. Anyways, after the scare she gave us last night, I have decided to spoil her til the cows come home... this kid is eating canned food, ground beef, whatever it takes to get her fat and keep her CONSCIOUS! We feel very fortunate today.

I'm so happy that Sophie is okay!