Thank heavens Riley got the blood panel done! It so incredibly important. Try to stay positive (I know that it's hard!). I will keep Riley & you in my prayers & send many good wishes your way. :hands: :hands: :hands: :hands: :hands:

Please keep us posted....CJ

I'm sending you and Riley lots of prayers. Poor little baby. I would have that same knot until I knew. It will turn out okay, whatever it is, because you'll take good care of him, but hopefully, it's nothing.

Judy

The new tests came back and it's either a liver shunt or displasia. My vet said he thinks it's most likely displasia. I think it was a bile acid test that said he was suppost to have a 25 but is at a 65. The vet said whatever it is we caught it really early. But, I'm still worried. So, tomorrow he's getting an ultra sound and if that doesn't tell anything then he'll need to get a liver biopsy. I called my pet insurance today, VPI, and they said that they don't cover shunts and weren't sure about dispasia. So, what I have to do is have the vets fill out the claim form and put down that the diagnosis is undetermined. I'm glad I called. I paid $260 for the tests and tomorrow will be $450. And I know there will be a lot more bills to come. I guess I'll have to hold off on my search for another pup. I need to take care of my baby first. I'll pay whatever I have to. I just really hope that my insurance will pay me back for most of it. Thanks for all your posts and I'll keep you posted. Keep little Riley in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks, Christy:aimeeyork

Big hug for Riley's mom and happy thoughts for Riley. Everything will be ok. :)

I took Piper to a specialist, they did an ultra sound. Couldn't find a shunt. So right now we are watching her diet until April, then they will repeat the Bile Acid test. Her enzymes were over 100. The speciatilt told me he has even seen them over 300 & up. She shows no other signs except high enzymes.
There is another test later down the road I will have done if nothing changes before I will go for a biopsy. I will have to drive 6 hours to have that test done, because they don't do that around here. The specialist told me a biopsy is the last test they'll do if nothing changes. Going in & taking a part of the liver is serious. They could bleed to death. The other test has something to do with radio active something they put up inside them. Everything lights up & they can look for the shunt that way. He said it was less evasive than a biopsy. So right now we are sitting on it until April.
I found out also insurance doesn't pay for liver shunt.
Good luck, I hope it turns out it can be controlled by diet.

I just read the update,aqnd want you to know that my prayers are coming, and I'm sure all of the members who are aware of this are sending lots of love and prayers for you all.

Judy

awww I will be praying for the little trooper! Dont wory momma, your baby will be fine. But I know how you feel. Are they doing the pre-blood work before they put him under?
Sending Yorkie Hugs your way!

Update: We went to the specialist for an ultrasound. When I got there, she told me that there's another test that's definitive so he didn't get the ultrasound. It's a portal-caval scan (that's what piper's mom was talking about). I wish we could have just scheduled that before I had to go in and pay another $100 for the visit. He's getting that done on Tuesday. Riley's been extra sleepy today and it's scaring me. It's emotionally and financially draining. The test will be $650. If he gets a biopsy it'll be $1500 and the surgery is $3500-4500. :aimeeyork :(

Don\'t panic about him seeming tired, he has been through a lot in a short time, and he has probably picked up on your fear. You are in our prayers, and I know he will be fine, he didn\'t have other symptoms remember. Give him our love, and draw from the strenght of all the wonderful people on this site that are pulling for you.:hearts6: :hearts6:

I feel for you both - so much money! As long as he\'s alright, it\'ll all work out.
We\'re all praying for you.

Judy

UPDATE: I just dropped Riley off at the specialtist. He\'s getting a portal scan. They have to inject radioactive isopotes rectally. If the dyes go to his liver then that\'s good. If they go to his heart then that\'s bad. Poor guy. He\'s probably so upset. They said they might have to give him Valum if he wiggles too much. They said I shouldn\'t sleep with him tonight because he\'ll be radioactive for 24 hours. I told the tech that I was still going to. She said as long as he doesn\'t get too close to my head then it\'ll be okay. I\'m bummed because I have to work tonight and won\'t be here to take care of him. She said he\'ll be totally fine, but still I wish I could be here. I just can\'t take off anymore work just yet. The results will be in today if he has a shunt or not. If not, then he\'ll get a biopsy to see what else it is. I\'ve already got it in my head that he has dysplasia. I don\'t even know what I would rather him have, the lesser of two evils. A shunt can be corrected with surgery but is really risky. The dysplasia is managable but can shorten his life. I hate this. I sent Dr. Tobias, who\'s an expert on the subject, an e-mail and one of her interns has been responding. She was very nice and said I could call her if I want. It\'s nice to know that they are so responsive and readily available to answer questions. I\'ll keep everyone posted. Take care, Christy:aimeeyork

Dear Christy:

My prayers are with you and Riley. Sometimes we just have to get through one minute at a time. My heart is with you.

Judy

I don\'t know why but I am just now reading this. Poor little guy. He has been through so much...and so has his mommy. bless all your hearts. is there a recent update? I notice the last one was several days ago. I am anxious to know how he is doing.

Our prayers are with all of you!!

UPDATE:

Riley\'s been at the vet all day and will be there overnight. He had a liver biopsy. Originally, the specialist told me it would be about $1500, but she admitted that she didn\'t really know the prices well. Apparently she didn\'t. I paid up front today. The estimate had a high and low and I had to pay the low as a deposit. The low cost was $2300 and the high cost was $2500. So, I might have to pay another couple hundred dollars tomorrow. But most importantly I hope he\'s okay. I hate thinking about him being there tonight in a cage. But here\'s the good news. My regular vet, who, is great, had told me I should get him nuetered at the same time and get his baby teeth pulled. This way he wouldn\'t have to go under twice and it would be cheaper. This is how I originally found out about his liver-I was taking him to get nuetered. Anyways, I asked the specialist about doing that and was told they don\'t do that because they\'re a specialty hospital and it would cost $1000 just to nueter him. Well, today at 1 p.m. my regular vet called me just to follow-up on how Riley was doing. He didn\'t know he was getting the biopsy today. I told him what they told me and he said he\'d call them because it would be the best for Riley. So then the specialist called me back and said they\'d do the nueter and teeth extractions for a little under $200. I can\'t believe my vet called me while Riley was getting prepped for surgery. It was perfect. He called just two hours before the biopsy. It\'s amazing what vets can get accomplished for you. He basically saved me $800, and a second anestesia. I was gonna have to wait because I\'ve spent soooo much already. I think God\'s looking after little Riley bear. I\'ll update after I get the results back. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. :aimeeyork