Just an update...

Rio is going to get blood tests done (I had to fast her for 18 hours) and she was whimpering and crying for food when Sammie was eating even though I fed him in another room...

She could hear the crunching..

SOO SAD...I am just really really torn and upset about this...

She definitely has something wrong with her...liver shunts or a neurological problem!!!

If it's liver shunts, I can not afford the surgery as the vet estimated anywhere between 5 to 7 THOUSAND due to her size....and there's a low chance of survival.

If it's neurological...there is a chance she can still live a healthy life...but walking with an imbalance

The man I bought her from....is willing to give me back my money if I return her to him

I am sooooo torn....what should I DO??!?!?!?!??!?!?!?

omg hun .... i don't know! this must be breaking your heart :( I am sooo soo sorry ... i wish i could give you more helpful advice, if you need to talk to someone i'm here ... :(

I'm so sorry your going through this with Rio. I know things aren't looking very good but I'm sending prayers your way that your baby will be ok. If you need anything or just want to talk please feel free to pm me. Kisses to your sweet baby.

OMG, I'm so sorry to hear about Rio.. Yes, I believe she said Rio did come from some guy in Queens NY, that fly's to Brazil and picks up puppies every now and then. So, I don't know if she would be able to contact the breeder as I don't believe she knows who he is..

Once again I'm sorry Sammietheyorkie about your little girl I know you were very happy about getting her..

I dont know too too much about puppy insurance, but maybe you could purchase some and maybe it would cover a surgery such as this.......good luck hun....I really feel for you and my thoughts and prayers are with you.
Tami

Unfortunately, pet insurance will not cover a pre-existing condition. Good luck with everything with Rio. Thoughts and prayers are with you.

I am so sorry to hear this! :( I would absolutely look into it as that isn't normal. Jewelina is quite small, she is 6 1/2 months old and just recently gained a bit of weight so she is 2 pounds now but has never had balancing problems or trouble when she walks. Have you looked into her parents genetics? Perhaps there could be a clue there to help you figure out what is wrong with her? Often health issues or traits can be passed down from one generation to the next so if you looked into their health history perhaps it would give your vet a clue as to what to look for with your darling little girl. I hope whatever is wrong with her that thare are able to make her better soon! Keep us updated!

Wow, that is super tiny for 5months old. I sure hope and pray that everything checks out ok, she is adorable. I will be watching your thread for an update.

Kathy

Any news yet? Poor baby I hope everything is okay.

She is so gorgeous. I hope that her problem is not serious. If the breeder is willing to give you your money back if you return her, perhaps with a letter from your vet, he would be willing to return your money & let you use it for the surgery/treatment if it is necessary. I would certainly ask. Prayers for little Rio.

that's a thought! yes anxiously awaiting any news of cute lil rio ... T&P


doortego .. btw your avatar is ADORABLE

Rio is absolutely beautiful and is soooooooo small for 5 mos. How much did she weigh when you got her?

I don't have any ideas about what could be wrong, but if the breeder is willing to give your money back if you return her, is he going to make sure she goes to the vet and gets the treatment she needs for whatever problem she has? Maybe if you talk to him, he would agree to refund your money and let you keep Rio, in light of her medical problem, and you could use the money for vet bills?

I know that if my little Jake got sick, I could never return him because I love him too much and am very attached to him. I'm sure you feel the same about Rio.

I wish you the very best.

Just to reply about the pre-existing insurance. ifound some. i am trying ot look into it more. the name is www.jadens.net. the insurance is cheap also. But like i said I am looking into it more before I purchase it. With my little one I am scared no one will take him, but then again this one may.
good luck with your little one. prayers are coming your way she will be fine.

Her size is very small and I would be worried about what you are seeing.
However, liver shunt is not the only possibility. Does she have an open fontenal on the top of her head? Very often the tinies do and along with it they are hydrocephalic meaning the chambers of the brain that carry fluid have too much fluid. That can vary in degrees of being hydrocephalic from minor to quite serious.
Then there is also the risk of immature kidneys or malformed kidneys. Liver may not be LS but other liver conditions can exist.
Hopefully if there is something it isn't too serious and can be easily taken care of.
With the tinies the risk is always much higher that they are small due to a health issue.

I'm so sorry you are going thru this! :( I'm sure you must be really upset. She's so precious, I really hope it turns out to be nothing bad. Does she eat good? Or is she a picky eater? I would ask her breeder if her parents had any walking problems at her age or any other problems such as livershunt, etc. Which I REALLY hope is not that! But it could be something genetic. Please update us. I really hope everything turns out to be fine. I will keep her in my prayers.

Oh honey I am so sorry that you are going thru this. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers that it will turn out to be something simple and easily fixed.

Any updates? I hope everything turns out okay and you don't have to make any difficult decisions. She sure is a cutie!

What a beautiful little girl. Please update us when you can, I hope it's nothing serious!

How's your little girl doing? Still send our prayers your way.

First of all have your doctor tell you what it is. Liver Shunt is common but there are so many other things other than LS that could be wrong, so it may not be the worst. Listen to your doctor or get a referral to another good doctor in your area.
If you give Rio back to the man he will most likely put her down. See what the story with her is before you make any decisions.

Good Luck and God Bless.

I'm not sure where you're located, but you can find another pet hospital easily that will not charge you $5000-$7000 for liver shunt surgery. University of Tennessee has one of the best liver shunt vets, Dr. Karen Tobias, that has been heading up the research for years and they only charge around $1500 including pre-tests and post-op work. They've done a ton of surgeries on tiny dogs. Many (not all) LS dogs stay tiny and have stunted growth, so they see tinies all the time. They've even done the surgery on 3 month old pups. Try to find a place where the vets have extensive experience if she does have a liver shunt. Please keep us updated on her condition. We're praying for her!! Please check out http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/L...d_MVD_Support/
They people there are extremely knowledgable, and many have been in the same position as you. They give great advice, and you can look through the files and database section to read some more info. They also have a list of vets on there that have experience with the liver shunt surgery.

Please don't return her to the man. He will most likely put her down...

I am so very sorry that you are having problems with Rio. Sending hugs to you both :ghug:

I am in tears reading your plight. I know the decisions you have before you are really hard ones. I will send my prayers upward that the problems can be fixed and/or controlled with medication. Like the others who have posted here, I am anxiously awaiting an update. :ghug:

i think i would ask the breeder what he plans to do with her if you were to give her back. because if he planned on getting her the surgery maybe he could save hiimself money by reimbursing you for what you paid for her and then you could use that money for the surgery and get to keep her?? i will pray for your baby!

i was going to say i bet she could find someone that does a great job for wayyy less money!! research on it. even if you had to buy a plane ticket to go to this doctor in tennessee it would still save you a ton of money!!

Great Advice! UT is the best place for you to go. You may have to pay for the travel and a hotel room, but the surgery would be a lot less and you would have the peace of mind in knowing that you have the THE best doctor taking care of RIO.

Here is the sad and unfortunate update....
 

Thanks everyone for your words of support and the flood of e-mails!!

here's the update...
Rio's bloodwork and other tests came back showing liver shunt...How My vet estimated $3,000 to $5,000 depending on what they see whenthey open her up and compare what was shown on the ultrasound.

My vet and the techs told me her chance of surviving the surgery is lowbecause of her tiny, fragile body, and small organs. If it is internal, the chance of her surviving is 1% or none.

They told me I can choose to treat her with medicine three times a day and when symptoms flare up, have her on several medications. Her lifespan will be definitely shortened with episodes of seizures, diarrhea, walking dizzy, etc. (My boyfriend knows me best and he thinks this will add more pain and even guilt to my life. He sees me stressing every day, blaming myself if her medication was given late and if she has an episode, not wanting to do anything with my life but be aroundher 24/7...that's how I have been all week...sleeping on the ground in the living room, just watching her, feeding her, leaving work early, not answering phone calls, etc.)I agree that I am not capable of handling this emotionally and financially. Even though I see my pups as children, if it were my human child, I would quit my job and devote my life and energy to raising my child...

My other choice, which is the one for me.....The man in Queens has agreed to give me back my money and help with some of the medical bills that has piled up. He is going to treat her medically and see how she progresses on the meds only.

I dropped her off Friday and we've been on the phone a couple times each day with the updates...he's going to give her a couple of weeks and if she is doing worse, we will take her to a Yorkie Rescue.

It breaks my heart to hear her bark when I talk to him over the phone. She barks like a squeek toy.....

Sammie, my other healthy yorkie,...from a breeder in Jackon, NJ heardabout this and has agreed to give me a healthy girl yorkie free in a few weeks. This has been the hardest decision but I think the advice of my friends, vets, listeners on my radio show, my friends on yorkietalk.com has led me to be at peace with this decision.

IMPORTANT: A lot of people e-mailed me about laws and rights you have as a buyer and the states all vary but if someone sells you an un-healthy dog, the laws are really in the buyer's favor so check outall the laws. Again, thanks so much for reaching out and giving me your situation stories. I did read each one!!!!!

Thanks again,XOXO
G-N

i have to ask this question to any breeder with a HG. is liver shunt covered in a health guarantee?
i see it so much here and just wondering if the breeder needs to be involved in all this.

Sorry to hear about Rios. Hope you find an answer soon. Interesting where you live, my husband and I grew up in Ardmore.

Liver Shunt is congenital therefore should be covered in the guarantee.