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Yes, there is surgery, but the first vet said that surgery only works if it's a problem in a large area of the liver. But he said the xray looks as if there is a problem in several small areas, which can't be corrected with surgery. Also, sympa, I have definitely considered the fact that it's petland's vet and so they might be trying to prevent me from replacing the puppy. Petland does offer a year guarantee against genetic disorders, so they'd have to do a LOT of extra work to keep him alive for another 11 months. The first vet acted like the dog was doing to die by this weekend, and this other vet is saying the dog is stable and appears to be happy. |
I hope you get some consistant answers. I will keep praying for you and your pup! Get well soon!!!! |
i must confess that we bought our puppy from petland as well....if only we knew then what we know now but then we wouldn't have our miko. we certainly won't make the same mistake twice though. it sounded from your last post like the original vet is diagnosing liver shunt for sure, lots of smaller ones. is that right? if that's the case, i would get a second opinion from a vet not affiliated with petland. if you get the same diagnosis a second time and the petland vet still won't diagnose it (if they say it's vaccination related then it's not genetic, they won't have to replace your pup if you lose him) then with the two diagnoses from 2 separate vets, that would certainly put pressure on them. if worse comes to worst, tell them you have a family member who's a lawyer who has offered to look into your contract and they're prepared to make petland abide by the contract. please keep us posted. of course, after all i typed above, i'd much rather hear from you that your fitz is feeling better and is on the mend. please take good care. :unlove: my heart breaks for you and your pup. |
Update: The vet called me with this news: Fitzy's red cell count is up, and there is no longer blood in his stools. They want to do one final blood test to see if it's a liver shunt. They will do it tomorrow, and if it is a liver shunt, they will remove it with surgery. He said that 75% of liver shunts are curable, and the other 25% are usually manageable with a diet. He also said that petland will take care of the bills. Things seem to be looking up for Fitzgerald, but like you said sympa, I hope they aren't using the vaccine reaction as an excuse not to replace the dog if he ends up dying. :( |
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I just have to wonder if by some shread of humanity the pet store requires this vet bc they are good or the best they have found. It would be a question I would personaly entertain, if you were looking for an opinion. I hope for your babies sake that is the fact! You guys are in my prayers! |
glad to hear the good news about fitz out of curiousity, was it the original vet you took him to or the petland vet that said his numbers had improved? when you get him back, if he still seems off to you then take him in for the other vet to run the blood work and double check that the petland vet is giving you the right figures. it looks like things are really getting better for you guys and i really hope that's the case. i only remain cynical because as you know and as i've said, for some people it's all about the bottom line ($$$). please take good care. keep us posted. i keep logging on to yt to see what's up with fitz :) |
Yeah, it was the petland vet who said his numbers were better. We have Fitzy back and he seems to almost be back to his old self (and now he's humping his big sheep toy!) We take him back tomorrow to check for the shunt. I'll keep you all posted. |
What good news! I hope he just is better and you can put this all behind you. |
Oh my goodness, I'm just reading all this now. Poor Fitzgerald I hope tomorrow the vet gives you good news and as others have said, you can put this all behind you. :) They worry us so... much when their sick but as all of you on here know why, because we love them so... much. :love: :smile: |
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i'll look forward to hearing from you tomorrow i'll look forward to hearing from you tomorrow about fitz's condition. i'm glad he seems to be on the mend and very happy he's back with you guys now. take good care. :) |
I will be praying that news tomorrow will be good!! God bless you all. |
I will continue to send thoughts and prayers that Fitz really will be okay. I too understand the skepticism, you have to wonder...after all it's your babies health that is the most important, I really do think if it were me, I'd get a third opinion, preferably a specialist with liver shunts...that would definitely not have a hidden agenda. I do hope and pray that he will be taken care of, and lives a happy, healthy long life... |
The only peace of mind I get with using petland's vet is that the vet office was around before petland ever opened and it's one of the larger ones in baton rouge (baton rouge folk, are you familiar with Sherwood South Animal Hospital?). There are 5 doctors there, and two of them I've met and they are very friendly and seem knowledgeable. With all the work they might have to do (if it's a liver shunt), it would cost more than I paid for the dog, and since petland is paying for it, I feel a bit better about that. The puppies might come from horrible horrible puppy mills, but perhaps the individual owners of these stores show a little more ethics in their customer service... just maybe... |
Glad things are looking promising!!!:D |
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they should be responsible for the vet fees ... our thoughts are with you and we hope for a speedy, permanent recovery .... |
Any news? Hug that little baby for me and Max please. |
Did they do a bile acid test yet? What test is the vet going to do to determine whether or not it's an operable shunt? They should do a scintigraphy or portogram should because many times, ultrasounds are inconclusive... |
Update on Fitz...Wondering how he's doing, and if there's any conclusive news yet? |
Sending puppy get well wishes to you and he is on my prayer list! |
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UPDATE: Saturday morning, the vet did a bile acid test on Fitzy. The results will be coming to me in the next hour. He said 75% of shunts are operable and the rest are mostly manageable, so I'm trying to be optimistic. In my opinion, Fitzy's back to normal. His poop looks normal and he's a little furry ball of energy again. We're upset at the original vet at this point because his first option was to put the dog to sleep and get another one. That was four days ago, and Fitzy is well again. Can you imagine if we had listened to that doctor?!?! |
Geez, I know how you feel about that first vet...When Miko was a pup, the emergency vet told us that he wouldn't last through the night and refused to do a bile acid test...Well, here he is 3 yrs later :) |
well, I got the call.. It's a liver shunt, and they need to operate in the next couple of months. The bad news is that it's going to cost a pretty penny for this surgery ($1,500 or so) and Petland is going to cover about $500 of that cost (what I paid for the puppy minus $300 in previous vet bills). |
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Sorry - but I have to ask - Do you sniff your dogs poop everytime he/she goes?:eek: |
I am sorry to hear that, but it's great news that it's an operable shunt. My baby's liver condition is inoperable and has to be maintained with special diet, lactulose, and supplements for the liver. Are you allowed to pick the vet that does the surgery? If so, I would definitely consider going to University of Tennessee...Dr. Karen Tobias is one of the best liver shunt vet in the nation. Did your vet prescribe a special diet for your baby? If not, you need to ask that they put your baby on Hill's L/D or Royal Canin Hepatic LS 14...Also, you should ask for lactulose and denosyl, especially if you're not going to be doing the surgery right away. But honestly, the surgery needs to be done as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more damaged the liver gets. Also, I highly recommend that you join the liver shunt/mvd group on yahoo groups. The people on that group are extremely knowledgable about liver conditions and will help with any advice at all. Also their files section is very informative. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/L...d_MVD_Support/ |
Did they give the numbers on the bile acid test results? Curious, Winston just got his back, they don't seem terribly high so I assume this means no liver shunt??? Just wondered how high is high? My vet is waiting to "consult" with their specialist, hopefully I'll know more tomorrow...At least she's doing that much...Thanks. Almost forgot, wish Fitz well...hope this can all be taken care of ASAP, and he'll have a long, happy, healthy life to follow!!! |
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Thank goodness it's operable. I'd love to see what a 3rd vet would say if you could bring him the test results. I'm not that trusting of doctors, so I would want to be sure that Petland's vet has integrity. I'm sure he does, but just so you know that this is the real diagnosis. Im sorry to be such a bummer. I just like to see all of the bases covered. I'm so glad you got a better diagnosis than that first vet! |
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