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05-18-2008, 04:56 PM | #1 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2008 Location: Walker, LA
Posts: 20
| Shunt Surgery My young Boy "Harry" may need the surgery procedure to correct blood flow to his liver. Any one know how this can turn out and what I should expect the charges to be. I am retired and have little left to help this little bundle of joy I love so much. Any advise is welcome and I thank you! |
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05-18-2008, 05:03 PM | #2 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Miami, FL
Posts: 249
| Praying for Harry...Sorry but much about your situation, but hopefully someone soon will be able to advise you... |
05-18-2008, 05:37 PM | #3 |
Slave to My Rug-Rats Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Long Island
Posts: 7,247
| Cost do vary from State to State. What makes you think he has a liver shunt? Has you been to a Vet, actually a Specialist in Liver Shunt Surgery? I don't know where you are located, but U. of Tenn is probably the BEST place to have liver shunt surgery performed. The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine - Liver Shunt Research Dr. Karen Tobias: UT College of Veterinary Medicine Faculty -- Karen M. Tobias |
05-18-2008, 06:51 PM | #4 |
Mommy's Lil' Miracle Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Mufreesboro, TN
Posts: 1,028
| I second UT, I took my Lily there and Dr. Tobias was wonderful. Liver shunt surgery is fairly expensive but well worth it. Most universities that I know of accept care credit which would allow you to pay for the surgery in payments. Keep us up to date on how Harry is doing! Check out those links that TLC posted for you. I believe that one of them tells you what to expect after the surgery and long term.
__________________ I LOVE my little Furbutts! Last edited by drawlins27; 05-18-2008 at 06:52 PM. |
05-18-2008, 07:39 PM | #5 |
Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: North Carolina
Posts: 8,317
| I agree. Not that many vets are knowledgable enough about liver disease and too many times surgeries are done unnecessarily. Has he has a bile acids test? A protein C test? Here are a couple of links for you to read: The University of Tennessee - College of Veterinary Medicine - Portosystemic Shunts Hepatic Vascular Disorders - WSAVA 2006 Congress |
05-18-2008, 07:48 PM | #6 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: California
Posts: 1,778
| Ditto. Please be sure of the diagnosis before you consider surgery. Recently heard of two little Yorkies who were diagnosed with a sonogram -- and neither one had liver shunt. Very sad and very unnecessary.
__________________ LaVail Yorkshire Terriers |
05-18-2008, 07:57 PM | #7 | |
Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: North Carolina
Posts: 8,317
| Quote:
Scintigraphy is the only way to properly diagnose a shunt. Ultrasounds are only 80% reliable best case according to Dr. Tobias. I believe Dr. Center estimates their reliability as low as 60%. You can waste a lot of time and money with vets who don't know how to properly diagnose liver shunts. | |
05-18-2008, 08:07 PM | #8 | |
BANNED! Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA
Posts: 11,073
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05-18-2008, 08:08 PM | #9 | |
BANNED! Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA
Posts: 11,073
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05-18-2008, 08:09 PM | #10 |
BANNED! Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA
Posts: 11,073
| what are pre and post bile acid tests -- please join liver shunt group asap as you will get a ton of info |
05-19-2008, 02:54 AM | #11 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2008 Location: Walker, LA
Posts: 20
| Thank you all so much for your comments, My Harry has been referred by my life long Vet to Louisiana Referral Center in Mandeville, Louisiana. This place is higher thought of than LSU's Vet school. My vet wanted an ultrasound for what we felt may have been something stuck in his throat due to the fact that his first sickness started when he vomited and part of it was scraps of painters tape. Exploring surgery was done to check his lower tract but nothing was found. Apparently his tests did not confirm that he needed the shunt surgery but my Vet said the clinic told him it could still be a possibility. Today Harry goes to Mandeville and you understand how I think the worst is what I think will happen. I pray this is not so, it has only been a week since he was operated on and I don't know if Harry is strong enough to get cut on again. I will let you all know how this comes out. Pray for my Harry. Thank you |
05-19-2008, 08:21 AM | #12 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: California
Posts: 1,778
| Oh. That is just so sad. I didn't realize he had just had surgery. Poor baby. Sending you all my good thoughts, hopes and wishes for the best possible outcome.
__________________ LaVail Yorkshire Terriers |
05-19-2008, 09:47 AM | #13 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: redmond
Posts: 132
| omg another one? Be very careful with this. A few things I've seen lately are making me wonder if liver shunt surgery is some new fad or something. Seems like a Yorkie only needs to sneeze and diagnosis is automatically liver shunt. Sorry, it's alarming and I'm reading good stuff that suggests that a lot of Yorkies live just fine with their shunts and MVD, and some with slightly elevated bile acid have no liver disease at all, sometime the high biles are due to some minor little intestinal disturbance. READ UP ON THIS AND BE CAREFUL |
05-19-2008, 09:58 AM | #14 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tennessee
Posts: 647
| My Gizmo had Liver Shunt Surgery at the University of Tennessee in January 2008. The Total bill was around $2,500.00. Good luck with your baby I hope all works out fine. |
05-19-2008, 04:01 PM | #15 |
Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: USA
Posts: 7,178
| Please have a Bile Acid Test done. If those levels are elevated, then it means something is going on in the liver. If this is the case, then the next step would be a Protein C test or a scintigraphy.
__________________ Miko 's his Mommy |
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