vomiting again

[Hannah3183]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Is there any toy where she is getting at the stuffing? Anything weird like that? How long after she eats does the vomiting start? Have you cut out all treats?

I'm cutting out all treats as of today. I had noticed yesterday that there was some stuffing particles under my bed. So, that made me wonder...but i know that only appeared yesterday. She does chew on rawhides all the time, under my supervision though. I'm beginning to wonder if maybe she broke off a piece without my knowledge. Believe me - those are all going in the trash!

[Wylie's Mom]

Until you can get her in to see a new vet, I wouldn't be afraid to give her a little Pepto before or after she eats - like a 1/2 tsp or so....

[Hannah3183]

last night she did better. About 2.5 hours after she ate, she heaved once like she was going to vomit and was then fine for the rest of the night. She had a bowel movement this morning as well, and is gobbling up her food as we speak. I'm concerned about heaving and wondering if her medicine is the only thing keeping her from vomiting right now. I'm anxious to see how day 2 on the new diet goes, but I'm still calling the vet about her heaving last night.

[Hannah3183]

Well - last night went fine on the new food. However, this morning when she woke up she started dry heaving again. It only happened that one time this morning, and she was running around and playing all this morning before I left for work. I called the vet this morning and told them that she has dry heaved twice since I was in there on Wednesday. They said as long as she wasn't acting sick to just continue to monitor her.

I'm going to my parents house in KY this weekend. So, I had Mayme's vet her fax over all of her records to them in case of an emergeny. However, I'm thinking of taking her on in tomorrow in KY for a second opinion.

What do you all think? Should I just monitor, or have someone else look at her? It's sooooo strange to me that she doesn't act sick at all.

[Wylie's Mom]

Is she off the Metro?

[Hannah3183]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Is she off the Metro?

Yes. She's just on the anti-nausea/vomiting syrup now.

[Hannah3183]

Well, Mayme is going in for a second opinion and a bile acid test tomorrow. My mom and I had gone out to lunch yesterday and when we came back, I found mayme in her crate shaking. When I went to pick her up, her back legs and belly were soaking wet. She hadn't spilled any of her water, and she didn't smell like she had peed on herself. I'm so afraid that she had a seizure while I was gone. The vet said there was nothing he could do for her this weekend since the labs were closed, but that he definately wants to do a bile acid. I should know the results on Tuesday. I called her breeder, who said that no one has ever had a yorkie of hers turn up with liver shunt. She said maybe she passed a kidney stone. Mayme has been peeing quite a lot lately, but in small amounts. Then when I took her out of her crate yesterday when she was soaking wet....she peed a ton! (That's why I don't think that she peed on herself.)

Please please please cross your fingers for us.

[Ellie May]

If she is peeing often in small amounts it could be a UTI. She could also have stones. Ammonium urate stones are common with liver problems and they are not visable on xray, only ultrasound. I hope she is okay.

[Hannah3183]

She's at the vet right now. The new vet looked at her past bloodwork, etc and said she seems like an extremely healthy lil pup. He's also going to do a urine analysis, and told me not to worry....he'd figure it all out.

In the meantime, i'm just trying to breathe!

[Hannah3183]

We need your prayers big time now. The vet found something in her urine which indicated to him that she has a liver shunt. I get the bile acid test results back tomorrow, but he said he's pretty sure on his diagnosis at the moment. I really didn't think this could be possible. I can't lose my little baby.

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by Hannah3183

We need your prayers big time now. The vet found something in her urine which indicated to him that she has a liver shunt. I get the bile acid test results back tomorrow, but he said he's pretty sure on his diagnosis at the moment. I really didn't think this could be possible. I can't lose my little baby.

I'm so sorry.

Liver shunt is not a death sentence.
Surgery is possible in quite a few cases, especially since Yorkies often get extrahepatic shunts. It could also be MVD (controlled by supplements and diets). Please post the bile acid results when you get them.

[Yorkieluv]

Did they find ammonium urate stones? Those are pretty much indicative of liver shunt unless your dog is a dalmation, which obviously she is not... I am so sorry to hear about your baby Please post the results of the BAT when you get them. Prayers for your baby...

[Hannah3183]

The vet got her bile acid test results back today and called a specialist to get their opinion. The specialist said that yes, her liver enzymes were high and that something is definately going on, but they aren't high enough yet to be classified as liver shunt.(Thank God!) He said that she could have ate something that flared up her pancreas and caused pancreatitis...which raised her liver enzymes.

The vet had given her anti-vomitting medicine last week, which she is supposed to stay on until I can slowly reduce it down to nothing over the course of this week. If she vomits, then she has to go back in for more testing. Regardless, she goes back for a repeat bile acid test in a month to see if her liver enzymes have returned to normal. The specialist said that she could be just now developing the shunt, but that I've caught it so early it should be treatable with medicine and a new diet.

So for right now, i'm still just watching and waiting.Cross your fingers that I just have a sneaky muncher on my hands!

Also - the vet found bromide in her urinalysis which caused him to think she had the shunt. ?? My mom told me that part, which she could be not getting the name right, etc. Anyone heard anything about that?

[Hannah3183]

Mayme is now on her way back to my vet here in Nashville. The BAT was run by a vet in my parents home town this weekend. The vet here is concerned with her urinalysis results and wants to re-do her pancreas bloodwork. (It wasn't the ammonium birate) If she vomits this week, she'll go back in for a liver biopsy and ultrasound.

[Wylie's Mom]

Thanks for the update. This isn't my area of expertise - but I see all the right folks are in on this thread and giving you advice. I just wanted you to know that I've been thinking of you and checking in each day.