princeton is hospitalized
 

im crying as im typing this, princeton is in the hospital for the night and seeing his empty crate and playpen is killing me. today around 130pm after lunch prince's head began bobbing left to right (same thing that happened 3 weeks ago) this time it was bad.. he jus toppled off and wasnt answering me. he was dazed off and when he stood up he was wobbly almost looked drunk. i immedietly called my vet but hes not in today so i found an emergency animal hospital where i rushed him. his sugar level is perfectly normal and he has been eating very well lately. ive been so happy with him the past few weeks and i just dont understand what happened. they are running a bunch of tests on him, they think it could be a liver shunt. portosystematic shunt, i think its called. they are going to monitor him for the night and do a full blood test(chem with lytes and chem panel w/out lytes), urianylsis, pre & post bile, cell blood count, cystocentesis bladder, and iv and cri dextrose 50%. everything came out to almost 1700$..the doctor explained what a liver shunt is but im just a mess. when i went in to say goodbye to him after sobbing in the waiting room, he looked so sad and lost and his head was still wobbly..i dont know what to think... could this be because hes from a puppy store? im a mess.. if anyone could explain what all these tests are or anyone with similar experience.. it would really help right now :'(

Oh I am so sorry for what both of you are going through - you are a great mom to be taking such good care of him. I am sure someone who knows about this will reply. I do not. I just wanted to wish you both well.

Bless your heart. I don't know anything to say to help you except that I will say a prayer. Maybe someone will come on shortly that can help you.

Oh, I am so sorry, I hope he feels better soon. I would do research on shunts, I think some can be controlled with diet and some with an operation. I hope this is the case with Princes. My thoughts are with you.

Melissa,

I'm very sorry to hear about Princeton.

Here are some websites that have good explanations of liver shunt, & some of the tests. I'm not implying that I think he has liver shunt, but since the vet mentioned it, it's good to learn as much as you can.

CommonLiverShuntQuestions

LiverShunt

Hope he's feeling better, & back with you soon.

Unfortunately liver shunt can show up in any yorkie...it's not specific to ones from the pet store.

He is having a BAT performed. This is the one that says...pre and post. They will test him before a meal...and test afterwards. The test is to determine liver function. It does not diagnose liver shunt...it only determines if there is a problem with his liver. More testing would be required to determine if it's a shunt. If a problem is indicated.. do not agree to an ultrasound...sometimes shunts aren't seen using those...he should have a protein C test. That will determine if it is liver shunt. If it is a shunt...it will require surgery to repair it.

If you search this site...there is loads of information on liver shunt and treatments.

I'm sorry he's sick and I know the heartbreak of leaving them at the vet's office.

Good luck....

thanks so much, im reading reading reading

the vet just called, the blood work looks normal. the only thing is a high BUN in one of his kidneys but she said that could be from dehydration. his liver enzymes are normal. they still have to do the BAT test. and some other labs have to be sent out and we wont get the results til tomorrow. she said after they took his blood he was unresponsive and scared the vet a little bit but she said hes doing starting to do better again. this is going to be a veryy long night..

It does sound like a shunt.
It's a good thing you go thim right in.
What did he have to eat right before this happened?

Dogs whose parents aren't health screened prior to breeding would be at more of a risk for this. Sadly, if pups are being sold at a pet store, it is unlikely that the parents went through much testing.

he had his wet food with a little chopped meat and chicken on top.. i know that protein is hard for dogs with a shunt to digest but he eats it every night and nothing like this has happened. she also brought up the idea that could be hypoglycemia but his glucose level was normal and he eats alot.. i dont think its hypo.

Dear Melissa, I'm so sorry that Princeton is in the hospital... You got him to Vet ER as soon as it happened and the Vets will figure out what's wrong with him! I'm sending you prayers from Baron and I in PA. I know you miss him, But, he's where he needs to be and you need to be strong for him. You're all in our Thoughts and Prayers!! Blessings...:hands::getwell::luvu:

thanks so much, im trying to wipe the tears from my eyes and be hopeful. my boyfriend even says he wishes he could switch places with prince and him be in the hospital. my poor little baby:(

what a wonderful boyfriend,mines the same way, at least you have someone to support you at home. everything is gonna be ok. your a great mommy, you got him help as soon as he needed it.

I am so sorry you are having to go thru this scarey ordeal, and I hope for the best for you and little Princeton. You did the right thing by getting him in to a vet promptly, and hopefully they will have answers for you soon.

There are many of us on YorkieTalk (including me) who have a liver challenged dog. Some have shunts that have been repaired, others have MVD (microvascular dysplasia) with or without symptoms, and are being medically managed with special diet and supplements.

Most of the previous threads about this are in the YT sections of Sick and Injured, or in Health and Diet. If you want to become generally familiar with these illnesses, you can do a search there. However, since your dog is now in good hands, and is presently going thru the diagnosis process, you might want to try to just wait a little bit until the tests are complete. At that time, please post here with results, and the very knowledgeable YT members will jump in and give you lots of support and help. Also, if you post in the sick & injured section, your thread will get more attention (it may get lost in this very busy General discussion section).

Good luck, and be sure to update soon. Sending you hugs as you wait!

I'm so sorry that Princeton is in the hospital!!
You both are in our thoughts