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Liver Shunt Confirmed I am really upset. Joey's sonogram showed an (expatic?) shunt outside his liver. His surgery is next Wednesday. They wanted to put him on Hills l/d, but I dislike that brand for various reasons, so I went to my regular vet who prescribed Royal Canin Hepatic LS. He was also put on lactulose 1 ml twice a day, but this may cause diarrhea. I have no idea how I am going to separate his food from my other Yorkie's since they graze and won't eat a meal in one sitting. I think I will put Joey's food in his crate and maybe he'll eat while I am at work. Please tell me what else I should be doing right now and what to expect after the surgery, recovery time, etc. What treats can he have:(:confused: |
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I am so sorry but thank goodness many of these little ones live because of the surgery. Have you notified the breeder yet? |
I so sorry...but the good news is Joey can live a long healthy life after his surgery. I agree you're going to have to keep him away from the other's food. He'll need to be contained for awhile after his surgery...don't want those stitches coming out...usually at least a week. There's a yahoo group that can provide you with loads of information. Groups Discussing hmd | Yahoo! Groups Sending prayers for Joey. |
Uh oh. :( That Protein C test did look a bit off though, didn't it? First, if you are having it done at the hospital that you had the scan done at, I would really see what their success rate is and how many they have done. I can only tell you that University of Tennessee has probably the least reactions (like seizures) after surgery and they have the most experience. We have MSU here but if Ellie had been diagnosed with a shunt, I had every intention of going to University of Tennessee. Cornell would've been my second choice. It is generally a successful surgery but the surgeon needs to have experience. I would also only use the ameroid constrictor method of closure...not the cellophane band. He should not be free fed really. He should eat 4-6 small meals a day. By the way, the canned L/D isn't that bad. RC LS 14 is good if he isn't allergic to it... |
Poor little guy. I'll pray for his safe surgery and quick recovery. I don't know if this is possible or not, but could you switch your other dogs to the same food? Then you won't have to worry about him getting their food... |
About the lactulose, it can be hard to get the dose right. He should have two soft but formed bowel movements a day. Is he having neurologic symptoms though? Has the vet given antibiotics, Denosyl, etc.? |
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He was not prescribed antibiotics before surgery, and I have to find out about the procedure they are using to close it off. The surgeon performing the operation is extremely experienced at this and they have an excellent success rate with this type of shunt. Still freaking out..... |
Oh no. :( Yorkies can get very expensive. :( By the way, cryptorchidism can be related to liver shunt. Have you applied for Care Credit? I have heard (could be wrong) that occasionally Cornell helps owners out in this kind of case. Does the hospital you are having it done at take payments? |
Dealing with a LS can be a very trying and stressful time. You and Joey have my sympathy and good wishes for a full recovery. We went through this nightmare last year and we went ahead and applied for Care Credit. By doing so, we gave ourselves a couple of extra options. For one, you can use the Care Credit to cover all the expense or just a portion of it. Second, the U of Tenn was able to give us 6 months same as cash on the portion we put on the Care Credit. Getting the Care Credit was very easy. Did it all online in less than 15 minutes. |
Try not to freak out. He is young and this was caught early :thumbup: I have to be honest, that if Roxy had a confirmed shunt, being that I live in NY I would be taking her the Cornell to have the surgery done. I don't know the cost there, but being that they are a leader in the LS, I would put my trust in them and the cost HAS to be less than the speciality hospital. Have you joined the yahoo group: Dog_Liver_Disease Also, LOOK HERE - they may be able to help with payment: Welcome to ALL 4 PETS WNY ALSO - have you contacted the breeder? I would think you should be refunded your money to help pay for the LS surgery... WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!!! |
Thank you, you all have no idea how much your support means to me. This is following on the tail of some other family and financial crises, so I think my plate is a little too full at the moment. My ex-husband just had the audacity to tell me to euthanize the dog, right in front of my kids. He wasn't kidding. I checked that website re grants for pet illnes for it only applies to certain upstate counties. I am in Rockland County. I do have care credit and will look into how much more it will take. I don't mean to make this about money, but it's tough right now out there. I am going to contact the breeder, but the health guarantee says I could return the dog and get a refund or a different dog. Neither of those are viable options! Meanwhile any ideas on how to separate feeding them and treats for Joey? Can he have dried yams and other non-meat treats? |
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They will just need to be fed in different rooms with doors closed... He can have apple bits (no peeling), watermelon, green beans, sweet potato, carrot, etc. |
My problem is that they graze, they never seem to eat much at one time. They have access to their food in the am before I leave for work and when I get home, they graze until bedtime. I guess that will be stopping. |
I forgot to mention that he also has kidney stones, which relates to his liver impairment. |
If it is very important that they be able to continue grazing, you could ask your vet if the healthy dog could have the RC with added protein. I wouldn't but it's an option. Do you mean ammonium urate stones? If yes then he should eat all low purine foods also. |
What is low purine food? |
I'm so sorry about Joey :( I know the vet bills do add up so fast and it does get expensive. I've spent about $1800 in the last month on diagnosing Lacy so I understand...and I know shunt surgery costs even more. I know it can be hard to come up with the money all at once but if you'd be able to pay it off overtime, maybe you can find a credit card that doesn't incur any interest for 6 months to a year or maybe the vet school you go to will let you make payments? I know here at A&M they require about half the initial amount as a deposit and then let you make payments. I hope you can find something that works for you and Joey |
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Liver compromised dogs have trouble processing uric acid. This can lead to stone formation. There are list of low, medium, high and very high purine foods on the internet. Exotic meat is very high. Whitefish is probably somewhere around high. Egg white is lower, etc. |
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Then I feed each of them their own foods, offering it up a couple times a day. Ideally you would want to feed a liver compromised dog three to four small meals. but on a busy day mine have been fine with two meals. I would not give my healthy dog prescription, or vice versa. Now I home cook, so they both get about the same thing but supplements are different and Copper gets less protein, It has taken me quite a while to figure out what is the right amount of this and that for each dog, I also have had alot of help from other good people and a local holistic vet. Hope that this helps a little, I am still doing alot of learning. |
Egg whites and non-fermented milk products (ie. cottage cheese, whey protein, etc.) are generally purine free... If your dog has ammonium urate stones due to the liver problems, maintaining a low purine diet and drinking lots of water is essential. The water helps dilute the urine and helps keep the stones from forming. Feeding my liver compromised yorkie high moisture and low purine foods has kept him from getting ammonium urate stones again. He was a very severe case in that he was passing 20+ stones per day and he hasn't had any stones since I changed his diet a couple of years ago. He eats no purine rich foods except that he sometimes gets low or non fat stonyfield organic plain yogurt. Offering small frequent meals is extremely important for these dogs. |
What is his main food source, do you home cook or use prescription food? |
hope your baby does well |
I am praying Joey has a successful surgery today. Please keep us posted. Hugs. |
My prayers are also with you and Joey. |
Joey is out of surgery Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. I just got the call that Joey is out of surgery. They were able to completely close off his shunt and he is in the ICU. They said his body temp warmed up really nicely after the surgery and they will monitor him closely all night. It took awhile for the surgeon to get to that undescended testical, but she removed it and his retained baby teeth. She said he is a "real little fighter" and everything went as well as could be expected. I feel so much lighter right now. I will check up on him in a couple of hours. |
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