Liver shunt heartbreak
 

In September of 2003 I bought a 3 month old Yorkie from a lady who loved her dogs very much. But I must admit, she was not in a very good financial situation to be breeding as many dogs as she had. He weighed about 5 lbs. and seemed so healthy. A couple days after we had brought him home I saw a television show that explained how to pick a healthy food for your puppy. Well, I only wanted the best for Tucker, so, I visited the store and bought a premium puppy chow with lamb has the first ingredient.

Within a couple days something had gone wrong, very wrong. Tucker had progressed very well in his housetraining since we had brought him home, but all of the sudden he was urinating in small puddles all over the house. The more he went the more stressed he became and his urine became a dark red color. Very concerned, we contacted our vet immediatly. They ran blood tests and a urinalysis, and at first it was just suspected he had either swallowed a penny (which could cause this reaction), had a bladder infection, or a liver shunt. Many of the vets at the clinic agreed that a liver shunt was the least likely option because of his size and appetite (liver shunt puppies are usally very very tiny and sickly). After X-rays and more urinalysis' it was decided that he did in fact have a liver shunt. We also learned that the high amount of protein(lamb) in his diet had caused us to notice his defect (before it was too late).

We were worried sick that Tucker wasn't going to make it. Knowing that the surgery to repair a liver shunt had very slim chances of being successful, and that it would cost us thousands of dollars did not make the news any easier. But Tucker was a fighter. In just a year of his eventful life he had been on 4 different perscription diets, and many medications, but he was still alive and determined as ever.

August of last year had to be one of the scariest days I've had yet. Tucker had not been able to urinate for about 10 hours, and we had been persistant on giving him water to attempt to flush his bladder out. But, by about 1 that afternoon our whole house was in a panic. Tucker had begun to shake and slobber uncontrollably. We rushed him to the Emergency Vet and discovered his bladder was completely full of crystals and stones. Also, the toxins from his liver had not been filtered and had reached his brain(which had caused his slobbering and extreme distress). After being in intensive care for 2 days, he was finally stable enough to be taken to our home vet for surgery. They had to completely clean out his bladder. Exhausted from his whole ordeal, he came home with the most pitiful face I think I have ever seen. He seemed just content to be home, but that didn't last long.

The next morning when I opened his crate door, he came stumbling out, ran into my dresser, and fell over on his side. I knew something was wrong. Now that we look back on it, he seemed like a live bobble-head, not able to hold still. Once back at the vet, we were told the toxins in his brain needed to be controlled with medicine, so Tucker was put on Neomycin. We were lucky enough to maintain his shunt with medication and a special diet.

To this day, Tucker is still on medication, but has grown to weigh a whopping 12lbs. and is as happy as ever :smile: . We are so blessed to have him now, and I just wanted to share his story, and the awareness of what sadness, pain, and heartbreak liver shunt can cause. Looking at Tucker now, you would never know he has to live with this every day, but I hope everyone realizes the seriousness of it and helps to put an end to liver shunts. :animal36

P.S. I've posted pictures of Tucker on my profile, our lil "liver shunt survivor" ;)

Welcome to YT, Megan. What a heart wrenching story! Little Tucker is a survivor and a fighter! thanks for sharing your story with us.

hey megan! we already talked. we lost our first yorkie a few months ago to liver shunt, i'm so glad your tucker had a happy ending!!! our tucker is named after a vet that tried to save our first, bandit. thanks for posting that happy ending!!

I'm sorry you lost a Yorkie, it has to be a horrible feeling!

yea it is, thank you. but having that happen makes something like this even more special, i'm so glad tucker is ok!

Oh...what a sad story with such a happy ending!! So, Tucker is healthy now? That story just broke my heart. I have a sick Yorkie who might have a liver shunt--I will find out Tues. of the test results. I am so happy that you have a healthy Tucker after such a heartbreaking ordeal!! I hope my situation has a happy ending like yours ;)

I am so sorry for all that Tucker and your family have been through. Sound like Tucker is a fighter and with all your great care has a great life. Welcome to YT. I am just down the road from you in Beaumont, Tx. Look forward in hearing stories and seeing pic's of Tucker

You have a beautiful little boy. I love his coloring!!!! I am so glad he is doing good. Excuse my ignorance on the subject but do you only get a liver shunt under control or is it something you can totally cure? Does he have to be on meds for ever now?

Megan, WELCOME to YT and thanks for your story of hope. Wow, Yorkies are survivors!!!! I understand that he went through surgery for the crystals and stones in his bladder, but did he have the liver shunt surgery? Maybe I just didn't read carefully enough.

OMG WHAT A little fighter you have and how lucky he is to have you for a mom ! That story started to choke me up ...especially visualizing him falling over and hurting....I was totally expecting to cry at the end and I was so glad to read about Tucker's amazing recovery ! That is a great story to share and I wish all sick little yorkies could have such a happy ending - You've been through alot but this post can help so many people dealing with a similar problem...Good luck with your little Tucker ! That's just incredible...

I've got tears in my eyes. He's so lucky to have someone like you for his mom; someone who does everything she can to make his life a healthy one. The love you have for these little "people" is amazing, isn't it? :)

OMG i am sitting here crying.Your story is so sad.I dont know what i would do in your shoes.You have a lot more strengh than i would beable to give.




Heather

Thanks so much, and I hope the best for your yorkie!! Please keep me updated on his situation!

Thanks! I really wish liver shunt was curable, but Tucker was very lucky. A lot of the time if the shunt is bad enough, the liver shunt surgery is the only possibility. But Tucker's was not very severe, and can be maintained with medication for the rest of his life.

We were lucky enough not to have to put Tucker through the liver shunt surgery. His case was not that severe, so he is just maintained with medication and a special diet.

That's a wonderful story and very inspirational! Liver shunt is so scary, it's great that your family helped him survive the whole ordeal. I bet all that love you gave him didn't hurt! And he's simply adorable!! :)

You have one tough guy!! I'm glad to hear that he's doing great!! Good luck with him in the future!!! :D

God bless you for sticking by your little man through some scary times. It is truly an inspirational story. Thank you for posting it. I love the picture on your dogster site, too. He's a handsome boy and a lucky boy to have you for an owner, that's for sure.

Megan, did your Doctors tell you when liver shunt shows up? Does any one know? Is there a certain age? Can it be as an adult, ot only as a puppy?

Liver shunt is a genetic deformity. Most puppies with a liver shunt are the runt of their litter, and very sick from the beginning. The only way to stop this from reoccuring to not to breed from lines that have produced liver shunts. Once dogs with liver shunts are adults, they most likely will have had symptoms as puppies, and diagnosed with liver shunt. So really, it is something they are born with.

Liver shunt information: http://www.malteseonly.com/shunt2.html

:wavey: Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know that we visited the vet today for a kennel cough shot, and our vet said Tucker was doing so well, his shunt might have closed or shrunk on it's own! I'm very excited to hear this, even if he's still on medication! Thanks for all your comments!

I'm going through something similar. I just found out my 3 1/2 year old Nema has a shunt and her liver is too small and they don't know if it can be fixed with surgery. She said it may even worsen the situation. I'm looking for diet tips to help her... any tips? How's the little guy doing now?