Liver shunt
 

Hi Everyone!
Emma will visit Tufts University next Wednesday, April 22. I will have a consultation with the Chief of Surgery to weigh any and all options regarding her liver shunt for my little one and the medication she has been on since December, Metronidozole. I will update you then.

I hope all the other babies living with a liver shunt are doing well.

Emma needs to be on a low residue diet ( Iams). I have switched my other yorkie's kibble to Solid Gold Millenia as it is much lower in protein than the Evo she was on. From what I understand, high protein diets are not good for yorkies although she was doing well on the Evo.

DAB

My sweet Lola had liver shunt surgery done March 6 at University of TN. She is like a different dog now. She has the same sweet personality, but plays again like she did when we first brought her home. She runs and turns little circles to get her brother to come and play....it was well worth all of the worry and trouble! Each day I see her improve more and more. She will not be retested until June, so I still have her on a strict diet, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that her numbers will be normal then. We had absolutely no complications or bad side effects at all. Lola was 2.5 pounds after surgery and has gained .75 since! I wish you the very best of luck - I know your baby will do great!

Thank you for your encouraging words. Wednesday, 4/22 is the appointment at Tufts. I will keep this forum updated.

I am so happy that your baby is now thriving and I pray that all goes well with Emma.

DAB

I will pray for you on April 22. I know what you are going through - the anxiety and the worry...I wish it was all behind you, but I am sure all will be fine with your precious baby, Emma. Please let me know if you have any questions that I might be able to answer. Good luck and please let us know how all is going.

Saying prayers for sweet Emma. :big_hug:

Thank you!

:hands::hands::hands::hands: Get well Emma

Any news or updates on your baby?

Emma was seen for the 4th time at Tufts University Foster Hospital for Small Animals on Wednesday, 4/22. The appointment was for a surgical consultation and for the surgeon to meet Emma.

The surgeon who is the soft tissue specialist and Dept. Head. explained again what the shunt was---that the blood vessel was bypassing the liver and going straight to another organ called the cava-----the toxins usually filtered by the liver were now not being filtered so toxic build ups would be ongoing. To make a long story short his recommendation was to go for the surgery. Certainly, the toxins would adversely affect Emma over time. Please note that she shows no outward clinical signs of having a shunt. She is just 2 years old, very loving, very energetic and quick/smart thinker.

He stated that the longer we wait to have surgery ( say, for example, until she shows signs of a shunted dog---in a few years? ) the more difficult recovery might be. He explained the complications: seizures---Emma would be kept in the hospital for 3 nights after surgery to watch for them. If she were to have seizures she would be given seizure medication. He stated that the seizures should only be temporary. The other more dire complication would be a blood clot which would most likely be fatal.

During surgery the shunt would be ligated and fitted with the Ameroid ring. The ring does not immediately close the shunt off completely. Rather, it shrinks over time to slowly close off the vessel. Closing the shunt tight all at once would most likely result in a quick back up of blood with fatal consequences. The doctor has seen both complications---not often---but he has seen them. He claims to have a 98% sucess rate. That sems very high but I pray it is true.

So, after much anxious conversation, Emma is scheduled for surgery the second week of June. I am waiting for a definitive confirmation from the surgeon. So, I am trying to keep positive and pray that all will go well. It is a very frightening prospect. My baby girl was just 2 years old in March. She and my older girl yorkie (age 5) are very much attached. Then there is our kitty who makes up the 3rd musketeer!

I only wish I could contact anyone whose yorkie had shunt surgery at Tufts located in grafton, MA---near Boston. Tufts does do the surgeries which, aparently, are not uncommon. If anyone is familiar with the uniersity hospital and whose yorkie has had liver shunt surgery there, I would greatly appreciate a reply.

Please say prayers for my Emma and the surgeon and team who will be doing the surgery in June. Thank you for your support.

DAB

My Lola was just a year in January and had the surgery in March. She had no outwardly signs of a shunt except that she was very small and a very picky eater. I insisted that my vet do the BAT before her spay and that is when we figured out that she had the shunt. My vet never thought there was a shunt prior to that. We went to University of TN the week after she was diagnosed, she had scintigraphy on Thursday, surgery on Friday and I picked her up on Saturday evening. We then flew back to Houston on Sunday afternoon. She had dissolvable stitches and has not even been to the vet since we returned from TN....in other words, she has done super and will not have her BAT redone until June. I think you are making the right decision - I was given the same information from UT that Tufts has given you about waiting. I hope someone that has experience with Tufts can reassure you; can they give you any references to contact? If I can help answer any questions, let me know. I'l be thinking about you and your precious baby. Keep us posted!

My Joey had liver shunt surgery in March as well, but not at Tufts, and he has much more energy than before. He also had no outward signs of the condition. It was found when my vet did the BAT on him prior to his neuter. He is being re-tested in June, but for now is on a strict diet. I wish you the best of luck with your little one. It is a scary time, but you will feel so relieved when it's over. I have heard good things about Tufts, although I can't think of anyone offhand who went there. Please keep us posted. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Liver Shunt
 

Prayers and good wishes. DJ had a liver shunt fixed at 6 yrs old when he had biopsies done sep 06. The constricter type band closed the shunt in about 2-3 weeks and he perked up. However, his kidneys were very bad, gloumerii disease, and he was on a slow protein lose battle until his death jan 08 :rbyorkie: at 7 1/2 yrs.

Thanks so much for your words of encouragement. I am so very happy that your baby did well with the shunt surgery and I pray that my little girl does as well and recovers completely. She is such a cutie! Today we went to a National Park on the Connecticut shore as the weather here was warm---finally spring has sprung! Emma and her "sister" ran around and had so much fun. What a great day we had! Everyone loved them. I hope that she will be healthy so we can continue to have such joyful days.

Thanks again for your kind words. I will keep you posted and keep you and your puppy in my prayers.

DAB

I am so very sad to hear about your little Joey. How good that the shunt surgery worked but how tragic that in the end the kidney disease proved to be too much for him.

Please google the poem Rainbow Bridge. I find it comforting. God bless your little angel.

DAB

I am sorry----it was DJ and not Joey who passed away. May Joey continue to improve and enjoy good health.