My 7 month old yorkie has 2 rows of teeth
 

He weighs only 1- 1/2 lbs and has had health problems since I got him 2 months ago. His hair won't grow and looks thin, he gets weak all the time although I give him Nutri Cal 3 X day. He WAS eating Eukunuba dog food but can only eat soft food now and since last night, won't even eat soft food. The vet is closed til Monday so I am looking at a LONG weekend with him. He has thrown up twice today already. About a month ago he had what I would call a seizure out of the clear blue sky, no warning. Took him to ER Vet and they said he was stable and to take him home (All that for $115.00!!!) I now give him vitamins whever possible but so far nothing seems to help him. ANY suggestions? THANKS!!! :confused:

I would get him to a vet ASAP. If he's that tiny and hasn't eaten since yesterday and has thrown up, he needs to be seen immediately. Please don't wait til Monday, that may very well be too late for the little boy. Please keep us updated as to what you find out.

He sure is tiny! Have you tried to sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on his food? Dog eat by smell and sometimes the cheese does the trick. How about a little chicken and rice? He really needs to eat and drink. :(

I would be concerned that he is throwing up. If you cannot get him to eat you might consider the ER.

Many Yorkie have double teeth. They are usually removed during spay/neuter around this age.

Thanks
 

I use the Parmesan cheese trick alot. I finally got him to eat some tunafish. I was eating a sandwich and he showed interest so I opened a can for him and put it on a plate. He DID eat some!! Thank GOD!!

Has he had a bile acids test? Many of his symptoms suggest he may have a liver shunt which are very common in Yorkies, unfortunately. In fact, Yorkies are 36 times more likely to be born with a shunt than all other breeds combined.

Portosystemic Shunts FAQ

Your post states he has a double set of teeth?

Yes
 

He is at vets as I write. They are keeping him this afternoon and running some tests. They also are doing bloodwork. Please pray for the little fellow!! Thanks!!:aimeeyork

Lots of prayers being sent your way for both your baby and you. It sure is scary when they're sick, isn't it? Please keep us posted on how you're both doing!

Not to freak you, but I strongly believe he may have liver issues. As stated above Yorkies are more prone to LS. Also, the facts that you stated: tiny, health problems, picky eater and that he DID have a seizure leads me to believe he may indeed have liver issues. But not to worry, this is not a death sentence. PLEASE make sure your Vet is going to do a serum Bile Acid Test :( This will show liver function.

This was the first thought that came to my mind ... although i personally have no experience with this, there are many posts here about it... and the symptoms you describe seem to be present in most threads about this Liver Shunt condition, including the seizures... the vomiting and the small size. It seems that the smaller ones are even more prone to this condition.

You said that the vets are doing blood work, did you ask for the specific test to rule out the liver shunt, it is mentioned by someone else, Bile acid, i believe it is simple blood work , if it is it should not cost you much.

How did you find this baby?

Keep posting and updating... there is great help in this site !!!

Blessings .

We're Home...
 

We're back from the vet's office. She did blood work and said his blood was fine, they also did a stool sample which came back fine also. She has put him on Amoxicillin 2 X a day and I am to "force feed" him every morning and night then give his meds. She gave me high protein canned foods to give him too. She advised that he was not absorbing enough protein when he ate although I have offered him EVERYTHING I can think of to make him eat!! She said to return in one week and if this doesn't make him bounce back then our next step is to go to the University of Tennessee (in Knoxville 3 and a half to 4 hours away) and that they can do tests there to check and see if it is either an enlarged kidney/heart or if they are too small and also to tell if a shunt would be possible or improbable. And I have to keep a diary on him for the next week to let her know everything he does.
So keep saying your prayers and we'll check back in a week.
p.s. She also said his teeth would be OK and that they were definitely NOT causing his problem!
:confused::confused::confused::(

Poor baby... I definitely will keep you guys in my thoughts.

So no bile acid test was done?

I am concerned that your vet gave you high protein food for him. If a liver shunt is even suspected, that is absolutely the worst food for him. The ammonia in animal proteins build up in toxic levels in the body of a dog with a shunt, causing seizures and other neurological symptoms. If you notice him feeling worse, please, please stop the food asap and contact your vet.

I am glad you are near U of T. I think he really needs to be seen there.

Sooooo
 

So you think I should NOT be giving him high protein foods? The vet said his body was NOT absorbing the Protein. Am confused!!

I am not a vet so I am not going to advise you to go against her recommendations. I just wanted to let you know if he does have a shunt, the high protein food will make him very sick. The ammonia from the protein will build up to toxic levels because the liver can't process it properly. If he starts acting sicker, please stop the food and contact your vet asap.

This is what the U of T website says about diet for dogs with a shunt:

Diet: Because many of the toxins produced in the intestines come from protein, it is important to reduce the amount of protein in the diet. Dog food for adults and puppies usually contains 25% and 29% protein, respectively, and may have meat byproducts. Dogs with shunts need high quality proteins made from milk or vegetable, and are restricted to a protein content of 18% or less (on a dry matter basis). The diets should be easily digestible, rich in antioxidants and vitamins, and low in copper and iron.


Portosystemic Shunts FAQ

Thanks
 

I will call vet tomorrow and ask if she did the test then ask her about the protein thing. Thank you, will keep you posted!!

Prayers for you and your baby
 

I know how it is when you are scared for your baby just say aprayer and if its time for him to go then god will take him and if not a miracle will heal him

She would not have automatically done a bile acids test. It is not part of a basic blood panel. You have to request it specially and there is an extra charge for it (under $75).

This article explains the test:

PSVA and MVD Research Summary

I am just concerned because Yorkies are 36 times more likely to have a liver shunt than all other breeds combined. The symptoms your guy is having are indicative of a shunt. He absolutely needs a bile acids test.

I just can't imagine recommending a diet that could be toxic to a puppy with a shunt until it has been ruled out. :confused:

If all his bloodwork was normal, why does she feel he isn't absorbing enough protein?

Teeth
 

2 rows of teeth just means his baby teeth did not fall out and his permanent ones just grew in along with them you can just have them extracted or wait untill he is about one they may fall out but this is minor considering the other issues you are dealing with

You got some good advice and I would too be concerned to start giving high protein until ls was ruled out.

I would call your vet tomorrow and just let her know that you would feel better if you went ahead with a bile acid test now to put your mind at ease.

Let her know you've been reading up on LS and all of sytoms she has been exhibiting up to this point definitely point to that so you are concerned.

Good luck & I wish the best for you & your baby!

Possible Liver Shunt!
 

Hi there!

I was reading all the symptons you stated. Sounds like my lil girl. She had a very high bile acid count and I was sent to a specialist. They did an ultrasound and couldn't see the shunt (if there was one). I will be scheduling a surgery so they can go in and see if she does have one, and fix it at the same time if they do come across one. The ultrasound didn't show a thing, but it doesn't mean there is not one. The vet told me that since she is so small, the shunt could be teeny-tiny and only be found by going in surgically. I am currently giving her AmoxiDrops (twice daily) and have her on a low protein diet (Hill's Presciption Diet l/d - wet). You should request a bile acids test to be done.

By the way...
 

About the second row of teeth? That only means the adult teeth grew in and the baby teeth didn't fall out. They will have to be extracted. I had to have Misty's done. It was funny...the vet was all, "We have a lil shark on our hands!" Her mouth so looked like it too! LoL! It cost me about $450 to do. They even gave me her teeth in a little bottle. EWWW! I gave them back to her. LoL!

What are her Bile Acid numbers????
How old is she? Has she been spayed yet? She could have MVD ~ which is managed thru diet and supplements. Are you sure you want to open her up to explore :(

For those of you who do not know, bile acids are basically toxins that are spread through the blood stream due to the liver not processing protein properly. There is a main vein that connects to the liver from the stomach (or intenstine...can't remember) which is how the liver can process any nutrients from food (people and dogs). Our body creates its own toxins which he liver filters so that it is good for our blood stream. However, in Misty's case (possibly) the vein that connects to the liver has been diverted to go straight into the blood stream. The liver cannot process the toxins sufficiently. So you can only imagine what these toxins can do to a little 3 pound girl. Protein is the main cause for these toxins, that is why she is on her special diet and given AmoxiDrops which is used to help her liver process protein efficiently. I had the bile acids test done and seen the specialist a few motnh ago. I have not scheduled a surgery because since I have had her on the AmoxiDrops and speicla diet food, she has been doing just fine. The ultrasound eased me anyways, and as I said, she is doing wonderful!

She is almost 2 years old (August 3) and yes, she has been spayed. I can't remember the exact number, but it was up in the low 100s.

Below I typed out what I was given after the ultrasound was completed:

"Thank you for bringing Misty to the Las Vegas Veterinary Referral Center. Today we evaluated Misty for elevated bile acid results. We performed an abdominal ultrasound of the abdomen to evaluate the liver and see if there is an obvious aberrant vessel to the liver or past the liver could be found. Misty has a very small liver on ultrasound with decrease vessel amrkings within the tissue. Both of these abnormal findings suggest a prolonged deficiency in blood supply to the liver. The portal vein was difficult to find on ultrasound and appears to be smaller than expected. The vena cava and portal vein should be equal in size as they pass through or past the liver, but in Misty's case the portal vein is smaller than thne vena cava suggesting decreased blood supply as well. We were unable to find any evidence of an aberrant vessel between the portal vein and vena cava and no significant turbulence in the vena cava as we typically see with an extrahepatic shunt. As we already discussed, lack of identification of a shunt on ultrasound may not definitively rule out its presence if it is very small because Misty herself is quite small and ultrasound may not be sensitive enoughto catch a small shunt. We suggest, therefore, that surgery be performed to evaluate the abdomen and definitively prove that there is no abnormal vessel and to take a biopsy of the liver and determien if anything else can be done to prevent damage to the liver down the road. It is possible that the elevation in liver values, if not caused by a small shunt, is secondary to microvascular dysplasia as we already discussed. We spoke with our surgeons about the surgery and they quoted $2000 to $3000 for surgery depending on the extent of the procedure needed. They felt that the current medications you are giving should be sufficient and no additional medications are needed prior to surgery. Our surgeons usually recommend 2 total weeks of medications prior to surgery."

I think you are confused about the difference between bile acids, which are produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder and help break down fat, and the toxic levels of ammonia that can build up in the blood when the liver isn't functioning properly.

Bile acids are not toxins as you state.

Bile acid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I was told that by my vet. That the bile acids come from toxins produced by protein.

I'm sure you were overloaded with lots of information at the time and were understandably confused.

Maybe this explains it better than the link I posted above:

Bile Acids:

These series of organic acids circulate almost entirely in the localized blood flow between the intestines and the liver (a.k.a.: the Portal system). The flow is typically from the liver, into the bile duct system, then excretion into the intestines to aid digestion after a meal, to be re- absorbed into the portal system and recycled by the liver. Very little of the bile acids escape form the portal circulation system into the rest of the body. Leakage is considered abnormal and is a sure sign of a liver abnormality. This is one of the most sensitive tests available to diagnose liver disease.


Liver Disease

hi
 

i hope your yorkie is fine take care i wiill pray for him