you cannot really see a liver shunt on ultrasound unless they are highly skilled in finding them so it would be a waste of 400 :( as they are not cheap. Ask what his alt numbers were on a blood panel -- did they do blood work? Ask them if pre and post bile acids are able to be done since your little one is so tiny

i am thinking so as well :( but my neighbors dachsund was really sick with giardia as a puppy as well and hospitalized

The same thing happened to my Lola when I brought her home last year in March. The only difference was that she was 12 weeks old. The first weekend I had her home she became very lethargic and I rushed her to the Emergency Vet hospital. After the third night, they still were not able to completely stabilize her blood sugars. They called and told us what the bill was at that point and what the next 24 hours bill was going to be....they then told us what our options were - 1) continue to do what we were doing 2) put her "down" 3) take her home, which they called the "ultimate test", and get up every 2 hours around the clock and syringe feed her. I wanted her home with me, so they showed me how to syringe feed her without choking her (which was very scary at 2 in the morning!) and I got up for the next 5 nights every 2 hours, then the next 3 nights every 4 hours, the next 3every 6 hours and fed her. They suspected Liver Shunt but she was too small and too young to test. We had Lola tested in Feb. of this year and she did have a shunt. We flew to TN to have her shunt repaired and she is fine, healthy and strong today. I'm certainly not saying you should do this with your baby. Lola was NOT throwing up and did not have diarreah. It may be that your baby needs an IV to stay hydrated. Also, have you tried feeding Gerbers baby food - chicken (warmed)? That is what we fed Lola. I'm sending prayers your way....Good luck!

He is still not eating . They are siringe feeding him now. they are taking him off the IV glucose again to see how he is off and with the siringe feeding. vet said i can care for him at home if glucose is not too low. I told her to run the full liver workup to check for the liver shunt. ultrasound will be done after we get him eating and clear the parasites. thanks all ill post later

I'm no expert, but I do not think you can run a BAT that will be conclusive at this point. I'm sure that is not the only test they are running for the liver, but I don't think you can run it for a shunt at this age. I could be wrong, but check with your vet.

How old was she when she was tested for LS and how was it diagnosed? The vomiting has stopped and the diareah has consistency now. which is a little better. He has Coccidia. and hoping that is the only problem. Vet said if liver comes back high then it is a good chance that he has LS. I am just hoping he can hold his glucose levels when i bring him home and syringe feed him.

I brought Lola home and she seemed to do fine for a very long time - other than me having to hand feed her ALL of the time. I waited far too long to have her tested for Liver Shunt. My vet kept telling me she was fine - that she was gaining weight and that she was not "sick". It was always in the back of my mind, so when I was going to have her spayed at 13 months I insisted that they BAT (bile acid test) her. Her numbers (very high) indicated she had a shunt, so we went to Dr. Tobias in TN and had it corrected. Lola never had any neurological signs of a shunt other than a poor appetite, very picky eater and she was very slowly having less energy. I even thought the energy part may be because she was getting older and growing out of her "puppy stage". Now that her shunt has been repaired (3/09), I see how energetic she is once again. Please don't hesitate to ask any more questions - that's how we all learn...and it is a learning process!!!! Good Luck.

Vet is running a panel now and will call between 12-2. Ultrasound there is $1,000. Vet wants to first focus on clearing up parasites and getting him to eat. but i believe there is something else wrong like the LS...thanks

I never did the Ultrasound. I was told only Doppler Ultrasound would show the shunt. Please keep us posted! Good luck - I know how stressful this is.

yeah liver shunt and hypoglycemia are hand in hand :( hopefully just the coccidia but my gut is liver related -- I think they have to be 20 weeks to test for liver shunt so your baby is a little young but you have to get past this phase first I think and then definitely have your pup bile acid tested - so sorry you are going through this all and yes the vet bills add up quick -- go to CareCredit® Healthcare Finance - Payment Plans and Financing for Cosmetic Surgery, Dental, Vision, Hearing, Veterinary & Other Medical Procedures as it is so many months same as cash and ask your vet if they take care credit as i use this for vet bills to spread them out

Thankfully, New Jersey has tough puppy lemon laws. You are entitled to be reimbursed for your vet bills up to the purchase price of your puppy.

New Jersey Pet Lemon Law

That is great news. Is it easy to collect? I wonder if Texas has anything like that.....I'll have to research. Thanks!

Unfortunately, Texas doesn't have puppy lemon laws. :thumbdown

Florida is another state with tough puppy lemon laws:

Florida Pet Lemon Law

The OP can collect by filing a claim in small claims court. She should also report the breeder to the Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General's Office (Consumer Protection).

I would go to small claims court for sure --I wish i had done that with Dee Dee before her breeder left california as she has cost me a small fortune :(

How is your little one this evening? Please let us know when you get a chance. Thanks!