Phew...what a story!
Robin, you and your husband are wonderful people to do what you are doing for your little darling Ginger! She is just precious! She sure did pick a rough way to get back to you!
I will keep all of you in my thoughts and prayers.

Ok Debbie, seriously think about what you just said... can you imagine walking a 75lb black lab with a yorkie on the same coupler? :p I guess its possible? lol hahahaha

I have already thought about ordering her a harness and seeing if Cindy can alter my coupler and make it a tripler (haha)? I don't know if its possible but its worth a shot... But I have a good while before she will be going on walks.

Omg, from the first post to the last I am simply amazed at how well this baby is doing.. and ever so happy to see this last video of her doing so well..
Your amazing and although Gracie did not have liver shunt.. tube feeding and doing subq fluid to keep her alive was such a dreadful worry each day.. but we did it.. and sounds like you doing well...
Have you ever had an issue like this before.. I was so glad to see you go and get this baby and get her the help she needed...

Sending prayers for this to keep going well... and she gets on track for what ever needs to be done... hugs.. anne

Robin........

I know with all you are doing it is ridiculous for me to hope for an update whenever I have a chance to check but I want to know how little Ginger made it last night.

I bet she was sooooo excited to be home again!

I hope your routine is going smoothly and that you are being able to rest in-between feedings.

Thinking of you and your household,
TOY

IDK - 100 kibble may sound like a bit too much :( There is a formula for how many oz of protein a day per body weight, but I just don't know it.

The key is not to stress her liver by having to work on a lot of food (protein) all at once. Plus "if" she eats to much protein and her liver stresses and the toxins start to build up she could display HE symptoms, and associate this all back to eating and she may not want to eat. It is a horrible cycle.

Start out slow. You can also add a few kibbles if you find her being hungry.

Apple bits (no skin) and watermelon are good to add during the day too!

Anytime we have health issues with our babies, its a worry. I am glad Gracie did not have a shunt. :) I am so thankful I don't have to tube feed and give subq fluids daily. I think that would be harder than what I am doing now.

I have never had an issue like this before. So I am pretty confused. I am having parents retested soon, just in case.

Hmm... well she hasn't eaten anymore kibble since yesterday so I have resulted to syringe feeding her the slurry again. I have even put a little bit of carrot baby food on the kibble to entice her, but nope! She refuses. I am going to run to the store today and get some baby sweet potatoes and see if she prefers that. It would be a LOT easier on me if she would start eating this dry (even if it was just a couple of times a day!).

The little booger has quite a bit of energy right now so she does put a fight when syringe feeding. I do not want to stress her out so it does take awhile (while trying to get it over as soon as possible!).

I have some freeze dried banana and apple bites (they are from the toddler section - no protein), she will not eat those (as treats). I got out the Cheerios but never actually got to the point to offer her one. I figured these would be ok in moderation.


Oh Debbie, you are so funny. I will try to update as soon as I can. I can't promise to be on EVERY day (even though it looks like I will be since I will be home much more now). :p If it makes you feel better, if she something BAD happens, I will just call you, ok? :)

Ginger is fitting in just well in the house! She has got to the the cutest little puppy (sorry to everyone else! ;) hehe). Nick is just smitten by her b/c she is so affectionate with him (where Max and Molly are more affectionate with me than him) and so he likes that extra attention. Any tixme that he is giving Ginger attenion, Max and Molly are all over him like hound dogs! lol Jealousy! And there is just something that is so attractive with a man is all "ga ga" over a puppy (or baby). :D

Last night Ginger slept with us (I am thinking this will happen every night - it makes things easier in feeding). She instantly cuddled with Nick (and in return, he melted). So I am the bad guy, who does the waking up, syringe feeding, meds, etc and he is the good guy who is the cuddler! ;) But she did not move a bit through the night. Such a sound sleeper and no potty accidents. I woke up exhausted this morning. I just don't feel as though you get quality sleep when you are getting up every 4 hours. I think once I am doing this for a week or so, my body may become more accustomed to it (lets hope so... I don't want to be a Crabby Patty!).

Woo Hoo! It's football in our house right now but I slipped away to check on Ginger. I'm so glad to see your update and how good she is doing!

I totally agree with a man and a puppy. It is such a sweet picture. Taffy is just beside herself whenever her "Daddy" doesn't pay attention to her. It's quite comical! She even whimpers after him when he goes outside to get the paper or mail.

No guarantee here but I'd almost bet that before Nick lets you get too crabby, he'll send you off for a much-needed nap...LOL...at least that's how it works around here! I think Frank has realized what I need is not beauty sleep (he's given up on that...LOL) but temperment sleep to the point that now he even "encourages" me to go take a nap...LOL

Oh well, being together 24/7 in retirement does alter the dynamics of a marriage just a teeny bit!

OK...back to football...our team doesn't even play until 3 today but we are busy "scouting" next week's opponent...LOL. Guess I humor him a bit too, huh?

Sending get well wishes, rest periods, and kibble eating scenarios your way...

I use fresh fiji apples. Roxy loves them. She also loves the stalks from romaine lettuce, which is good bc is has Vit K in it. Banana is no good, too much potasium

Have you tried to soak the kibble in water for a while? Or baking little balls of L/D to see if she will eat on her own? You can mashed up the soaked kibble and bake little balls too.

I have one thing to say BLESS YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND FOR BEING THE BEST BREEDER ON THIS PLANET. It is so awesome how you handled this situation and getting that precious baby back home. My congrats to you for the many rewards Ginger will bring you in your lifetime.

I have not tried baking yet. What is it about baking that makes it more appealing? Today she did eat around 6 pieces of kibble (throughout the day with LOTS of encouragment). I soaked the food until it was pretty soft and offerred it to her. I mashed it up and I had to put a bit of carrot baby food on it but that did not appeal to her much. I then dabbed a ITTY BITTY bit of yogurt (I am aware of the protein - so it was almost nonexistent) on it and that did entice her a bit to eat but not much (b/c its was just a tiny bit). :rolleyes: I will try the baking tonight or tomorrow though.

I am kind of concerned though b/c the amount that the dr told me she should be eating, she hasn't been (even with the syringe feeding). I was told to take one can of LD and 2 cups water and blend it well. Syringe feed her 15-20ml every 3-4 hours (I have been doing 20ml every 4 hours - unless she eats a few kibbles (rarely) and then I do 15ml). They said this recipe would last me 2 days (she needs to be getting just a little under a 1/2 can a day)... well I made this batch (my one and only) on Thursday evening, so it should have only lasted me until Saturday evening and its already Sunday and I have more than half of it left. :confused: I have weighed her every day and she has just maintained (no gain/loss). Should I contact the dr and tell her I think either hers or one of the student's measurements were off? :confused:

I've read your story on Liver shunt and MVD support, I am glad Ginger is back with
you now. My Chance had a liver shunt repaired at U.T in March, they are wonderful
there.

Robin, My Lola had LS surgery in March at UT. I still have to hand feed her 3-4 times a day to get her to eat anything at all. I have to put the Hills LD in the food processor with about 1 cup of water - I don't measure...I just make it the consistancy of baby food. I then have to take about 2 heaping teaspoons and heat it in the microwave until it is warm and then feed her off the end of my finger. This is really all that she will eat and I have tried everything else on the list. She will not eat the kibble either...maybe 2-3 pieces / day. When I do feed her, I have to really coax her to eat, she does not eat willingly and there can be no distractions or she will stop! The one can of Hills will last about 4 days - no way could she eat it in 2! Lola has steadily gained a little weight, but very, very slowly. She was about 3.5 lbs when I took her to TN, lost some during the surgery, but is now a little under 4 lbs but seems to be very healthy. She has only been to the vet once since her LS surgery and that was for a rash she had gotten in the yard. I know part of her problem is she is just spoiled, but we had such a rocky beginning with her - and I, like you, had to get up throughout the night to feed her. I know it's exhausting and frustrating at times when they don't eat....this works for us. I hope it helps - God bless you and Baby Ginger. Give her a sweet kiss on her baby nose from us! ~~~ Valerie, "Lola & Harley"

Robin, I just read through this whole thread and it just gave me goose bumps when I saw the video of Ginger running and playing ......It's hard to imagine this little one was about to be given up on......You are an angel for getting to her and giving her the help she needed....Please keep the updates coming it is just awesome to see Ginger thriving!

Just a quick drop-by to check on Ginger and Mommy...

Update when you can. I hope you're resting a bit yourself and that Miss Ginger is either eating, playing or taking a nap but feeling much better.

These little buggers can just be stubborn at times when it comes to food. Mine are almost 5 yrs old, and they like certain foods, a certain way - bizarre I know...Like sweet potatoes. They will NOT eat them mashed or boiled, however, if I bake them like fries - they go nuts for them :rolleyes:

So baking the L/D or mashed up RC kibble *may* just be enough of an enticment to eat ;)

You can also get some goat cheese, and lightly coat some of the RC kibble, that may entice her to eat too :cool:

She has been eating more of the baked LD. She is not a fan of the baked RC kibble... I will have to try to the goat cheese (it may be awhile before I can get my hands on this b/c I live 30 mins from "town":rolleyes:). But she is doing better, eating wise. I usually only have to syringe feed at night when I have woken her up to eat (who wants to eat when they are still half way asleep? lol)

I contacted her doctor and asked again about the vaccines. She called me back and said that she and Dr. Tobias agree that she should continue with her vaccination schedule and that since she is being managed by diet and meds, she should be fine. So she will be getting her 2nd shot tomorrow hopefully. That way she can have her final vaccine, a few days before the surgery.

So, in all, she is doing better. Still has not gained any weight, just maintained. She is going to be so spoiled rotten and I hope that I will be able to somehow break some of the things are doing now (for convenience, etc) so that we aren't doing it for the rest of our lives. She is sleeping with us now (but I also want the option of her sleeping in her room in the future) because it makes night feedings much easier. I am also letting her lick me all over (which I usually only allow the ear if its on my face) which is not usual. I should probably nip that one in the butt now and just allow my ear to her. :cool:

Update
 

So after many people expressed concern about Ginger getting her 2nd/3rd booster shot (she just turned 12 weeks yesterday), I contacted her dr at UT to make sure this was something that we should do.

Ginger's dr called me back last night and said that she had talked to Dr. Tobias and that I need to go ahead with her vaccines as planned and that she should be fine even though she does have a shunt. They said that if we were not managing the shunt medically, it could be a problem but where she is on the diet/meds, she should be fine.

I just thought I would pass that info along to all of you. I will keep you updated on how she is doing.

She is eating some, but not a whole lot. I am still having to supplement with a syringe. I have been baking the RC LS and the canned LD. In doing this, she favors the LD more. So I try to break the RC kibble up (usually in quarters) and wrap it with the LD in *tiny* bites. This is very time consuming but has been working ok so far. I really wish she would just eat it all w/o me having to do this.... but that would be in a perfect world, right? ;)

Glad you spoke with the Dr regarding the shots ;)

I know this pickiness about eating is a pain in the butt :( I hope though she will start to learn and realize that this is the food she needs to eat and will be more cooperative soon :rolleyes: prayers are coming :p

You can replace some of the kibble with cottage cheese and/ or hard boiled egg. The proteins in the cc and hbe and more easily digested and are less work for the liver. The antibiotics kill the bacteria in the gut because they produce ammonia (that would normally be removed by the liver) which the Lactulose binds to and removes from the body (without it getting to the liver) when she poops. Lactulose can also be delivered in an enema during a seizure to immediately reduce ammonia levels in the bowel. I occasionally sprinkle parmesan cheese on the food. Just a little bit. Mine seems to love it. Also entice mine with Light whipped creme. I dot the bottom of the bowl and cover it with the food, so it's a game to find it and mine ends up eating more!

Update
 

Ginger is doing very well and has started eating on her own. She is very spunky and lively and just loves the attention that she gets. I no longer can take her outside to potty w/o a leash on, b/c boy is she fast! :rolleyes: haha She knows her name but will not always come back to me so I have learned very quickly. She has also gained about an ounce or so which is good!

I just realized that I haven't put any pictures or videos up in the past few days so I need to get on that! I'm watching her right now play on one of the beds with a little kitty ball. My eyes can't help but swell b/c she was given up on. :( I am so in love with this puppy. Its crazy how something so small can capture your heart like this.

The family that had her before came and visited the other day. They could not believe that she was doing so well. Shunts are not a death sentence! Its amazing how just a diet change and a couple of meds can change someone around so much. :)

I promise to try to get some pictures/videos up soon! Thank you so much for your prayers.

Robin, you and your husband are truly amazing people. Ginger (and the rest of your gang!) are so blessed to have such great care. Hoping and praying that she just continues to grow and be healthy.:)

I took some pictures and a video of Ginger tonight... just thought I would share. :) She was on her very best behavior! :D

How good it is to see pictures of Ginger! She is a special little girl. Thanks for the updates and pictures. :aimeeyork

What an amazing story. Ginger is so, so, so adorable! I'm so happy to hear she is doing well and up and running about. Truly amazing!

You doing a wonderful job and I can tell you absolutely love your pups to pieces.

Robine she looks AWESOME you did such a great job with her !!!!!

have you tried dr dodds liver cleansing diet ? fyi she is coming out with the canned version a year from now so that will wonderful i think -- there is a company that makes it and freezes it and you may want to give it a try - i will try to find the link

lol just seeing this ok so ginger can ride on the back of your lab in a harness or back pack lol

here is the link i was trying to find - you may want to have them ship this to you - you will have to email them

PJ Scots

I just today saw this thread and am so happy she's doing so well ! Good for you and all the best to your family and Ginger - she looks very happy

and to you Ginger - EAT Sweetie !!!

mine had LS also
 

Your story sounds so much like mine. Mine started when pup, "oostie", was about 6 wks old. Same symptoms...gave lite corn syup, meds, and bottle fed for 1 1/2 weeks..Did so much better, vet couldn't believe she survived! But i had to try cause she was going to my 6 yr old niece. She and her mom & dad loved her so much, i had to try everything. All things went well till she was 11 wks old, and she had a relapse of same LS. Vet said she wouldn't make it and did i want to put lots of $$ into her when it may not help. Well i knew we had to make a decision so i brought her home, with 2-3 different meds including one that made her hungry, and began hand feeding her again for 2 weeks. She did fantastic. Niece and parents have her...now she's 6 months old and doing great. We treat her as if she is a special needs child and she has not been back to the vet for any medical issue except shots, etc. So keep up the good work! Our miracle is georgeous...look...