Hoping Ginger is doing well.

Okay, Robin. I've tried to be patient all day and have even stayed away from the laptop on purpose!

Ginger and you have been on my mind all day though.

Update, please!

Update!
 

Sorry it has taken me all day to update. We ended up spending the whole day in Knoxville shopping and just trying to stay busy. Thank you all for your prayers! It really means a lot to have your support. :)

We had our appt this AM and it went really well. The student's name is Terry and the doctor's name is Dr. Mark Bihling. They decided not to redo the scintigraphy and to just go ahead with the surgery tomorrow morning (so Ginger is first up on the docket!). They will also be spaying her and removing a dew claw.

I had never heard this before but Dr. Bihling said that if after the surgery, if Ginger's BAT come back normal (months later) that she will no longer have to be on any meds or any protein restrictions but that she will be just like any other dog. Anyone else in this situation or heard of this? Obviously, that would be the best case scenario but I didn't know that was even a possibility! I just figured that no matter what, she would be on a restrictive diet and meds her whole life. So I was pleased to hear this.

ALSO, this is VERY interesting... Dr. Bihling said that you can cut the Denamarin into 1/2s or 1/4s and put them in cheese or a pill pocket to get your dog to eat them. I asked about the coating and that I heard that you are not to crush or cut them up and he said that "rules are made to be broken" lol But he said he was pretty sure that it would not be an issue but that he would double check just to make sure..." I am sure this is good news for several of you all. He is double checking so I will let you know what the final verdict is. ;)

So all in all, Ginger is having a wonderful time milking all the attention she is getting (apparently, she is a "hit" with the students and is quite a diva!) ;) haha It makes me happy that they are giving her kisses and belly rubs (which she LOVES) and that she is not alone and scared. :)

So surgery is tomorrow AM, I will get a call from Terry around 8am to get an update on how she did tonight and then again around 12pm to find out how she did in surgery. If all goes as planned, she will get to come home on Saturday morning. :) YAY

Robin,
I will definitely be praying for Ginger. I hope that all goes well. Hopefully, you can get some sleep tonight.

Sending lots of love and good thoughts for Ginger this morning....

Sending love and prayers, too. I can't wait to see an update on her. It sounds like she's in a wonderful place and being well taken care of. {hugs}

Update
 

Dr. Bohling was VERY down to earth in our meeting and I feel comfortable with him being the lead surgeon (I had not heard of him and I was leary at first but then I was put at ease after our consultation). He was able to use the right words to illustrate pretty much every question I had...it was great AND very laid back. He also said that we should not approach the surgery with fear but with concern.... and I liked that. :)

I got my 8am phone call update. Terry said that she did great throughout the night and that the anesthesiologist took her back at 8am and so I imagine that she is in surgery as I type this message (big sigh).

I will be keeping busy this morning. My MIL is very involved with a food pantry so we are going to be working that until noon so we are about to leave to do that. That will definitely keep me busy and hopefully my mind off of everything.

Thank you for your prayers! It means so much. No matter what happens, God is in control and I trust Him. :)

Sending big hugs, prayers and thoughts your way. I can't wait to hear how Miss Ginger is doing after the surgery. (Well, I'll be glad to hear that you're okay, too...LOL I'm so glad you have something to keep you busy during that time...that you're doing something so unselfishly for others is just icing on the cake. You are one-of-a-kind and I'm so proud to have such a sweet and compassionate friend!)

Blessings, today, Robin.

Ginger Update!
 

Ok, sorry it has taken me all day to get back on here and update.

Ok... so I got a call around 1pm from Dr. Bohling and he said that the surgery went well and that she was in recovery. She did really well. The only thing is... there is no shunt! ??!!! I am totally scratching my head on this one b/c her post bile acids were 129 and they had done a scintigraphy... so I don't know. He said they were pretty extensive in their search and they ended up doing a portogram and talked with radiology (and a few other things I didn't understand) but they are positive there is no shunt and that its just MVD. He said she did not really show any major signs of fibrosis and that her liver looked like it was in pretty good condition and that he has seen a lot worse. So they ended up doing all that, spaying her and removing a dew claw.

I mentioned that I had never heard of a dog having a post bile acid number with having above a 100 w/o having a shunt and he said that the bile acids is not always an indication of a shunt or MVD. He said that he has seen dogs with really high bile acids w/o a shunt and then a dog with a post bile acid of 30 and have a very large shunt.

I am kind of disappointed b/c at least with a shunt he could've repaired it and I was hopeful for a med-free life for her but that just isn't the case. :(

As for the Vetri Liver Chews, the nutritionist had not seen them before but took a look at them and said that they would be sufficient to use in place of Denamarin or the Denosyl. They said its essentially the same exact thing and that as long as the dog is willing to eat them then we can use those. They could not definitively say they are "better" or "worse" but that they would be "sufficient"... so yeah! :D I am SO pleased to hear this.

Also, I know that Ginger will always need to be on meds (the liver chews and lactulose) and a diet but will it always need to be LOW protein like the RC kibble or can it be NB Veg (I think it has low protein as well but not as low as RC)? I was just curious.

Anyway, I plan on picking her up tomorrow as long as she is eating and doing well. There is a UT game tomorrow (oh brother) and so I am going to try my best to avoid all of that traffic. :P

Thank you all so much for your support!

Robin & Ginger

LOL on the "oh brother" but for different reasons! Our celebrations for UT victories have been little and none...LOL (By the way, I think they play Georgia tomorrow which means a big crowd from out-of-state, too, plus a good chance we'll lose this one, too.)

But on to the news about Ginger...

The only answer I have for mysteries like the "disappearance" of Ginger's shunt is simply prayers answered. Can't think of any other reason it was there and then not there!

Hooray! I am rejoicing that Miss Ginger is shunt free.

Safe travels for you and Ginger back home to KY.

Robin, that is great news that that there is no shunt. Sounds like with some diet restrictions she will be a normal healthy baby. :) I am so glad that all is turning out so well for you and Ginger. Have a safe trip home and give that little one lots of big hugs and kisses! She's ready to come home and be a puppy. :)

Woo Hoo...UT Vols won today!

Now that I've recovered from that shock, Robin...

How is Ginger? Did she get to come home? How is she feeling?

Girl, we need an update...about 7 hours ago..LOL

Seriously, you don't have to take time to write much but do let us know if all is well and Ginger is home again.

We are home!
 

Ginger and I are finally home. Shew, its so nice to finally be home (we have been gone all week).

I hope I can remember everything b/c I am tired. This may be scatter brained! lol

Got lost in Knoxville b/c there were so many stupid detours b/c of the UT game but I eventually found some tiny side streets to get me to the hospital.

Ginger is doing well and she weighs 2.6lb. Her incision just makes me so sad. Poor thing. :( But she is doing really well and I just can't keep her calm and still b/c she wants to run around with the rest of the babies here at home! lol ;) She is wearing her softee collar from Bo (see pictures). SO adorable!

She is on some pain meds for the next few days, antibiotics for the next few weeks and we are also going to try to wean her off of the Lactulose in a month or so.

As for the Vetri Soft Liver Chews, she is definitely using those instead of the
Denamarin. They said that Denamarin and Denosyl have not been 100% proven to help with liver compromised babies so I am not making a huge gamble if I switch over to the chews (b/c they are basically the same thing). I was told to give her either 1/8 or 1/16 of a chew b/c of her size.

As for splitting Denamarin or Denosyl. You CAN split them. The reason they say NOT to split them is b/c the active ingredient in them is affected by moisture (which is in the air) and so they just say to not split them. However, if you split them and then feed it to your baby immediately, then you are fine. They just put that on there also b/c some people will split their
pills all at once and then just give them as needed (which is a "no no" for these pills and why they are in blister packets instead of just in a pill bottle. So you CAN split them whenever you give them to your baby (in halves or fourths or whatever). All of this information came from the UT pharmacy.

I went ahead and got some more RC kibble ($18 for 6lbs WOOHOO) and canned LD ($2 a can WOOHOO) to stock up! :)

Well I am exhausted... and I will attach some pictures for you
all. :)


Robin & Ginger

1st/2nd picture is of Ginger and the med student, Terry
3rd/4th picture is in the car getting ready to head home

More pictures of after we got home. :)

I have been checking in.. Now I need to post.:D. Ginger has done so well with your love and care.. I had not seen a surgery scare like this..:eek: wow it is huge.
I will keep looking for update's on how she is doing..I am so happy for you that all has turned out so well.. give her smooches from me. I enjoyed each and every video.
Bo does a nice job on her collars. I have one also.

Im so excited that she is home and doing well, there needs to be more people like you out there that breeds dogs. Im so glad she had someone in her corner, she is a doll.

Ohhhhh, I'm so glad she's home.

Bless her heart. She was just about split totally open, wasn't she? Reminds me of an open heart surgery scar from the old days.

She is such a lucky little girl.

Now you're home and although the emotional concern is less, you have a hard job ahead keeping her quiet and still as she recovers.

I hope all goes well and you can monitor her activity without too much hassle.

So glad Ginger is home and everything is going well. Wow, what a scar. Love the soft e-collar - So much better than the plastic ones. We are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers during surgery recovery.

I think the med student holding Ginger was smitten. But then, why not, she is perfect!

Robin, she is a little peanut! I knew she was a baby baby but until I saw her in perspective in the arms of the the med student it just didn't register! She's a doll baby. Ginger looks like a little flower bud. lol :)

I hope she heals well and recovers quickly although it sounds as though she is doing very well. Get some rest girl, you deserve and have definitely earned it! We definitely need more mommys and breeders like you. :) Hugs to you and lil Gingerpoo. :)

Thank you Anne! :)

Aren't Bo's collars wonderful? Ginger's is a lil big on her and so I try to make it as small as possible on her. She has been able squeeze herself out of it a few times when I am not looking and then I hear a lil cry :( and I know that she has either hurt herself from her incision or just trying to get it off. :( Poor thing. Poor thing has gotten it so dirty, too! lol The lining on it is white and it looks nasty right now... I guess its time to scrub down my floors again! Its just so hard to keep a 100 year old house free from dust and dirt! I don't know where it all comes from. :rolleyes:

Shoot, Robin, don't you know that in a 100-year-old house the dust and dirt comes from history?

Girlfriend, you probably don't know it's a protective covering either...LOL

Great report on Ginger. If she's trying to get the collar off, it's because it's cramping her style and that sounds like she's ready to join the party with Max, Molly, and Dozer.

So glad she's done so well. (LOL...as for the med student...was he holding a dog? LOL...I totally had to reread the sentence about smitten...LOL I predict a lot of young female pet owners when he starts his vet practice...LOL)

Have a good day,
Debbie

Oh Debbie, you have made my day! lol I can't stop laughing... Ginger is such a lil firecracker! There is no way I can keep her still... She loves to run with the best of them! haha She has done much better with not trying to get the softee collar off (yay!) and I am not *as* squeamish when looking at her incision.

I am just hoping the poor thing will grow some REAL quick so she can wear her halloween costume lol :rolleyes: They didn't have a XXS in what we wanted her to be so we had to get a XS. Looks like I may be having to make some alterations... hehe

Just checking in and seeing how little Miss Ginger is doing? Looks like she's is healing very well! Yay! Must be all that lovin' she's getting from mommy. ;) sounds like maybe we should have gone with the Diva theme? lol.

Give Ginger big hugs and kisses from us. :)

I have just started reading and it's so sad. Thank you for being such a great mom and breeder. I know she is thanking you as well. We'll be keeping you and Ginger in all our prayers. Thanks for all the updates.

Tears in my eyes
 

My heart goes out to you and Ginger! I give you a lot of credit for not giving up on her. My prayers go out to both of you:)
Big hug to you both!

I recently lost an 11 week old puppy with multiple liver shunts. Is this hereditary, or what? The breeder is giving me another puppy with some of the same blood lines. What are the chances of having the same problem?

It is just a heartbreaking experience. Those of you who have pet insurance should check the fine print. Most policies do not cover genitic or hereditary illness such as liver shunt.

I am sorry to hear of your little one. Sadly no one has the answers to your question but most reputable breeders will never breed the two dogs again and will try to find out which bloodline brought it in.

Dr Tobias who did a great deal of research on this has bred 2 liver shunt (was corrected with surgery) dogs and they did not produce LS puppies. It is thought it might jumps generations but the answers are just not there yet. The other leading expert is Dr. Centers and she is looking for the gene that produces this. They all feel they are close but they are not there just yet.

Hi I have just sat and read all this post right from the start, and I am moved with so much relief, that firstly you are a wonderful person, and care so very much for this little girl, and that her op went well. It is great she doesn't have a LS but I can imagine, you must wonder what was going on?

Do you know what is was/is?

Whatever the case, she has clearly landed on her paws with you and your family, and she will have so much fun with you and your other fur babies.

I want to wish you every happiness with her, and also say that we need more like you.