What about the Protein C test? This should tell her if there is a shunt or not. UT price for surgery should be under $2000. After the BAT test I would have your vet preform the Protein C test.

This member has stated that she is 16 years old, and lives in Cali. I know that we all think U of Tenn is the best and it is, but that is a long journey for a 16 year old - don't you think???

Idealy, if the parents are interested in taking her, then they should log on here and we can talk to them about it.

Also, if no one can travel to U of Tenn, they will need to be encouraging and supportive of the Hospitals in Cali, which I am sure are very good too.

Thank you for your support. I still do plan on traveling by car next summer to UT. I will be accompanied by a 23 year old and a 19 year. Possibly another person. My parents cannot afford surgery because they are really struggling with money. I am determined to raise the money to take her to UT and have the surgery done. I know traveling there will be a long way but, I'm also interested in taking a road trip there. That way I can see three different states that I have never seen before and also hopefully save my baby's life. If the surgery works. I interested in talking to someone who has traveled by car to UT from California. And I would like to talk to people who have had the surgery done at UT and there yorkies are doing excellent now.

You need to do the Protein C test before you spend 400 to 500 dollars on scintigraphy. Its a sample sent to
Comparative Coagulation -- NYS Animal Health Diagnostic Center
Jan 4, 2008 ... Cornell University home page · College of Veterinary Medicine home page ... Protein C Activity assay fee. Test Principle ...Please have your vet look at this.

Someone told me that YTNR has a network of people who will assist people with places to stay in TN. I don't know if that is true, but certainly worth looking into if you do go there!

Ohhhhh I just saw this. Sorry...I should have read every single post before replying.
Yes, that is a long journey. And, yes, the parents need to be involved and informed.

I swore to my parents that I would take care of this dog and wouldn't ask them for anything when I asked for permission to get it. They have done so much already. I will not put it on them to decide what to do. It's up to me and I've made my decision.

Hey Sasha,

This is a huge undertaking and I respect you tremendously for taking this one on. :thumbup:

I am not a HUGE expert (as I said earlier, I learning a LOT now and as I go) so I can only tell you what I know.

If you join that Yahoo Group (I posted the link earlier), there are SEVERAL people on that group who have traveled to UT to get the surgery. PLEASE join the group and there are experts there that will be able to give you more directions. Many of us on this forum are a member of the group as well. :)

I am not a vet and I do not know how severe your baby's condition is. She may be fine to wait til next summer, she may not be. :confused: I think that is something that you would to talk to a vet about and see if you are willing to take that risk. I just don't know, so I can't say "yay" or "nay". My advice would probably be "better sooner than later".

I do remember that the estimate for surgery that they gave me about 2 weeks ago (we are having surgery in less than 2 weeks) was 1800-2200 and recovery is usually 2-3 days (in hospital that is). I can let you know exact $$ after the surgery so you can better budget.

Does anyone know if a minor can sign up for Care Credit (if they have an adult cosign)? I don't know very much about it but I do know with UT you cannot make payments. You have to make the payment in full whenever you "check out".

I totally agree! Sasha is being very responsible! I hope that it all works out well. :)

As for Care Credit, I don't know how that would work. I am sure that a minor cannot get credit but a cosigner might work. If she has a good relationship with her parents, perhaps they can apply and let her make the payments!

Sasha, do speak with your vet about the wait on the surgery...make sure that will be ok.

And, please DO join that Yahoo group. Those people have lots and lots of experience and will be a great resource for you!

this is not always accurate as the yorkie i just helped a month ago had 3-4 shunts when tobias opened him up and his protein c test from texas a&m came back stating no shunt so i do not trust that test now

the hospital that ronlynn went to wanted 4-6k for the surgery so if money is an issue then it is cheaper to fly to university of tennessee

join Liver_Shunt_And_MVD_Support@yahoogroups.com you will meet alot of owners that went to u of t but ronlynn i believe flew there from california as the surgery here is between 4 and 6k as cali is very expensive for vet care so pm her she is very nice

Yes, I understand, but Sasha is only 16 years old, she is a minor, doesn't have a job, and would have to travel across the country to go the U of Tenn, next year after she "saves up the money".

Sasha, you need to speak with both your Vet and your parents and figure out a plan for right now.

As mentioned before, a Protein C test is something you can do right now. It costs about $100, it is a blood test, that your Vet must draw and ship overnight to Cornell University for the results. The results come back in %. They say if the results are 80% and below, it is a VERY good indicator of Liver Shunt. They say if the results are over 80%, the dog *could* be normal or the dog could have MVD. It is hard to truly distinguish between normal and MVD on the Protein C test, but they are pretty darn accurate for Liver Shunt. Here is the info you should print out and bring to your Vet (your General Vet can do this): NYS Animal Health Diagnostic Center at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

She can be managed right now through Diet, Supplements, Metro (antib) and Lactulose. NO MEAT and NO ORGAN MEAT - EVER

then how come this other dog scout had 3-4 shunts when tobias opened him up and the protein c test came back with results of no shunt - not sure that test is the most accurate and then she will have to do scintigraphy to really know for sure and then it will cost more money -- not liking the protein c test results after helping this liver shunt dog on here - the test was done at texas a & m and he asked to be sent to cornell but ims sent to texas a & m instead so could be the reason for false reading not sure

hmmmm....IDK - All I know is that the blood has to be overnighted to Cornell for the results, so maybe it wasn't accurate bc they didn't send them to Cornell. Or like you said, it's not as accurate as I think. Although, did Scout have multiple internal shunts?

But back to the problem, Sasha is only 16 and her parents don't have the $$$ or the means to travel to U of Tenn. That's why I suggested that the Vet, and Sasha and her parents talk about a plan to handle what they can in Cali....

I would like to say that my puppy, Sasha, is doing well. MY name is Monica =D! She has been very playful and looks healthy. I still do plan on traveling to Tennessee next summer if the vet says it would be ok. I still need to have a scintigraphy done.:aimeeyork

OOPS, HI Monica!

no it was 3-4 external shunts and she biopsied for mvd as well but had not heard back from him if the mvd was confirmed. He was 3 years old when diagnosed. Could be bc it went to texas a & m and not cornell but this ims is highly respected by dr jean dodds so maybe there was a reason she sent to texas rather than cornell but he asked it to be sent to cornell so i think she should have sent to cornell :(

I live in cali and vet care here is very high so not sure how they will manage this and sadly the last dog on the liver shunt group that had the surgery in so cal his name was coby died a little maltese so I am not real fond of having it done in so cal after than :( The owner drove from washington to so cal as closer than ut and the dog died after surgery and she went to have scintigraphy done here and surgeon was a man. I think with small dogs you need a woman to do the surgery as they have smaller hands and less of an incision in doing surgery and easier to maneuver jmo

i agree you are very responsible for your age great job.

I have spent in excess of 20k in vet bills here in cali so it racks up fast here when they have health issues so Monica you have to really keep this in mind :( it can get very expensive with a sick puppy as I do not want you to go broke my friend :( and if your parents are having financial troubles this really concerns me as I know you love this little one very much and my heart breaks for you as i know you really want this puppy but i just want you to consider the financial aspect as i am a lot older than you and never did :( and luckily financially i could afford it but it does add up fast :(

Today Sasha has been acting a little odd. She seems very out of it. I have given her her medicine but she looks like shes out of it. I can't take her to the hospital so I would like to know if there is anything could do right now. i put her in her smaller cage in my room so that she can rest. Is it something I should expect every now and then?

What food and treats are you feeding her?

Just hold her. Have you called the ER...

I feed her the hills diet i/d. that's it.

When she's like this, she doesn't want to be held. No I haven't called the ER.

How many poops has she had today?

She should be eating about 6 small meals spread out thru the day and into the night, so you'd have to figure out how much she should be eating per day and divide it up and feed every couple of hours. She should be pooping at least 2 - 3 times a day (the more the better), so if this is not happening the toxins are building up in her system and making her feel yucky. This is where the Lactulose comes in handy, she should be getting Lactulose daily and she may need a little more if she isn't pooping well.

i/d why i/d it should be L/D ???? I/D is pork and hate that food made my dex relapse with pancreatitis

Thank you for your advice. I called the vet at VCA and they said exactly what you said. I need to feed her smaller portions. She has only pooped once today. I have noticed that when she acts like this, her stomach is full of food. I can feel it. Does your dog have/had a liver shunt? She is finally sleeping. She was trying to get out of her cage today and kept wandering in her cage. I put my shirt that I wore in her cage so that she will feel a little comfort and hopefully feel a little better.