has anyone heard of portosystemic shunt and AAI?
 

my 3lb baby is so sick.. they think she has this shunt problem and might need surgery.. she isnt even a year old yet! if not the shunt they think maybe menengitis spelled wrong i am sure..i am so upset and sick that my baby has to go through all this..

Yes, we are very familiar with shunts on YT.
Do you have any questions in particular?

What testing has been done so far?

Unfortunately liver shunts are all too common on Yorkie Talk. In fact, Yorkies are 36 times more likely to be born with a liver shunt than all other breeds combined.

Has she had a bile acids test?

Here is a great link from the University of Tennessee about liver shunts:

Portosystemic Shunts FAQ

i am waiting for the test to come back.. they sent it out this morning.. she is so sick.. scared and shaking all the time. when you pick her up she screams and loss of bladder. i am just sick with worry. how much does the surgery usually run for this? i will do about anything to save her. she is so tiny and so young. its just not fair that she has to go through all this.

When did the symptoms start?
What is she eating?

Do you have a contract from her breeder.....if so, this is a life threatening congential disease and should be covered.

Praying for you.

she was eating wellness from the vet. and then she likes alpo soft food in the evening. i wouldnt give her much of that. her symptoms started about a week ago and got worse and worse. she doesnt know where her legs are. its awful.

I'd say you should follow a special diet for her liver, but then that may not be her problem. I probably would anyway though. That is, no red meat, no exotics, no organ meat. Red meat contains a lot of ammonia (toxins) which can build up in her system and cause neurologic symptoms (shaking, etc.).

i do not have a contract from the breeder.. i got her from my roommate whose dog had pups

she is at the vet now. she isnt stable enough to be at home. she doesnt know how to stand up and she screams when you pick her up. she is scared and shaking and i am scared and if the test comes back neg i am not sure what to do

If the tests come back that bile levels are with in normal limits.....the vets will figure out what's wrong with her and stablize her....

I'm so sorry your lil girl is going through this....

If the bile tests come back that her levels are high, it may well be treatable with proper diet or surgery......they will make her better.

Are you near a vet school? That would be your best resource.

Poor sweet baby. What is her name?

her name is roriee. she has been with me since the day she was born since her mom had her in the other room :) she was the runt and i love her like i have never loved a puppy before. she has been at the vet's now for 2 days and i am lost without her here with me. she has such a huge personality and the house is now so empty.

please join the Liver_Shunt_And_MVD_Support@yahoogroups.com - they know alot about this

has your dog had head pressing, seizures, vomitting and spaced out after eating and picky eater as these are all signs of liver shunt? Screaming with pain when picking up does not sound like liver shunt to me as have not really heard that to be an issue. I am thinking this may be something else and if they rule this out maybe a neurologist is next up or internal medicine as I know the pancreas is very painful as well when picking up but not the liver - hopefully they will be able to narrow some things down for you so sorry

encephalitis sounds more like it :(
 

Veterinary Teaching Hospital :: North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine

here is some info to read over as this sounds more like what is going on than liver shunt as liver shunt is not so painful they are screaming out but this disease can be :(

there is also something else that runs in this breed as well and i cannot think of it right now but will try to search it and post but it also has to do with more neurological and the neck

AtlantoaxialInstability
 

ok here it is AAI

ACVS - Atlantoaxial Instability

This is what i think it is :( but hopefully they can get to the bottom of it quickly and ask them if they think this is it and if it has been ruled out and get to a neurologist quickly if they suspect this as it does run in this breed

I will post your thread to two people i know who have dealt with this now

you may want to have admin move this to sick yorkies as you may get more responses as well

her signs are her feet are turned in and she cant walk. she acts very scared and shakes constant. i think the shaking could be small seziures but then i am not a doctor so i dont know. she has not had the vomiting, dirreaha or head bunting but she does have episodes that if she is touched a certain way she screams like she is in extreme pain and then loss of bladder. i have tried to think of any signs that she may have had that i didnt notice but i do know that she pee's alot and it is bright yellow and small amounts. another symptom could be that everytime she eats she shakes when she is full for at least 10-15 minutes. when the pain started she lost her footing and slid down 2 steps on the front porch. i got to her at the bottem but she was yelping so loud that i thought she was mostly scared but then she couldnt walk right and her feet are turned inwards. god i hope its not the meningitis. that doesnt seem to have a good outcome at all. the vet has talked about the shunt and the meningitis but acted like she would be ok once we found out what it is. at least the shunt is treatable. i just am praying and my roommate is telling me to get off the computer cause she is worried about me. so i will update more tomorrow when i go to see her.

Unfortunately, it just may be. :(

I think this girl needs to go to a university.

what happens at a university? wow this sounds like what she is going through. why wouldnt the vet mention it though? all he has talked about are the shunt and meningitis.

Your vet may suspect GME. There is a good deal of information about it on the Yorkie Angel Patrol website:

gme

The reason to go to a university with a vet school is that they have the expertise to diagnose and treat more difficult diseases. Our regular vets just don't see the more unusual cases. Most will refer you to a vet school if one is close enough.

I agree with Ladymom and at a vet school, test results are available faster, so she could be diagnosed sooner.

again aai is what you are describing as it can happen from a fall :( i still suspect AAI and shaking is a sign of pain not a seizure a seizure is petit mal falling on side or convulsions which is a grand mal those are the only types of seizures other than fly snapping so she is in pain and the AAI is what i think this is still

I do not think a shunt and do not think enciphalitis now since there was a fall involved i definitely think it is AAI :(

You need to get her to a neurologist

i think she needs to get to a neurologist and i think it is AAI not GME :( especially since it is from a fall :(

fyi they can have a great outcome with AAI so know this can be healed with surgery but you need to be dealing with a neurologist - I have 3 friends that their dogs had surgery for this and are doing fine. It is not a death sentence so do not give up :)

because they have to narrow things down but many are not that up on AAI so you need to ask if this is a possibility and ask for a referral to a neurologist - if there is a vet school near by it is less costly but me personally I would go to a neurologist asap

after eating she has pain as is her bowl on floor and not elevated? what is probably happening is when she is eating her neck is down as the pain with AAI is in the neck so by eating she is straining her neck so that is probably why she is shaking afterwards as she is in pain from bending her neck down :( Just throwing out my thoughts in my gut feeling here but you may want to mention this all to your vet tomorrow am