I think my dog is sick.... Can anyone help me?!

[luvmyYorkieJack]

Well Jack is at the vet, has been since 8 am. Not word yet on the test results. And Dwerten, I did ask for copies of all of the numbers. They will get me copies. And they used the barium because he thought it may have been a GI issue. He thought it could be possible his stomach wasn't digesting food like it should have been and food might have been sitting in his stomach longer than it should have been (as he threw up egg on Tuesday afternoon that was fed on Monday evening). He wanted to track how his digestion system worked to rule that out. He thought his intestines felt thicker too so it he thought it could have been a digestion issue in his intestines as well. But after that test, it was ruled out. I will post when I hear something from the vet. I have a suspicion that it will be one extreme or the other.... either he will have LS or the tests will be inconclusive. I just wish they would call.

[ally173]

just finished reading this post; i am sorry about what you and your baby is going through. its' really difficult when they a diagnosis can't be found easily. i will pray for your and your baby and please keep us updated.

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by luvmyYorkieJack

Well Jack is at the vet, has been since 8 am. Not word yet on the test results. And Dwerten, I did ask for copies of all of the numbers. They will get me copies. And they used the barium because he thought it may have been a GI issue. He thought it could be possible his stomach wasn't digesting food like it should have been and food might have been sitting in his stomach longer than it should have been (as he threw up egg on Tuesday afternoon that was fed on Monday evening). He wanted to track how his digestion system worked to rule that out. He thought his intestines felt thicker too so it he thought it could have been a digestion issue in his intestines as well. But after that test, it was ruled out. I will post when I hear something from the vet. I have a suspicion that it will be one extreme or the other.... either he will have LS or the tests will be inconclusive. I just wish they would call.

ok so if he is familiar with yorkies he should know that yorkies are prone to digestive issues as inflammatory bowel disease runs in this breed and honestly that test was not really necessary as everything is pointing more to liver issue with the crystals What happens as i have an ibd dog so throwing up a food the next day is not uncommon as my dog on potato diets would eat food and a few days later throw it up as the intestinal tract would get inflamed and food sits there for a long time and why dogs with ibd should not have nsaids (metacam and rimadyl) as those are known to sit in stomach if intestines are inflamed and can damage the intestines. I think that was premature test sadly as yorkies are 35% more prone to have liver issue and due to the egg being a protein and liver dogs do not process protein well it would make sense too much protein and not able to process it they will vomit it up and due to 29% protein then throwing egg on top of that would make sense as that is alot of protein. The xray should have been sufficient as you needed to rule out blockage that is my personal opinion as not a vet but just want you to be aware of this.

I hope it comes back just mvd and not liver shunt and you will not get results back today most likely it should come in tomorrow as you always want bile acids sent to a lab as the inhouse snap bile acid test only goes to 30 and is not accurate as you need the actual number not just 30 as you will have to have redone to get accurate number and pay again so make sure your vet is sending the test out to a lab

I do not want to upset you about the barium but i want you to be aware that many times they run wild with some testing that really is unnecessary and it also is letting you know if they are familiar with yorkie breed and their common issues. I am just not big on over testing these little guys as it is stressful on them

[luvmyYorkieJack]

Jack is home again. And hopefully for good! But we won't know about for sure until we get the test results tomorrow or Monday at the latest. He seemed to have energy when I picked him up... was very excited to run around outside. The vet gave me instructions to feed him what he will eat. He ate another 5.8 oz can of canned dog food! Plus he also ate some kibble. It seems like his appetite is back. They said he ate very well for them today for the test. His weight yesterday at the vet shows that over the past month since he weighed in at 3.0 pounds last was up to 3.5 pounds. Today he weighed in at 3.2 pounds. They said he did very well with the test today. I should be getting the papers showing the numbers from his tests when the latest results come in. They want to keep them altogether for me. I'm hoping for some good news soon! Keeping my fingers crossed!

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by luvmyYorkieJack

Jack is home again. And hopefully for good! But we won't know about for sure until we get the test results tomorrow or Monday at the latest. He seemed to have energy when I picked him up... was very excited to run around outside. The vet gave me instructions to feed him what he will eat. He ate another 5.8 oz can of canned dog food! Plus he also ate some kibble. It seems like his appetite is back. They said he ate very well for them today for the test. His weight yesterday at the vet shows that over the past month since he weighed in at 3.0 pounds last was up to 3.5 pounds. Today he weighed in at 3.2 pounds. They said he did very well with the test today. I should be getting the papers showing the numbers from his tests when the latest results come in. They want to keep them altogether for me. I'm hoping for some good news soon! Keeping my fingers crossed!

so glad he is running around doing well that is good news - keep us posted on numbers and i hoping for the best

[luvmyYorkieJack]

Thank you for all of the well wishes again. I really hope we get some good news. He seems to be eating again.... I mean he even ate some kibble besides the canned food. I think he will be eating canned food for the rest of his life. He seems to like it better than dry. Have to go with the dogs preferences I guess. Gosh my boys are so spoiled! But it's nice to see a little belly on him from eating.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by luvmyYorkieJack

Thank you for all of the well wishes again. I really hope we get some good news. He seems to be eating again.... I mean he even ate some kibble besides the canned food. I think he will be eating canned food for the rest of his life. He seems to like it better than dry. Have to go with the dogs preferences I guess. Gosh my boys are so spoiled! But it's nice to see a little belly on him from eating.

I am glad he is eating and running around. I will keep my fingers crossed that you get some good news!!!
Give that plump little belly some extra belly rubs!
Have a wonderful evening and thank you for updating! We are all thinking of you and of Jack!

[YorkieMom6]

Checking in for an update and glad to hear Jack is home and eating well. I will continue to hold him and you in my thoughts and prayers and will look back for test result updates.

Huggs

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by luvmyYorkieJack

Thank you for all of the well wishes again. I really hope we get some good news. He seems to be eating again.... I mean he even ate some kibble besides the canned food. I think he will be eating canned food for the rest of his life. He seems to like it better than dry. Have to go with the dogs preferences I guess. Gosh my boys are so spoiled! But it's nice to see a little belly on him from eating.

yes stick to what works and wet is easier to digest anyway and it is better on the kidneys too

[luvmyYorkieJack]

So the results are in and I am beginning to doubt my vet's ability to accurately interpret them. He said the pre test was 15 (he thought this was very good). But the pre test came back "abnormally high" according to him which was 26.5. Does this make sense to anyone? I kind of figured this might be high but don't they look for a 100 or above to definitiely suggust a shunt? I'm a tad bit confused. He refuses to see him through the end of this because his clinic doesn't normally handle liver problems like this. He is going to make some phone calls and find some different avenues for me to pursue. But I'm really doubting his ability to interpret these results. Anyone have an ideas on this?

[gemy]

Originally Posted by luvmyYorkieJack

So the results are in and I am beginning to doubt my vet's ability to accurately interpret them. He said the pre test was 15 (he thought this was very good). But the pre test came back "abnormally high" according to him which was 26.5. Does this make sense to anyone? I kind of figured this might be high but don't they look for a 100 or above to definitiely suggust a shunt? I'm a tad bit confused. He refuses to see him through the end of this because his clinic doesn't normally handle liver problems like this. He is going to make some phone calls and find some different avenues for me to pursue. But I'm really doubting his ability to interpret these results. Anyone have an ideas on this?

For sure take his recommendations and on here you might also get a vet recommendation near to your area. He is doing what is professionally sound - he is out of his depth - knows it and will hopefully find you a vet with experience.

About the numbers I'll let someone much more knowledgeable about this advise you

I'm glad though that your baby is feeling better right now.

[luvmyYorkieJack]

I'm grateful that he is finding options for me. I'm just really confused about the results. I guess if he had as bad of a liver problem as he made it out to sound like it could be, the numbers would have been much higher. I'm thinking I want to try a low protein diet for 30 days and get him retested through another vet clinic. I have every intention of continuing to go to him for shots and exams. His services are affordable and he's a great guy. But I do not want to spend thousounds of dollars that I do not have without a second opinion. Wow, that makes me sound just awful. I just hope I am doing the right thing.

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by luvmyYorkieJack

So the results are in and I am beginning to doubt my vet's ability to accurately interpret them. He said the pre test was 15 (he thought this was very good). But the pre test came back "abnormally high" according to him which was 26.5. Does this make sense to anyone? I kind of figured this might be high but don't they look for a 100 or above to definitiely suggust a shunt? I'm a tad bit confused. He refuses to see him through the end of this because his clinic doesn't normally handle liver problems like this. He is going to make some phone calls and find some different avenues for me to pursue. But I'm really doubting his ability to interpret these results. Anyone have an ideas on this?

I think you need a different vet ;( i questioned his ability when he did the barium test myself as that really was not necessary - those numbers are not horrible sounds like mvd so i would do a protein diet of 18% for your pup and retest if there is another episode if this was mine - I would do natural balance fish and sweet potato as fish is a highly digestible protein as well this is just my opinion sorry your pup is going through all of this

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by luvmyYorkieJack

I'm grateful that he is finding options for me. I'm just really confused about the results. I guess if he had as bad of a liver problem as he made it out to sound like it could be, the numbers would have been much higher. I'm thinking I want to try a low protein diet for 30 days and get him retested through another vet clinic. I have every intention of continuing to go to him for shots and exams. His services are affordable and he's a great guy. But I do not want to spend thousounds of dollars that I do not have without a second opinion. Wow, that makes me sound just awful. I just hope I am doing the right thing.

great guy one thing knowledgeable and experienced another as you need a good diagnostic vet one that can get to the issue without alot of testing which unfortunately I am questioning him with this - post a thread and say looking for a vet in your county and others may respond with some options for you

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by dwerten

great guy one thing knowledgeable and experienced another as you need a good diagnostic vet one that can get to the issue without alot of testing which unfortunately I am questioning him with this - post a thread and say looking for a vet in your county and others may respond with some options for you

Another way to look for a vet....talk to everyone you know who has dogs...talk to your groomer as well.
AND....check on the AAHA website...you really should be going to one who is AAHA accredited. Here is their website:
American Animal Hospital Association

I agree with Dwerten...I honestly did not understand that barium test. He may be very nice....you want very knowledgable. I mean no disrespect to him, but I believe you realize it anyway...you said you want a second opinion and that, to me, is a great idea!