Slipped Disk?

[dwerten]

here are the two yahoogroups

DogLiverDisease : Dog Liver Disease

Liver_Shunt_And_MVD_Support : Liver Shunt & MVD/HMD Support

does your dog act differently have you noticed after eating? Usually liver shunt/mvd dogs act different when they eat as their body cannot process the proteins

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by jennss13

Took Holly to vet and they kept her. She does not have pancreatitis but possibly liver shunts. They are doing the test. We are devastated. I am so sad. We are trying to be hopeful. Please pray for Holly. : (

I am so sorry. Did you get a health guarantee from her breeder? Hopefully she will do the right thing and help you with the vet bills.

We have a great vet school here in North Carolina.

[Patti]

I will keep her in my prayers.

[jennss13]

We have good news! Holly's enzymes were normal, actually excellent. The vet said he just knew that was what she had. He is a very good vet. He was estatic for us. Now they think she might have epilepsy. He said it is very common in terriers especially if the pups are taken from their mothers before 11 weeks. Holly was only 7 weeks when we got her. I have to tell you, I worried about her being so young when I got her for a Christmas present. The good news is epilepsy is very treatable. The vet is keeping her and working on her non eating habits. Thank you for all the prayers. God answers prayer.

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by jennss13

We have good news! Holly's enzymes were normal, actually excellent. The vet said he just knew that was what she had. He is a very good vet. He was estatic for us. Now they think she might have epilepsy. He said it is very common in terriers especially if the pups are taken from their mothers before 11 weeks. Holly was only 7 weeks when we got her. I have to tell you, I worried about her being so young when I got her for a Christmas present. The good news is epilepsy is very treatable. The vet is keeping her and working on her non eating habits. Thank you for all the prayers. God answers prayer.

epilepsy? Is she having seizures? I am confused as blood work does not determine epilepsy. Epilepsy is not as common as liver issues in this breed or pancreas issues. I have never read that before about being taken from moms before 12 weeks and i have two yorkies both were taken away from mom before 12 wks as i did not know any better and they are from pet store and byb

did the vet do bile acid testing or just regular blood work and ALT normal? My dd has normal ALT but high bats.

Join yahoogroups.com canine epilepsy and learn more about this before doing any potassium bromide or phenobarb

[jennss13]

Sorry I didnt mention the seizure. Holly had a seizure at the vet. Which from my reading happens when the ammonia in their blood gets too high. I think this is another reason they thought she had liver shunts. I do not know exactly what liver test they did but will ask. As far as the Seizures, they are common in the terrier breed not just yorkies. I had not heard of the "taking away from mother early" either. He said many dogs have seizures and their owners don't realize it. They said she went stiff and then went limp. I trust our vets to do the right thing. I will investigate the epilepsy drugs you mentioned. Thanks.

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by jennss13

We have good news! Holly's enzymes were normal, actually excellent. The vet said he just knew that was what she had. He is a very good vet. He was estatic for us. Now they think she might have epilepsy. He said it is very common in terriers especially if the pups are taken from their mothers before 11 weeks. Holly was only 7 weeks when we got her. I have to tell you, I worried about her being so young when I got her for a Christmas present. The good news is epilepsy is very treatable. The vet is keeping her and working on her non eating habits. Thank you for all the prayers. God answers prayer.

True idiopathic epilepsy is pretty rare in a dog under one year old. Seizures in puppies are usually a symptom of an underlying disease, not epilepsy.

POSSIBLE CAUSES OF SEIZURES BY AGE

In Yorkies the most likely cause is a liver shunt. Did you know that Yorkies are 36 times more likely to be born with a shunt than all other breeds combined according to a study done by U or Tennessee?

Portosystemic Shunts FAQ

Did your vet do a bile acids test? A CBC alone will not accurately rule out a shunt.

PSVA and MVD Research Summary

[dwerten]

Thanks Marj for posting that info as concerned and do not want this little one on pb or pheno until liver is thoroughly checked out as I did not see a post that this dog had ever had a seizure

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by dwerten

Thanks Marj for posting that info as concerned and do not want this little one on pb or pheno until liver is thoroughly checked out as I did not see a post that this dog had ever had a seizure

Phenobarbital can destroy a liver in a perfectly healthy dog over time.

Potassium bromide is not processed through the liver. It is usually given as an add on along with pheno for better seizure control, not prescribed alone, though.

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by Ladymom

Phenobarbital can destroy a liver in a perfectly healthy dog over time.

Potassium bromide is not processed through the liver. It is usually given as an add on along with pheno for better seizure control, not prescribed alone, though.

i always thought they did PB first then if seizures continued went to phenob as my friends dog has epilepsy and is only on PB

Growing up our sheltie had epilepsy so i know what the seizures look like but never knew much about anything back then. I do not know if she was on any meds. Did they have those meds years ago? She was pts when i was in 8th grade

[dwerten]

I have also read sometimes the meds can be worse on the dog than the actual occassional seizure - is that true? But obviously if they are having seizures alot then you have to do meds as happened with bandit and his fly snapping seizures on here. I just met him this weekend and he is just precious.

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by dwerten

i always thought they did PB first then if seizures continued went to phenob as my friends dog has epilepsy and is only on PB

Growing up our sheltie had epilepsy so i know what the seizures look like but never knew much about anything back then. I do not know if she was on any meds. Did they have those meds years ago? She was pts when i was in 8th grade

Potassium Bromide (KBr) takes 3-4 months to get into the system. It is also pretty expensive and has to be compounded by only a handful of veterinary pharmacies across the country. Vets will often start w/pheno since it is less expensive and will get into their system immediately, then taper pheno down if KBr is added.

Canine Epilepsy-Using Potassium Bromide to control seizures in dogs

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by Ladymom

Potassium Bromide (KBr) takes 3-4 months to get into the system. It is also pretty expensive and has to be compounded by only a handful of veterinary pharmacies across the country. Vets will often start w/pheno since it is less expensive and will get into their system immediately, then taper pheno down if KBr is added.

Canine Epilepsy-Using Potassium Bromide to control seizures in dogs

ok thanks is it true about that some times meds are worse than having an occassional seizure if not happening all the time or rolling seizures?

Does your girl have epilepsy? I cannot remember but i thought yes ?

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by dwerten

ok thanks is it true about that some times meds are worse than having an occassional seizure if not happening all the time or rolling seizures?

Does your girl have epilepsy? I cannot remember but i thought yes ?

Yes, Lady has been epileptic since I adopted her 10 years ago. Her seizures were so frequent she had to be put on medication immediately. She is on both pheno and KBr.

General rule of thumb most vets use is that a couple of seizures a year don't require medication. Because of kindling (a phenomenon where the brain actually rewires itself after a seizure to create a path to make the next seizure easier), medication is generally added at the point the seizures become more frequent to prevent progression to cluster seizures.

Many old school vets automatically prescribe Pheno when there are many alternatives out there. Keppra is another good one, but it is very pricey. Again, it's generally given along with Pheno. The goal of add on's is to keep the dose of Pheno as low as possible.

Keppra (levetiracetam) for Seizures

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by Ladymom

Yes, Lady has been epileptic since I adopted her 10 years ago. Her seizures were so frequent she had to be put on medication immediately. She is on both pheno and KBr.

General rule of thumb most vets use is that a couple of seizures a year don't require medication. Because of kindling (a phenomenon where the brain actually rewires itself after a seizure to create a path to make the next seizure easier), medication is generally added at the point the seizures become more frequent to prevent progression to cluster seizures.

Many old school vets automatically prescribe Pheno when there are many alternatives out there. Keppra is another good one, but it is very pricey. Again, it's generally given along with Pheno. The goal of add on's is to keep the dose of Pheno as low as possible.

Keppra (levetiracetam) for Seizures

thanks so much great info and so sorry your baby has this but i know she is in the best hands for sure as you are on top of it.