Sick little baby girl...Help please?
 

Hi all!
I am brand new to the forum and to Yorkies. To make a long story short, I now have a 11-week-old female yorkie pup (Zoe). She's had a terrible time since we "saved" her from her previous owner (18-year-old girl in a college dorm, who carried her around campus in a book bag...and worse):eek:. Came to us at 2 1/4 lbs, not able to eat dry food, very lethargic, tape worms. Since then she's been de-wormed, has regular nutri-cal or karo syrup, and we have to force feed her dog or baby food in a syringe. She frequently gets bad, unable to hold her head up, shaky and can't support her weight on her feet. :( She's been to vet and emergency vet multiple times--hypoglycemia issues for sure and??? As of now she's to be fed once an hour, was put on mitronidazole today, and her blood work is concerning to the vet. She said her protein levels and the blood-sugar tests she's run (60 and 38 on two different occasions about one hour after a meal including karo and nutri-cal) lead her to believe there is a greater than 50% chance she has liver shunt. Her weight is down to 1.5 lbs, in spite of syringe feeding for 5 days. She is very sleepy and we are sooooo worried. Any thoughts or ideas for us?
By the way...this is an ADORABLE little baby and so smart! :love:

Bumping this one up. Thank you for saving her.

Hi and Welcome to YT!

Do you have her on any probiotics?

Have you tried this: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/bre...er-remedy.html

Did the vets rule out intussuception, and PLE?

Unfortunately, I have no answers, but I'm sending my best. You're that poor sweet girl's best chance of a happy life. Good luck!

Thank goodness, I'm so glad you were able to get her seen... is she feeling any better yet?

Sorry... wrong thread.... and no sleep! :D

Zoe
 

Thank you, KJC for the beef liver broth info. I will make some up this morning for her. I will have to look up the other two ailments listed, as I'm not familiar with them, but thank you so much for the reply!

sending best wishes for this sick baby & you

Zoe?
 

Thanks, Betty! (Goodness Micah is beautiful!)

I am confused about liver shunt.:confused: I think I understood the vet to imply that it would be an untreatable condition unless we went with very invasive and uncomfortable procedures, making Zoe's quality of life questionable (and life itself, for that matter). But in researching a bit on these boards, it looks like so many live a perfectly normal life with it? I would love some input on this. Thanks so much!

Bump?
 

Still hoping for help here.

Some dogs with LS need surgery & some do not, diet is the key. Hang in there & more will post soon. While you wait, look around here more & get familiar with YT as it's deff where you need to be with a sick pup. Again thank you for saving her & WELCOME to YT :)

I know there are specialists in your area that you probably need to see I'm just not sure where they are. Is this a vet that you have used before ? I'm disappointed in what you say here as this vet should have been more helpful and explained the situation better. Yes a dog with LS can and most often do live long happy lives so don't give up on her. It's still early so hang in there as there are very knowledgeable people on YT & many who have LS pups as well.;)

I am not all that familiar with vets in the Dallas area. I will ask around.

If this were my pup, I would be asking for a referral to a board certified specialist. If your vet is being that negative, my suggestion is to move on!

Yes, these pups can be saved!

Bumping. Where is everyone ? I see there are 18 people viewing sick & injured & only 1 person besides myself responded to this thread this A.M.

Bottle?
 

Thank you Lillymae and ladyjane!
Today I got a tiny little bottle, puppy formula and baby rice cereal in the hope that she might be willing to try that. I feel like I'm stressing her out so much when I force feed her with the syringe every hour. (And she did try to nurse on my 8-year-old female cavalier a couple of days ago!)
I think shes's a bit better after her two doses of mitronidazole?

I will; keep her in my prayers

I won't be able to give you any answers but thank you for giving her another chance.

In the Dallas Ft Worth, Texas area:
Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center. Dr. Robert D. Barstad
Phone: 972-235-2096
Fax: 972-680-0859
He is one of only two in the state of Texas that does this surgery and is reported to have a 95% success rate.

Alex's Yorkie Care Frequently Asked Questions. Page 3.

Prayers for the little girl!
 

Just joined today and have ZERO experience with Yorkies, I don't get my yorkie puppy until tomorrow...

But I just wanted to say that I will be praying for your little angel, and thank you for trying to save her!!! :)

What other testing does your Vet have planned? Have they tested her liver enzymes or talked about bile acid testing? I know the ideal age for this is 16 weeks or older but . . . perhaps a consideration.

I second the idea about seeing a specialist.

Liver shunt does not have to be a death sentence. Lucy has mild MVD (small internal shunting as opposed to a large, external shunt) and we manage her with diet and supplements. She is happy and healthy.

My concern is that LS is more an after digestion effect... with her Bloodwork and weight loss I am more concerned with her not even processing her food... this is where the probiotics will help... puts the right bacteria in her gut to aid digestion... I would get her on Benebac (Petsmart) asap... esp with the antibiotics which will kill all the bacteria.

PLE- Protein Losing Enterapathy- Dogs cannot absorb the protein in the diet (simple explanation) Nutrional management is helpful (need to do more research)

Intussuception- a condition where the intestine telescopes over itself... needs surgical repair, can be fatal if left untreated. Can cause a blockage and vomiting.

Liver Shunt: Blood is bypassing the liver, toxins build up in the blood and cause seizures, low protein values usually not seen on bloodwork. Usually doesn't show symptoms till pups are a bit older... 6-8 months.

You said you're feeding her dog food and baby food. A good quality puppyfood kibble, crushed and liquefied may be best to feed her. Baby food is okay for a few days or to mix with other foods, but doesn't have all the nutrients a growing puppy needs.

I would have her seen asap by an internal medicine specialist... you need to get her diagnosed and turned around quickly.

Has she been given any vaccinations?

Another place to go is Texas A & M. It is a long trip for you, but they are wonderful at the small animal clinic there. You would need a referral from your vet.

Sending good thoughts that you will be able to find a vet that can treat your little Zoe. Thank you for taking her in and doing what you can to save her. She is a cutie pie.

Hugs to you.

No advice here, just well wishes, thoughts, and prayers. You've got two of the best in Yorkietalk giving you advice. Listen to them.

I don't have any answers, but am bumping this up! Hope your baby gets better. Keep up the good work. Hugs and kisses for your little girl!

Maybe here:

CVSC - Home Page

She stated the pup was 11 weeks old...

I agree. If you can get her there, Texas A&M would be the place to go.