Possible Shunt/Liver Disease
 

Hi everyone!

My little Lucy is 3 years old and has been sick off and on for a couple of weeks now, the first vet visit said she had a throat infection and she had 10 days of antibiotics, the last emergency vet visit was due to excessive vomiting, lack of interest in food and also shaking. Today I took her in again because she just doesn't seem to be doing better, she is not throwing up but she has little to no interest in her food and she curls up in a ball and shakes but then she will also have energy and play with her toys too, it kind of goes back and forth from energetic to looking sad and tired.

The blood tests came back with an elevated liver enzyme which the vet tells me can be one of a few things:

1)Hepatitis
2)PSS-Portosystmic Shunt
3)Liver Disease

They said the vomiting and loose stool may or may not be related to this issue. Tomorrow she is going back for more blood tests (bile acids) to determine what it may be but I have to wait a few days to get those test back and I think I may loose my mind while I am waiting. I hope that she does what they need her to do which is eat after the test but I am not sure that she will.

If any of you have experience with this sort of thing can you give me any advice or encouragement/outlook as to what we are looking at here? Anything would be very helpful for me.

We gave Lucy a home last October/November because her family was having some turmoil and they weren't able to care for her like she needed so my husband and I happily took her in and fell in love immediately, she has been so healthy up until just a few weeks ago so this is devastating us! So we are new Yorkie parents and we are not used to this kind of stuff, we have a 6 year old lab/springer mix who has been healthy all his life.

Anyone with advice, suggestions, etc. please I need it now! I am also grateful for this site!!

:confused::cry:

The bile acid test is a good place to start to rule out/in liver issues... once you have those results let us know.... that will let you know whether you are looking at shunting in the liver...

My pup had a shunt and had it repaired and is doing well.....

Keep us updated...I know waiting is so hard to find out the results...

Unfortunately, PSS is a pretty common Yorkie problem along with microvascular dysplasia (you can think of it as microscopic shunts throughout the liver). The bile acids test will give you more info. Depending on if they are elevated and by how much, diagnostic imaging would be next (ultrasound or scintography generally). U/S isn't always great at finding a shunt, but is still useful in liver disease diagnosis. A biopsy may or may not follow and the type of shunts Yorkies get can generally be surgically corrected. She couldn't have gotten into anything toxic, right?

If she won't eat the food, they can force feed her.

My dog was diagnosed with MVD as a puppy... bile acids in the 80's US showed no large shunt....so I was treating him as a MVD pup...few months ago he got very sick (now 4 years old)...repeated bile acids in the 200's and did another US they found a large shunt this time that was missed when he was a puppy...luckily his portal vein was still healthy enough for the shunt surgery... so I agree with Elie May... especially if bile acid numbers come back high but under or around 100...like my Quinn

There really is no occasion or option for her to get into anything toxic, she is in the house with me and my other dog, I take her out only on the leash and the garbage and cleaning supplies and such are all put away in safe places so I don't think it's possible that she got into something like that.

Thanks for the information, the Dr did tell me about the possibility of the US and biopsy but I am really hoping that this turns out to be nothing serious.
I am hoping they don't have to force feed her. Do you think I should bring in a little of her own food (they didn't say I should or not)?

Thanks,
Ann

Kerrianne:
I will definitely keep you updated. They said the results won't be back until Friday or Monday..I really hope it's Friday!!

Thanks everyone!

I don't have any advice or experience with this. Just want you to know that I am sending prayers your way. Please keep us updated.

Sending Prayers your way.
 

Ann,
I'm so sorry you and Lucy are going through this. It has to be so hard for you. I hope the vet doesn't find anything serious. We are praying for you and sweet Lucy.
xoxoxoxoxo
Love,
Carol & Calleigh

Ann,

Lucy and you will be in my thoughts and prayers. I'm glad you came to YorkieTalk.

I will keep positive thoughts for Lucy.

Usually the preference is a food higher in protein. What they will likely give (Science Diet A/D) is very palatable. You could bring some just in case. Forcing isn't a huge deal. They should be able to get her to swallow a few bites.

:love:

Thank you all for the well wishes it means a lot to me and Lucy Lou :2hearts2:

I am sooo happy I found Yorkie talk too!!! It is so great to have this support system! I will keep you updated but probably won't know much until Friday or Monday.

:justahug::hearts6:

I'm sorry your baby is sick. I agree w/ the others that bile acids is the next step. My Daisy had elevated liver enzymes and Bile Acids of 107 (usually indicative of shunt when it is over 100) but it turns out that she has microvascular dysplasia and not a single shunt. Either way, there is treatment and hope. Keep us posted.

Welcome to YT Ann! I will keep your sweet Lucy Lou and you in my thoughts and prayers. Will check for updates.

Update
 

Hi everyone!

Lucy was a very good little girl today and very brave when she had her blood taken (twice)! They had a hard time trying to get her to eat so I went back and was able to get another teaspoon or two into her but she was not happy about eating-too many distractions there I think but we got enough in her hopefully. I was told that we will hear something either tomorrow or Monday about the results of the bile acids test.
I did find out that normal liver levels should be around 110 and hers were over 900!! :( I am hoping for the best though!
Thanks for all your support and prayers and I will let you know when I have an update on the tests!