The vet already diagnosed liver shunt, why would she do a bile acids test? :confused:

Nancy,

I missed that part. I really don't like it when folks use emoticons that make me feel like a fool either.

I'm sorry, I didn't think the confused icon would make anyone feel bad. I was saying I was confused. I probably was too abrupt. I thought maybe you suggested that so that she would have more information for her breeder or maybe you thought it would be good to have just in case she wanted to sue. I was trying to figure out why you thought this and really didn't mean to insult you. I've always thought this icon :rolleyes: could be used in a harmful way and I'm careful when I use that one, but never dreamed the confused icon could be use in a bad way. Anyway, I'm so sorry, I love reading your posts and thoughts.

No, I'm sorry Nancy. I just pop in from work and barely have time to skim everything and wish I had more time to spend. I love reading your posts too; I hope that the OP can get help this little dog and I didn't mean to hurt your feelings either.

Please, nancy1999 is the LAST person on here that would intentially use any kind of gesture or little picture to insult you.....take it like she meant it...to show SHE was confused!

Please, nancy1999 is the LAST person on here that would intentially use any kind of gesture or little picture to insult you.....take it like she meant it...to show SHE was confused! I am going to try to stay away from those tiny little pictures....I certainly do not need tiny little pictures causing me problems on here.....!!

Oh thanks for understanding, you've made me feel better. I would never want to make anyone feel bad for reading a thread too quickly. I do it all the time! I'm not really up on the medical part, so I read these threads mainly to learn more about the illnesses. Sending a big hug!

Ha ha, thanks for the support, I guess you realize how confused I get!

I'm keeping your precious baby boy in my thoughts and prayers!!!!

I agree that our breeder should have done more, when I called her, she offered to take our pup back (when things started and we weren't sure what the actual issue was) which is something I could never have done! When we actually called her and told her he had a liver shunt she didn't really believe it and still doesn't because none of her other pups have experienced this. She was sympathetic of course, but there wasn't really anything she could say since she hasn't dealt with this before. Very long process...for the most part he's doing well, he can just be very off some days and it scares us. The vet said he could live 2 yrs, or he could live 10 years...we just have to take it day by day..which is hard. I am going to ask her about the rabies vaccine soon, thanks for all the feedback

I should have clarified that we have done the Bile Acid Test, which was the final determiner for the vet, as well as videos, symptoms, blood work, etc. We certainly can afford our pup so that's not the case at all. We started him on NF low protein diet as well as Metronidazole for when he has an upset stomach. We have done EVERYTHING we can, besides surgery, and we can't be the only dog owners in the situation? Please don't suggest us to not get a dog if we can't afford him, I love him dearly but the vet told us herself the surgery may POSSIBLY work. Very tough situation and I wouldn't wish it on any owner.

If he's still showing symptoms... it's very important to get him on Lactulose and Denamarin... here's some more info:

Portosystemic Shunts FAQ


Without these meds... he could have a seizure and pass on prematurely...

Good Luck with little Marley. You have been given good advice. I would certainly look to the breeder for compensation for his meds and surgery.

Wish you all the best going forward, please update when you can!

Here is the link to help for vet bills: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/eme...vet-bills.html


Dr Karen Tobias is the leading expert in this field, and she works out of the Univ of Tennessee. Please take some time to acquaint yourself with this disease, and that would be a good place to start.

Liver shunt can not be diagnosed by BATS or bloodwork alone, even coupled with clinical symptoms. There are special tests required that will give a much more definitive diagnosis.

MVD often times is successfully managed by diet and supplements. If that is indeed what your dog has versus a liver shunt.

Unless there are complicating other medical conditions present, usually a young dog that is generally overall healthy in all other system aspects of things, has a good chance with the operation.

You can seek a second opinion and with a disease this serious, I certainly would be. You really to see a specialist and not just a general vet, so you have a complete and through understanding of your pups condition.

My Ziggy had LS diagnosed when he was just under a year old, about 6 years ago. Same symptoms you described. We went to three vets trying not to believe it was true. But it was. We could not get him over 2 pounds for months even with special food and frequent feeding. That was the first symptom and it only got worse. When we finally accepted the diagnosis, our regular vet told us about a special vet place in a northern suburb of Chicago so we took him there. At first my hubby was skeptical about paying $3,000 for this. I convinced him when I reminded him if the car needed $3,000 of repairs we would pay for it. We put it on a credit card. Long story short, Ziggy is now a happy, active, fun, playful boy. He is about 7 pounds. He has the sweetest looking Yorkie face I have ever seen. (I'll get pictures up one of these days.) I would go for the surgery if it were my dog (well, I did). Our breeder was very sympathetic and offered to give us another dog but that would have meant Ziggy would have been euthanized and we were already in love with him. So, get a credit card, get whatever help you can, and have the surgery. They can do wonderful things nowadays. I hope and pray things go smoothly for your liver shunt baby. It is soooo hard! I'm so sad for what you're going through. It's hard to believe but we were there too and it ain't fun. Keep us informed. Good luck.