Worrying about heart failure...

[Kamilla]

Originally Posted by bobohyde

I think I would put a lot of weight on the opinion of surgeon you spoke with in Oslo. It sounds like he is very familiar with liver shunt and you said yourself it was very rare in Norway, which I assume means the vets you are dealing with aren't as familiar with it. I hope my post didn't come across the wrong way. I am so sorry for your situation. I just have this feeling that the vets might not be correct and that it might not be that serious. I hope I'm right. We are all praying for your little guy.

Yes, we do put a lot of weight on the opinion of the surgeon. We feel that he is the one who know these things. He have worked for many years in england and canada, and is familiar with this condition. No, your post didnt come out the wrong way. I think you are right, and we also hope that its not serious. Thanks for the prayers!

[Kamilla]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

Aren't the symptoms of enlarged heart and lungs and ascites usually indicators for congestive heart failure? Did they ever do a cardiac Doppler?

I dont understand what ascites is. But when it comes to the enlarged heart and the fluid im not so sure anymore. Based on the fact that the vet says its a liver shunt, even after the test results came back negative. So i've called the vet to get some answers, she was bussy and is calling me back. About the doppler i'm not sure, i think it was an ordinary ultrasound. I'll ask when she call back.

Billy is now playing on the floor, tugging and chewing on his toys. Its so good to see! His urin is more yellow now, went yellow before he started the medication. Could It be a urininfection? Or is it normal when the boys come in puberty? He is 5 and 1/2 month old.

He also eat and drink very little, im trying to get him to eat more by putting warm water in the food and handfeed him. He is eating hills ld and its impossible to make a thin soup out of it. If i could then i would force him to eat a little bit more. I think that the stomach is so small after eating so little over time. So he need some help to increase the food intake and his stomach volume.

[kjc]

Ascites is the accumulation of fluid in the abdomin. Ultrasound is not the best way to find a shunt.... can give unreliable results.

Sending prayers for your little one, and Hugs to you and your family. It will be difficult until you get good answers to Billy's health problems.

I just looked again at the bloodwork:

Have the vets said anything about pancreatitis? (>lipa) Dehydration can cause slight elevations in urea... is he drinking enough? Does he drink and pee a lot?

You can add a bit of human baby food (meat only, chicken is best) to entice him to eat, and add water to his food to help increase his intake. Don't give him any gravies or human food other than plain boiled/roasted chicken with white rice.

Could he have gotten into anything he shouldn't have? No raisins or grapes..

[Kamilla]

No, the vet havent said anything about pancreatitis. His lipa values are high.
He drinks very little, could that cause the lipa value to rise? Can i add something to his water that is safe and would make him drink?

The vet in oslo says that a little to high urea is normal in puppys, also some adult dogs have a little higher urea without beeing sick. Its normal for some dogs.

I do have some boiled chicken left, but havent given him more because of the insecurety. Isnt the chicken high on protein? Have only fed the hills ld since i bought it at the vet.
So chicken is safe? And white rice? I know he likes it.
So now im wondering, how much rice/chicken should he have pr day? Im feeding 3 times a day. 9am, 3pm and 9pm.

Thank you for taking time to help me with my little Billy. Im so glad im in here <3 You are all so amazing and helpfull!

[kjc]

You can mix in a little bit of chicken and rice with the LD. Chicken alone is about 22% protein, and mixed with rice , even less. It's important that he eats, and drinks.... you can also add the water the chicken was boiled in to his drinking water to entice him to drink. Also add water to his food to make a gruel/ thick soup consistency. I would do an equal amount of chicken and rice to LD.... the LD is higher in fat, so I wouldn't do chicken and rice exclusively. And call and ask the vet about the lipa.... as high fat would be contraindicated if this is pancreatitis.

It can also be a problem with his gall bladder or a bile duct... all these organs work closely together and it's difficult to really figure out what the cause of the problem is. It can take more time repeated blood tests to find out for sure.

[Kamilla]

The vet called back, but didnt give me the answers i wanted. The vet that did the ultrasound is back on tuesday, and they will tell her to call me.

Gave him chicken and ld mixed to a thick soup this evening, he ate almost everything. Now water is the problem... And as im writing this he runs to the kitchen and drink! Halleluja!

I think your prayers are beein heard

The metronidazole (flagyl)? What kind of diseases would it cure?
I asked the vet today if its wise to put him on another antibiotic too, one that take the things that flagyl doesnt take. But she said no, it could be to stressfull to his body. So now im wondering what does metronidazole cure?

[roseslevi]

Originally Posted by Kamilla

The vet called back, but didnt give me the answers i wanted. The vet that did the ultrasound is back on tuesday, and they will tell her to call me.

Gave him chicken and ld mixed to a thick soup this evening, he ate almost everything. Now water is the problem... And as im writing this he runs to the kitchen and drink! Halleluja!

I think your prayers are beein heard

The metronidazole (flagyl)? What kind of diseases would it cure?
I asked the vet today if its wise to put him on another antibiotic too, one that take the things that flagyl doesnt take. But she said no, it could be to stressfull to his body. So now im wondering what does metronidazole cure?

So I found this- Metronidazole is an antibiotic and antiprotozoal medication used to treat various conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, nonspecific diarrheal disorders, infections caused by Giardia (a cause of diarrhea), and periodontal disease. Metronidazole requires a prescription from your veterinarian, and is sold by the tablet.
I am going to keep praying because I think it's working, seems Billy is doing better. I hope they don't make you wait until Tuesday to speak to the other vet.

[Buster Brown]

Sending prayers for Billy's continued improvement. It is great that he is eating and drinking more. Best wishes

[kjc]

Originally Posted by Kamilla

The vet called back, but didnt give me the answers i wanted. The vet that did the ultrasound is back on tuesday, and they will tell her to call me.

Gave him chicken and ld mixed to a thick soup this evening, he ate almost everything. Now water is the problem... And as im writing this he runs to the kitchen and drink! Halleluja!

I think your prayers are beein heard

The metronidazole (flagyl)? What kind of diseases would it cure?
I asked the vet today if its wise to put him on another antibiotic too, one that take the things that flagyl doesnt take. But she said no, it could be to stressfull to his body. So now im wondering what does metronidazole cure?

Great that he ate and drank! WooHoo!

And to add:

Metronidazole is frequently given to dogs with and without LS. For dogs with LS, it kills the bacteria that is making the ammonia in his gut by way of digestion... so it will help to lighten the load on his liver.

[Kamilla]

Originally Posted by roseslevi

I hope they don't make you wait until Tuesday to speak to the other vet.

Yes, they will. She isnt in before tuesday. Im thinking of calling another vet to get an second opinion... What would you have done?

Tnx everyone, we are so glad that he is getting better.

[roseslevi]

Originally Posted by Kamilla

Yes, they will. She isnt in before tuesday. Im thinking of calling another vet to get an second opinion... What would you have done?

Tnx everyone, we are so glad that he is getting better.

As long he is doing alright and/or improving I guess I would wait it out. It is so nerve wracking though, I can only imagine how you must feel.

[Kamilla]

Thank you. Yes, he is improving and we decided to wait. It does feel better today. The dog is eating better, he even once walked to the kitchen and ate on his own! And this is progress The more i think of it the more i'm sure of that the vets are wrong. It all started with a little cough and hypoglycemia, and maybe thats all that it is?

Ill update when i have talked to the vet.

[Yorkiemom1]

Bless your heart....you are doing a fantastic job managing this emotional roller coaster with your precious baby. Continuing to pray for you and the pup.....Something you may ask about is milk thistle. It has been used for many years to help clear toxins from the liver, just to help lighten the load on the liver. I give it to all my babies, regardless that none have any liver disease, just to help their livers with any toxins that build up in the body from heartworm meds, flea preventatives, antibiotics, etc.....of course, you would want to get that cleared with whichever vet you think is doing the best treatment for your pup.....if you do get the OK to give it, you just want to be certain it is GLYCERINE BASED....you can NOT give the same milk thistle you give humans, to your pup....I continue to pray for you and your pup....I am thrilled, as is everyone, that he is improving! I wanted to add, you can take a teaspoon of baby food, chicken, and mix some warm water with it to make your thin "gravy", and pour that over the kibble that he is reluctant to eat. That will give you another option to offer him.....

[Kamilla]

Will ask the vet about milk thistle. Have search for milk thistle and cant find anyone here in Norway that sell it. (Only health shops for humans.) So then i'm wondering why cant i buy the one for humans?

Thanks for the advices and i certainly will try the baby food trick

[bobohyde]

Just wondering how Billy is doing since its been a couple weeks.