Liver shunt
 

Hi everybody.. Just found out that my 5 month old Yorkie has a liver shunt today.. I have been putting it off for a bit and finally did it today.. I've had her for about a couple of months now.. She has only gained 10 OZ. she now weighs 1.5 pounds now an has a poor appetite. So I expected it.:-(. Next thing is an ultrasound and hopefully surgery. Anybody going thru what I'm experiencing now.. Would she live a healthy life without surgery and proper diet if surgery can't fix it? I put her on Hills LD diet.. Thanks

Oh, no....I am so sorry! Prayers for your little one and hugs for you! Wow, 5 months and only a pound and a half, that is extremely low weight! I so hope the food helps.

My yorkie Cricket got sick on June 2nd of this year. We figured out pretty quickly what the problem was by our vet who told us it was a shunt. Cricket went to another bet to have other tests done and sure enough that's what it was. She was started on science diet l/d, and continued getting lactulose. She started doing better and she had surgery June 26th. She is doing GREAT. She will have another bile acid test done in a few weeks to see if her levels have gone down. but right now she's doing really well. :)

I'm glad to hear that crickets doing well. Thanks that gives me hope.

How high were her numbers?
If she has MVD, she can be put on a special diet with supplements and do well. However if it is just one large shunt she needs surgery. The good news is that they do really well after surgery.

Skip the ultrasound. They aren't very accurate and it takes someone very skilled to read it. Instead have a scintigraphy done, it will show you much better what is going on.
Until you get your diagnosis though it wouldn't hurt to put her on a supplement such as Denamarin.

Bile acid was at 266. I'm gonna start her on meds on Tuesday. Try to get her on the right track.

Did she have any other symptoms other than slow growth? My 8 week old is throwing up and having diarrhea and her lab results show pancreas problems which I understand is consistent with liver shunt. Have a specialist appt. tomorrow for a workup. It just
seems like she would have other symptoms too. Good luck with your 5 month old.

Hi Lolliebear,

I am sorry you are going through this with your little one. I'm going to send a note to Wylie's mom asking her to move your post over to the sick/injured forum so that more people can see your story. We've had multiple members here who have dealt with liver issues and they can be a great source of support and information.

ETA: someone already did it. Fast work!


Good luck and please make sure you keep us posted about how your baby is doing.

duplicate post

Nope not too young at all for it to show up.

My Teddy Bear had liver shunt surgery in February and is doing fine! Good luck with your puppy...please keep us posted!

And, no, if it is operable it is best to have the surgery done!!

So if your dog has a liver shunt, are there signs to look for? Vomiting, diarrhea, etc? Or is there a blood test or other sorts of testing that can be done to see if your dog is going to be subject to such an illness?

Yorkie/Biewer health issues are new to me since I had a chihuahua that lived to be 21-22 yo with no health problems.

They do not always have symptoms. Bile Acid testing can be done.

Here is a link from UT with information: http://www.vet.utk.edu/clinical/sacs.../diagnosis.php

Well thanks for the support. Had the ultrasound done at work today.. (I am a vet tech) it confirmed to a extrahepatic PSS which is good news for me.. We can proceed with surgery.

So if your dog has a liver shunt, are there signs to look for? Vomiting, diarrhea, etc? Or is there a blood test or other sorts of testing that can be done to see if your dog is going to be subject to such an illness?

Yorkie/Biewer health issues are new to me since I had a chihuahua that lived to be 21-22 yo with no health problems.

She had a poor appetite, hypoglycemia, and thin. (Not gaining weight). She would eat well for a couple of weeks, then not wanting to eat anymore. I had to force feed her most of the time.

Oops tried to quote... Not sure how to do it.:-)

First, I would like to wish you the best as you to through this difficult time with your little, precious Yorkie.
I have a little rescue girl, Eva, who was quite tiny at 10 months when I got her. She also did not have much of an appetite for the puppy food that she was on. Having read about liver shunts here on YT, I immediately was suspicious and had blood work done. Results showed possible liver issues. Changed her diet to Royal Canin Hepatic and her blood work improved. Decided to run a bile acid to confirm or dismiss possible liver issues. Bile acid confirmed positive liver problems. Took Eva to K-State veterinary hospital where an ultra sound showed a definite exterior shunt. It ran over her stomach and under her diaphragm. I was told that the position of her shunt kept her asymptomatic. Every time she breathed or swallowed it shut off the blood flowing through the shunt. She did well enough through surgery that they spayed and removed a retained baby tooth. The K-State vet told me that we needed to have a bile acid done at the 3 month and 6 month post-surgery dates. Then, and only then, would she be declared healthy. It is my understanding that complications may show up during that 6 month period. At this point, Eva is doing very well. Almost too well. She is driving her brothers crazy. ~Joanne~

The recommended protocol on BATS is 16wks and repeat at 6mths. Liver shunts do show up quite young, and they can remain hidden for years as well.

While the BATS testing early on in life is not a fail safe, it still has a use. Most especially in young dogs/puppies who fail to thrive and have certain symptoms, of which lack of weight gain is one.

4doggiemama.... So glad to hear that Eva is doing well after surgery:). I know my little one Fredericka will do fine with surgery. She started antibiotics and lactulose yesterday. Tomorrow will start her on potassium bromide for a week, do another blood test then she will go to surgery. I'm very nervous:(. . I just wanted to thank everyone for their kindness and support:animal-pa. I'll keep everyone posted thanks.

Update on my little Fredericka... We had our consult today with a specialist to do her liver shunt surgery.. Everything went well and were having surgery on Monday... Very nervous for my baby girl...

Sending good thoughts your your way for a successful surgery and a complete recovery.

I will keep Fredericka and you in my thoughts and prayers. I know you will be relieved when the surgery is over. Hope that all goes well.

The University of Tennessee Vet school is the best resource for MVD, liver shunt and all liver issues. They offer free phone consultations for anyone with questions or concerns about their Yorkie. The website link is full of information from a credible source. If you have time to call before Monday you will definitely learn a lot especially since I believe you said you were a vet tech. You will get a lot from the consultation. Good luck. You will be in our thoughts on Monday.

It's so wonderful to read all the positive stories that all of you have had regarding liver shunts and what was done after. My prayers go out to your little yorkie :)

Is today the surgery day for Fredericka?? Saying prayers for her...

Why Potassium Bromide? If she\'s seizing and she has a shunt, Lactulose will stop any seizures that are caused from a build up of ammonia in her blood. Praying for your little one.

FYI: All puppies have Liver Shunts. Before birth, the shunt sends the blood past the liver so it can be cleaned by the dam\'s liver. Then at birth or within a week after, the shunt closes down and disappears, and the pup\'s own liver starts doing the work itself. In pups and dogs with Liver Shunt, the shunt doesn\'t shut down and continues to divert most of the blood away from the liver. Depending on how much blood gets diverted, and how much the liver is functioning, is why some dogs go undiagnosed for years. More severe causes show symptoms early on. Some dogs live just fine with a shunt. My vet had one case where the dog was 11 years old before the shunt caused any problems and was found.

Any updates? How did the surgery go?

Just checking in...hope everything went well ..