Your babies are so pretty!

Now I can see the babies. They're all cuties. :p

I would suggest joing this yahoo group for livershunt and MVD. There is a ton of knowledge on this list and maybe someone can point you in the right direction. I dont have any dogs with liver issues but Im there just to further educate myself about this dreaded livershunt and MVD
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/L...d_MVD_Support/

I agree, it is tough to see a shunt without doing a liver biopsy or a nuclear scintogrophy. I wouldn't stop here and assume all is well with the liver...keep digging. In the meantime, ask your vet about giving him a shot of ampicillin, some lactulose, and switching him to LD food, and see if that doesn't improve him drasticly. My 2nd thought would be possible Hydrocephalus. How old is your boy by the way? And how high were the tests? Post and Pre..how far apart were the tests done in weeks?

Actually I used to be prescribed that med..LOL It is Human "neurontin".. and I took it for nerve pain from a bulged out disc in my spine, however, it is also fabulous for panic attacks, mood disorders, and some seizures. The biggest side effect I noticed on MYSELF is that it made me incredibly sleepy.

I'm so sorry for all your little family has been through this year. I pray that God will grant you peace as you trust in His love for you. Please let us know if the medicine is helping your baby. I pray that you will be able to get a proper diagnosis and treatment to help him be himself again. Please let us know the results. God bless you all.

Thank you very much! Some photos are kinda old, and when I see a cute pose I can't resist no matter what they look like... LOL! They're my precious babies!

Ok, here's a 2nd day update on Aidan, the meds that the nero gave us seem to be working for the most part. Aidan is still drowsy in the mornings, but perks up about 1pm, and was full of energy toay, no licking, barely any star gazing, no chasing tail or whatever is bothering him back there. We did have a slight episode a few minutes ago, but I loved on him and whispered in his ear and said sweet things to calm him down, and when I said" Let's go outside" his litle ears perked up and he did his business outside, came back jumping around like nothing ever happened. I am seeing the baby I haven't seen in nearly month.... you guys have no idea what a great feeling this is. My husband is starting to relax again, had to get him some sleep/nerve drugs from the doctor today, so seeing Aidan being a hapy pupper keeps his blood pressure down. The prayers are coming in and being answered. We still are going thru with the MRI and Spinal tap, NOTHING is cleared out of the woodwork yet, we want to make sure everything is covered. Just wanted to send a short and sweet update. Thank you all for the comments! I am already starting to feel human again. I actually washed my hair!! LOL! Was too tired before. LOL!

I actually did join this group about 2 weeks ago, its just I get so much more out of everyone here that I feel comfortable, ya know?

Thanks for the link. I saved it in my favorites.

I'm so happy for you that things are looking up again. I hope he continues to get better and better. I really would like you to remember to keep us updated on his progress. I'm also very glad your husband is relaxing some. I know it's an awful experience when things go wrong with them. Take care.:)

Any updates?

The adverse reactions for Heartguard are as follows:

ADVERSE REACTIONS:
In clinical field trials with HEARTGARD Plus, vomiting or diarrhea within 24 hours of dosing was rarely observed (1.1% of administered doses). The following adverse reactions have been reported following the use of HEARTGARD: Depression/lethargy, vomiting, anorexia, diarrhea, mydriasis, ataxia, staggering, convulsions and hypersalivation.

mydriasis is severe dilation of the pupils
ataxia is uncoordinated movements of the limbs caused by a brain inflammation

Just caught up here. I'm so glad the meds are helping Aiden. You must be so relieved that both of your "boys" are feeling better. Prayers that it continues getting better. God Bless.

Update on Aidan
 

Sorry I have been away for a few days. So here's the latest updates on Aidan.

We took him in the Neurologist yesterday morning, where he stayed overnight. They performed a Brain MRI - Results: NOTHING.

Then they performed a Spinal Tap - Results: NOTHING

They ran blood and urine and sent off for testing to another clinic, no results yet.

So, now we are getting WAY on up there in the price range.

Cidney suggest I take Aidan to Texas A&M, they can spot the problem alot more quickly than the doctors up here in Dallas.

So far since Aidan has been home, we haven't see any signs of strangeness, but the night has yet to fall... and that is normally when he goes in his episodes.

My poor baby has a shaved neck and shaved leg. :( He's been fairly chipper today, playing with his baby squeekie... but the hell that he has been through seems so unfair. He has literally been poked, proded, violated, and shaved with still an undetermined diagnosis. When is it time to just stop and let him be a puppy..

I forgot to mention in my much earlier post, Aidan is about to be 2 in October. He is a full size Yorkie. 11 lbs to be exact. I didn't want a little tiny Yorkie due to sicknesses.... so much for that idea. If any of you out there have toy/t-cup yorks please dont be offended. They are ADORABLE, but we knew that the prices/dr visits was out of our price range, plus when we saw Aidan for the first time... I would have picked him out of the bunch anyway.

So theres the stats. Anyone who might have any suggestions for me, you can email me at tishaandjoe@comcast.net.

Thanks so much for all your love, support and guidance. I will be on again to give another update soon.

I will :hands: :hands: :hands: :hands: for you and your family. May god bless you and your failmy. Best wishes

Neutered
 

Out of curiosity, what is the average cost of neutering your dogs? :confused:

It varies widely. I know my vet, who raises a few little yorkies occasionally, will just charge $40 to neuter and $55 to spay. It's a nice, big clinic, with 4 vets, but they would rather see them spayed and neutered than to make a fortune. I've seen prices into the hundreds of dollars. Of course, this is just the neuter and spay costs. It doesn't include any blood tests before the surgery.

Hi Tisha,
First let me welcome you to YT!
I am so sorry you are going through this. Boy, it sure makes you wonder about the heartguard. Heartworm is not something we have to worry about about here. When I raised Guide Dogs for the Blind inc. our Advisor(she is actually employed by GDB) told us not to give it to them. I sure hope you can get to the bottom of this soon.
BTW my youngest daughters name is Tisha. Not very common. We call her Miss Tish.

Goodness...
 

I am so happy that your Yorkie is improving.....


I would not rule out an adverse drug reaction at all....not at all......I know that even if it is not stated in the package insert that these episodes have happened in clinical trials...............they could have happened since.

I would contact the drug company, they may require a report from the Vet. This really needs to be documented........they have a Medical Affairs Dept that will research and help with the report.

Don't let this slide, at least you may be able to prevent another dog from this awful potential side effect.

Dizpatch - How odd about the heartgaurd! I think as the month has come to and end since his last dosage, he is actually feeling better. It's almost like, the night of Aug 17, he went into this cloud, where he couldn't see or hear us, trembling, not aware of where he was... then after the month has past, he seems to be losing all the symptoms, with the xceptions of licking himself in the private area. I think you may be on to something with the HG. I think that played a MAJOR part in is complete sickness. My dogs live in what you woud call a dog palace! What is the purpose of giving them HG or any other kinda of heart medicine if they are not outside dogs? I hope that is not a stupid question as I really don't know.
Just a little bit of good news, the night before Aidan had to go to the Neuro (Sunday), he slept with us all night long... I was so HAPPY!!:D - He then stayed the night at the Neuro - Got home yesterday, looked pretty normal with the occassional star gazing not to bad and SLEPT WITH US AGAIN! I was SO EXCITED! I felt like my lil baby was back!! Going to keep my fingers and toes crossed that maybe all this was just a big fluke... maybe the HG caused this!
Everyone also calls me "Miss Tish" even tho I'm married! LOL! How funny!!

You are so VERY right! I will contact my vet that I buy from and tell them the story. I don't really know if this is 100% of the problem, but he did a total freak out on us the night of Aug 17 2 hours after his HG dosage. I have NEVER EVER seen this, which is why I never thought it could be the HG..... but maybe as his little body grows, the more susceptible he is to allergic reactions. I do KNOW that being 33 years old, I had NEVER EVER had allergies, and last spring.... I felt HORRBILE..... The doctor said I had an allergy attack and prescrible allergra. *Humph* who would have thought after all these years!

I will call my vet to advise.

Thanks!!

Tish,
I am so glad that he is improving!:happyboun
I do not have the answer as to why take the HG if they are indoors. I do know that in some areas heartworm is a real problem. Where I live we do not have that problem. If your vet thinks he needs to be on some form of HG because of where you live I would ask about weight appropiate and dose before I give him any type. There are different brands. But again I would do alot of asking before I gave it.

BTW Miss Tish----that is too funny!

Heartguard is mainly to prevent heartworms which are usually fatal. They come from the dog being bit by a mosquito which can happen in a house even if they never go outside. However, if I did feel it was a reaction to the heartworm medicine I would take my chances with the mosquitoes. If you miss a dose of heartworm, your vet might make you take a blood test showing he doesn't have them before he will renew your prescription (that is, if you tell him you're skipping a month just for testing). Some formulas also help with roundworms and hookworms, but there are safer alternatives for these.

Please, keep us posted on how your baby is doing.

I guess the dog whisperer doesn't recommend heartworm - here's a clip from his site.

I mainly recommend natural-food diets, colostrum, minimal or no immunization and no monthly wormers or heartworm protection. I recommend also that if there are mosquitoes in your area you use my combination of the blend of the following essential oils; Lemon Grass, Lemon and Eucalyptus oils. Two drops of each per ounce of water and spritz the dogs when they go out in bug infested situations. This mixture works equally well on humans and is my bug repellent of choice for my family and myself. You can order these oils off my website www.thepetwhisperer.com under the essential oil section.

http://www.thepetwhisperer.com/

OH WOW! What GREAT INFO! If I knew more about these things......So you can just mix these ingrediants up and just put in a squirt bottle! How cool is that! Here's what I have always thought. The HG was a preventative that kept heartworms away, in which case has some sort of poison in it to do this. I thought maybe Aidan was having issues with what the HG was doing.

I am definitly going to call the vet in the morning and advise of the HG treatments stopping for now until we can distinguish if this is Aidan's problem.... It will not hurt him for a couple of months, I'll just use this treatment below... going to site now! Thanks for this! I love YORKIETALK~~:D