Indy got his staples out!
 

Indy finally got his staples out yesterday. I was so glad! Have any of you ever had experience with staples in your dog after a surgery? I hated them! He bothered with them so much more than the regular sutures and they would pop out all over. Last week I think I picked up 4 off the sofa. But the incision looks good and he is cleared to rough with his brother, Hunter, so he's one happy camper! 4 weeks he gets a bile acid test so we can see if they are coming down, and in 4 months he gets to have another ultrasound so they can see if the shunt is closed down. But for now, all is good!

Glad to hear that Indy got his staples out, Gucci had an ameriod constrictor surgery back in August, but she didnt have staples, unless they were the ones that dissolved. I take her back next Friday to be retested on her bile acids.. I am keeping my fingers crossed that all is well... She is doing great , running, eating and being her oldself :) I will keep Indy in my prayers to that all turns out well.. Gina

Yippeeeeeeeee! Sounds great so far. I have never had one get staples. It's new to me, too. But it sounds like it worked out ok, except you probably worried about him eating them, didn't you?

Gina, good luck with your bile acids. Indy goes for his on Nov 2, I just called and made the appt. Please let me know how you make out! Since I have dealt with 2 shunts in the past year I know what you are going through. The staples were a pain, and I'm glad they are gone! I'm not so sure that he didn't eat a couple! But luckily they were very small.

This is River
 

What a handsome guy!:)

Thank you, I will keep you posted. Indy had two shunts..wow..OMG.. what stress and also an expense. I hope all is well with Indy from now on, that is frightening to go through. Does Indy have MVD too,? Gucci has MVD, but the vet says there can't do anything for that, we will know more next week. I am a little nervous. I will pray for both our babies that they have good results....

He doesn't have MVD. His liver is clean and healthy, the biopsies he had both times were good. He had his first shunt operated on a year ago Sept. His bile acids kept coming down and at 6mo his fasting was a couple points high but his eating was completely normal. Then I decided to have a follow up at a year so I took him in July and was shocked when they came back high. We put him back on LD diet and repeated the test in Aug. The results were almost double from July. We went back to the surgeon for another consult and ultrasound found ANOTHER shunt. The doctor is still completely baffled by this, because his liver had almost doubled in size and all the veins going into it were big, healthy and working well. He said if he didn't know the shunt was there he would have thought that it was the liver of a perfectly normal dog. Even after the second surgery he still is puzzled why the second shunt formed because Indy didn't fit the profile to get a second shunt. He cut the cost in half for the second surgery, but still expensive. Didn't really have a choice though. I already had so much into him it didn't make sense to not do it again. Besides, money aside, I would have done it anyway cuz he's my boy! Don't be disappointed if Gucci's acids aren't normal yet because it does take a while sometimes for them to return to normal. Good luck!! Let me know.