Oh no, I am so sorry for your little Gidget. I agree you can only do your best and make her life as good as possible for as long as she can live.

I know I want to go now and hug and kiss my doggies.:(

Hi everyone, just a quick update. Right now Gidget seems to be doing really well. She is eating on her own, however we have to syringe give her water because she won't drink it. She has more energy than she has ever had. Especially at 2am when she has decided that is her playtime. We are going to continue doing exactly what we have been and keep loving her more and more everyday. Hope you all have a great day.

THIS IS GREAT NEWS! I am so happy she's feeling better! even if its just a little bit :) YAYAYAYAYAY!!! Keep up the good work :thumbup:

When I was reading the earlier postings I kept thinking to myself livershunt.
I would strongly suggest you join this yahoo group for dogs with livershunt.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/L...d_MVD_Support/
There are ways you can get funding for surgery but it may be tough because you are the breeder. Some teaching vet hospitals have whats called an angel fund to help those who cant afford surgeries
I also have heard that some rescue groups will take your little one and fund the surgery but the sad part is the pup will be rehomed. I know some who have done this just to save their puppy's life.
Join that yahoo group they can help you, there are alot of members there who are experiencing the same thing you are.

Well as soon as I thik things are going forward we start going backward again. I guess this is going to be the norm, but it sure is not fun. Today every time Gidget eats, afterward she starts acting really strange. She starts barking and scooting backwards and going in circles. From what I can understand, these are symptoms of the liver shunt. What I am wondering about is if anyone knows of what I should feed her that would be low protein. The vet says the protein hurts her liver, but she needs it to grow. It is a catch 22. I just didn't know what other type of food options might be out there, that might now hurt her so much. Thanks all of you for your wonderful support.

Amy-
I'm not an expert and have no experience with liver shunt, but I know there are various brands of the premium foods that have a low protein formula. The vet's office will also sell some Hills Prescription Diet. If you can take a break and have a PetSuppliesPlus, Petco or PetSmart near you - I'd go take a look and really comb through the shelves till you find what you are looking for. We're still rooting for little Gidget!!

You really need to find out if she has a shunt. If she does she should be on a low protein diet. But if she does have a shunt she MUST have surgery to correct it, if it is the type of shunt that can be fixed. Diet is only a band aid. You are not going to get funding because you are a breeder (I'm not trying to sound mean), no one is going to fund your surgery because as a breeder you supposed to take this responsibility yourself and make sure you have the money for these types of things. I really hate to sound so cruel but that's how every organization that could possibly fund you is going to look at it. There is care credit, which is a credit card for emergencies such as this http://carecredit.com/ with low payments.
Tennessee has a WONDERFUL vet who specializes in LS and its from what I have read has the best price out there. Her name is Dr Tobias http://www.vet.utk.edu/clinical/sacs/shunt/faq.shtml
Please don't mess around with this. Find some answers for this little baby. Maybe you can get your vet to speak with Dr Tobias and figure out what to do and get her old enough and stable to have this surgery.
Once you get a proper diagnosis your vet can start some meds to help stabilize her and hopefully you can get her strong enough to have the surgery if she does have LS

I am so sorry that you have to go through this! I to just found this thread and on the first page thought this sounds like a liver shunt. This is very serious and as stated above high protein is bad they can't process it and they can have seizures and low blood sugar. ask your vet about payment options for surgery also what about pet insurance? I'm sorry you have to go through this you are a great mommy you have taken excellent care of this baby and i commend you for your efforts. I totally understand about the money issue it is very expensive and you must decide what is right for you. At the end of the day you should feel very proud of yourself for doing everything you can you are doing a great job but sometimes it's out of your hands! Good luck sweetie and keep us posted ok

Please keep us posted on Gidget. Im really worried about her

IF SHE IS HAVING LOOSE STOOL YOU MUST TAKE YOUR DOG TO THE VET. LOOSE STOOL IS A BAD THING FOR A YORKIE. DID THE VET TELL YOU TO GET A STOOL SAMPLE? THAT IS A MUST. MAYBE SHE NOT EATING OR ACTIVE BECAUSE SHE HAVE WORMS. THATS WHAT HAPPEN TO MY BABY AND THAT TRIGGERED HER TO GET HYPOGLYCEMIA. HOPE YOUR BABY GETS WELL REAL SOON:aimeeyork.

Hans,

Im going to go out on a limb here.
I would encourage you to offer a saucer of commerical made quality puppy supplement to her at all times until she is 1 yr old if u have too. .......at chin level. Add a touch of honey. If she wont lick it up some, then syringe feed her...........at her head level.........just one cc or so.
I think she needs water, more water. Offer it beside the formula at chin level. Syringe feed it too if she wont drink it too..........but just one cc or so.
Every 3 hrs or so just like she was a new pup.
Offer her a canned food like lil cesars on your finger and kiss the top of her head.:) Place a tiny bit on the top of the roof of her mouth if u have too.
Give her additional stroking.......tons of love...........more stimulation at home. Even if its just a bit more noise or a different person in the house.
I would keep a tiny dish of dry tiny food for her available too, along side the commerical formula mix and water! If you decide to try this...........DO not feed anything else...........unless required by a vet, and testing.
And make sure she is always warm...........I so want your lil baby to be okay. Hoping for a healthy 2007 Different healthy baby!
Doesnt hurt to wish does it? :)
God bless this puppy.

Poor baby, I hope that everything goes well. I currently have the same kind of problem with my 11 week puppy, he just wont eat anything or drink, I have to force feed every 2-3hrs with either the canned food from vet or the mixture that was posted by the owner of luna. My baby wont even touch any food, I tried Cesar, the formula, chicken, and nothing. I know exactly what you are going through, I really hope our pups will make it and be healthy, it is so extemely hard to see them that way. Good luck

The very first yorkshire terrier I owned had liver shunt. It was terrible, I was devastated. The breeder didnt care. They refused to make it right.
But things always work out, Im told.

add sugar to your water that she drinks that will help balance it out a little. also do keep adding pedialyte to her dish. My little guy teethed on carrot sticks and the vet said that was great as carrots are high in complex starches that take a ling time to break down in the body and that helps elevate the sugar levels instead of just the quick fix that Caro syrup has to offer. Dex and i are both Hypoglucemic, and if you like to contact me please do i can offer you more to do from both a human level as well as taking care of a puppy with it,