possible liver shunt Cody went into the vet today because he just hasn't picked up after his vaccines last week. She ran some blood tests on him and his liver levels were high. She didn't do a bile acid test or anything so she couldn't say for sure that he had a shunt, but is a very real possibility right now. He took a bad fall two days before the vaccines, so she said the trauma may have caused his levels to be higher so she sent us home with lactulose because he's been getting wobbly and disoriented, an antibiotic just to rule out infection, an anti-vomiting medication, and i/d canned food. We're also supposed to keep up on the nutrical (we thought he was hypoglycemic) On Friday she wants to do another blood test and a bile acid test to see if it is a shunt. So, I have some questions- If it is a shunt, what then? Is it something that he will need medication for the rest of his life? Can it be managed with a special diet? (he won't touch the food the vet gave us) Do yorkies usually need surgery for a portosystemic shunt? My parents are talking about putting him back up for rescue if it turns out to be a shunt- more so because if he's going to be high maintenance and sickly they're not ready to deal with that emotionally... We all felt sick when the vet was explaining all the medications and restrictions she was sending us home with and with talk of hospitalizing him for an IV and observation and possibly having to go in all day when he goes for his next vaccinations so they can give him a steroid first and then observe him for a reaction and hearing hims scream in the other room as they were injecting who knows what into him after drawing his blood... We just can't bear to see him this way :( We're shoving medications down his throat, he doesn't want to be by us, he's just sleeping and won't touch his food...:cry: Any info you can give me on the liver shunt and its management would be very helpful to me right now. We have to be ready to make the decision about keeping him by Friday when we see if he's doing better or not... |
You can do a search on here for liver shunt. I know there are alot of threads here with very good information. I hope it is just the flu or something and not a shunt. Good luck. |
I hope so too, but the enzyme level was almost twice the normal:confused: She did say that it can be the combination of all the stress he had last week though... I hope... |
I'm so sorry he's sick. I hope it's just the vaccines that elevated his bile acid levels. Please do extensive research and educate your parents because liver shunt and MVD babies can live normal lives be it through surgery or diet and lactulose with supplements. I hope you don't give up on him. My boy is on lactulose and special food and is doing fine. He's NORMAL. The knowledge that I gained from this site and the Yahoo group for liver shunt/MVD was incredibly helpful, and it made me realize that I could handle whatever there was to come. Giving him medicine twice a day and spending a little more on his food is nothing compared to the love and enjoyment he brings to my life. I'll be praying for Cody, and that your family is lead to make the right decision. I beg you to be educated, informed, and know what your dealing with before you send him back to a rescue |
I'm so sorry to hear this...When my yorkie had his vaccines as a pup, he had a very hard time after them...At the time, we did not know about his liver problems...But we did later find out that he has liver shunt/mvd An extrahepatic portosystemic shunt does require surgery in order for your pup to live a good normal life...If he recovers 100% without aquired shunting and he doesn't have secondary MVD, then he will be able to stop special diet and medications within a few months after surgery... I'm confused as to why your dog was sent i/d if your vet suspects liver problems. Usually, they send you home with l/d which is specifically for the liver. Read the ingredients of the i/d and make sure it doesn't contain any meat products like chicken or pork or organ meats like liver...Those are high in protein and he should be on low non-animal protein right now until they figure all this out. The lactulose is super important. Do not miss a dose of that, and it's best to give it directly after meals. His stool needs to be soft, not firm... I know it seems overwhelming right now, but let's see what the results of the bile acid test are...Take it one step at a time...If it turns out that your baby has a portosystemic shunt, then surgery needs to be done. If it turns out that your baby has microvascular dysplasia (HMD/MVD), then he can live a normal life with his special diet, lactulose, and supplements like milk thistle and denosyl (sam-e). Usually liver compromised dogs like Royal Canin Hepatic LS 14 much better than Hill's products like the i/d, k/d, l/d, etc. It seems to be more palatable. If your vet doesn't carry it, you can always get a prescription for it from your regular vet and get it at another vet's office or at Banfield.... How old is your little Cody?? |
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as for how old he is, we really don't know. The animal hospital where we got him from says 2 months, the one where he got his shots at last week says 3 months, and the vet we saw today (we weren't impressed last week) says 4 months and that we can consider neutering anytime (and we thought we had a baby!) and that the blood work he got done today would be enough for that. I'll try to explain all of this to my parents but my guess is that if he needs surgery then we won't be keeping him. They wanted to look into options so that the decision would be made before we were in the vets office finding out that he needs surgery (we already let the vet know that there would be a decision to be made and she gave us some suggestions on rescue networks) |
I just sent you a pm. |
I really hate to say this, but if your parents don't want a high maintainance dog, then a Yorkie was not the best choice. Even when healthy, a Yorkie is high maintainance. If you do decide to put him up for rescue, then I suggest you try here first. There are a lot of people on here who are knowledgable about liver shunt and would love to take him. And you would know that he was going to a great home. I hope that everything works out for you. |
Wanted to add that you should give yourself more time to make your decision. The bile acid results will likely not even be in by Friday. I know how attached you are already and you seem like you are giving him a really good home. It would be such a shame for him to uprooted again when the two of you have already bonded. And the others are right, if its MVD only, then no surgery is required. Just a few medications and a change in diet is all that should be needed. My Lily has MVD and its not difficult to manage it. A few extra minutes of my time every day is certainly worth all the love I get from her in return. |
that is awful. i am so very sorry. i hope all turns out well |
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We are not ready to go through the testing, my parents were both raised with the understanding that if a dog is suffering, then you don't put it through all kinds of medical procedures that it doesn't even understand- you put them out of their misery. Now, they have no intentions of putting Cody to sleep- he's too young for that:( and they know that if it is a liver shunt and it's operable then he can live a normal life... but they don't want to be the ones to put him through all the medical stuff. My mom is on the phone right now with the animal hospital where we got him... I'll keep you guys updated:( |
we're trying the medication for a couple days- if he keeps getting worse, then we're taking him back- it sounds as though they have experience with liver shunts and they suspect it's a single large vessel based on how bad he's getting in such a short period of time. He's awake and alert right now, but earlier he couldn't even stand up to relieve himself because he kept falling over every time he tried to squat... we just need some time to process this... if they're right about what it is, then he's going to need surgery In the meantime, we're calling our vet to see about getting him on l/d instead of i/d |
i/d is going to make him worse...Insist that they give you l/d |
What state are you in? If you are anywhere near Michigan....I would consider taking him....I dont know how rescues work and if this has to go thru the rescue or whatever. Lets start with first things first...Let me know if your still considering giving him up. |
we called about getting l/d but they told us his vet isn't in for another hour. He's been chowing down the i/d since he got up and had a burst of energy- attacked his stuffed duck with a ferocity that we haven't seen in a week but is still wobbly. We tried giving him rice instead of the i/d but he won't eat it (so we mixed it in with the i/d so that he was getting more rice than dog food) the i/d is still a lot lower protein than his puppy food but hopefully we'll have him on l/d by the end of the day so he's not getting the turkey and pork liver that's in the i/d his belly is getting really swollen- is this going to have to be drained or does it go away as he gets better? |
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I'm in Michigan If his test results come back as a shunt that can be managed by diet and medication, we will probably keep him- he's doing a lot better right now, running around and constantly going to his dish for more food. If the vet says he needs surgery for sure, then he is going to be up for rescue. I'd love to give him to someone on here because you guys have been great over the last two weeks and I know he'd get good care. The New Buffalo Animal Hospital (where he was originally rescued) also offered to take him back and give him the care he needs but for now, we're just waiting to see how he does :) Thank-you for all your help |
If the shunt is operable is the rescue willing to help with the cost? |
I think that if we brought him back to the rescue, they were going to take care of him and his costs (although they weren't real clear- they just said that the vet had specialized in the surgery in school and that they would take him back) However, I did some looking last night, and I know that the Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue has a fund set up for people who need assistance in the surgery costs (http://www.livershunt.com - there's a link for requesting funding) |
Make sure they actually do diagnostic tests to determine whether or not he has a shunt. MVD and an extrahepatic shunt are different. Extrahepatic shunts need to be repaired, even if the dog is acting okay. With MVD, there is no surgery that can fix it, and they need to be maintained on a very strict diet, lactulose, and supplements, especially if the numbers are high. |
yes, we are aware of those things. Originally we were going to wait it out and see if it was MVD, but at this point the decision has been made to put him up for adoption regardless of what type of liver problems he has. It's hard for me right now to consider that we have only had him for 2.5 weeks and already have to say goodbye, but my parents have decided that it is going to be the best for him right now. Please pray for my family as our little kodibear has definitely worked his way into our hearts already and we are really going to miss him |
I'm so sorry that you have to give him up, but know that he will be in good hands... |
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I'm not so sure that it is a liver shunt or MVD. You said he ate quite a lot of the i/d and was doing much better? With liver shunt, the protein in the i/d would actually make him worse after he ate as his body is flooded with toxins. Yorkieluv would know the answer to this. You said you were going to return him to the rescue? Did you mean the animal hospital where your parents got him or will you be giving him to a rescue organization? I would love to see diggy4 get him. I'm sure that the two of you could keep in touch so that you could see how he was doing. Regardless, I think that you are doing the right thing. It takes a really special person to be willing to give up a dog they love so that he will get the care he needs. If he is getting worse quickly then he does need tests right away to determine the problem. You're doing a really good thing. |
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Just take one step at a time as alot of possibilities have been discussed and nothing appears to be confirmed yet. I would not like to have the make that decision but hopefully this website can help you through it. Keep us posted on developments! |
Well I can half update you.... I am discussing taking Kodi....he is being returned to the hospital this weekend. I am not convinced its even a liver problem. He may be reacting to shots. No tests have been ran to say for sure its liver. Here is what I am asking to happen. If he is infact returned I ask that the hospital run some tests and narrow down diagnosis... A B.A.T. and some others that I am getting some advice on. The diagnosis will not make a difference in wether I take him or not, I just feel I should at least be given a really good idea of what Im getting into. Its the unknown that scares me...as long as I know what he has and how to treat him I am willing to do what it takes. What I cannot do is take him on and not know....I have 2 skin kids and 2 yorkies already.....I just feel this would go MUCH smoother getting to the root of the problem first then things can fall into place. I have asked that my name be given to the hospital he is being returned to so I hopefully will be considered for adopting him. I want to be able to go over his test results with some people on here and with my vet so she also knows what she is dealing with as she will be a vital role in this too. I have to make sure she is willing to take this on with me as I need to have complete trust in who is caring for him and basically put his life in their hands. If she isnt willing to (I am sure she will be) then try to get a new vet lined up. A lot has to happen but trust me I am trying to do this the best possible way to keep Kodi safe and comfy as he is my main concern right now, and taking him on with out having all these things resolved first would be a total injustice to him, he deserves the very best and I am trying to line that up for him! I will keep you posted as to what I find out and please pray with me that whatever happens, Kodi get better and keep thoughts with the family he is with right now. :) |
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YAY!! for u! let me know if I can help with anything. It could be a number of thing not just liver shunt (as u were so kind to point out to me previously!) Armani reacts badly to shots as well, goes straight to sleep when we get home. We have to remember how small these little guys are and honestly I myself do not tolerate shots well, so I can only imagine what they go through. Armani acts weird for a couple of hours (Sleepy, diarrhea) and then bounces right back. The vet said this is normal for the little ones receiving more than one shot at a time :) GOOD LUCK!! i hope u get the little one : |
Wow, I thought the bile acid test had already been done, and that's why they thought he had a liver shunt??? I'm totally confused now. Why do they think it's a liver shunt or MVD? Diggy4, I really hope that you get this little baby, and the animal hospital, in my opinion, should do the diagnostic tests before adopting him out again. They need to be able to tell the future owner what is wrong with him. |
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You are right, the i/d would not make him better, but we have to remember that he was also sent home with lactulose. The lactulose is more than likely pushing the toxins out of his body, therefore making him feel better. |
kodibear, make sure Cody is getting his lactulose after his meals...The rice is good because you are reducing the amount of protein he's getting by adding it to the i/d, but it also binds up his stool, so he will need lactulose to push the toxins out of his body. |
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