Symptoms of Liver Shunt
 

For those of you with babies that have Liver Shunt, what were the symptoms that led you to believe that they had this?

Happy Friday :)

Portosystemic Shunt
 

Symptoms of liver shunt may include excessive drinking, depression, weakness, poor appetite, frequent urination, vomiting, drooling, and a general lack of interest in activities. Puppies with liver shunt are also prone to frequent urinary tract infections. If you suspect that your puppy may have a liver shunt, observe him or her closely after they have eaten. A dramatic increase in the severity of symptoms is a sign of liver shunt. Your puppy may also exhibit unusual behaviors, such as running in circles.

http://www.yorkielane.com/Health/livershunt.htm

I have heard some report that head pressing is common for a shunt baby also seizures.

Thank you and thanks for the website! Great information...

Please tell me Lil Lucy doesn't have this? I know you were posting about head rubbing the other day...but it didn't sound like head pressing....

I'm going to list some of the symptoms, but keep in mind that sometimes the symptoms aren't obvious, and they don't have to have all symptoms.
-Lack or appetite
-Head pressing
-Dark urine
-Frequent UTIs
-Urinary crystals/stones
-Drooling
-Blank Stare
-Seizures
-Lack of growth (keep in mind that this does not mean that only tiny dogs can have this. Miko is 11 lbs and he has serious liver problems)
-Symptoms can mimic hypoglycemia

I am such a worrier I'm going to take her in just to rule it out but her head rubbing is making me lose sleep! I posted in the Health and Diet section regarding food because she will not eat the Canidae. She tries but the kibble is too big for her and I need to switch her out from the RC since it seems to cause allergies in many...Thank you for your concern, I really appreciate it :)

The biggest symptons we saw were the lack of energy, even after a good meal. We thought it was blood sugar issues for the longest time until the little puppy started head pressing and getting blank stares. She did have liver shunt, was able to have to the surgery and is now a great home and doing wonderful. So liver shunts are not the end all, but yorkies with this can go on to live long, health happy lives. But if you are concerned please have her checked so you can start the process of getting her back healthy!!

I completely know where you're coming from - I always worried about Marcel, due to his size, in the back of my head. He paws at the sides of his face at times and rubs his head just a bit. We finally did have him checked out - and he passed with an A+, thankfully. I think he paws/rubs just to clean up and/or if an eye boogie is bothering him. You and the Luce are in my thoughts! :)

Head pressing caused by Liver Shunt, is different that just them rubbing their heads on the the carpet...when this little puppy we had for a time head pressed she would walk the walls not minding bumping into things...it was a very scary thing to watch, b/c she couldn't control herself. She would walk in circles and follow the walls until you picked her up. This was a big sign for us that something was defintely not right...

I know it's different...but nonetheless, I was still freaked out bc of some other problems Marcel was having. I'm SO sorry your little baby had to go through this!

I'm bumping this thread rather than creating a new one.

I did a search to find out what the symptoms of liver shunt were as Suzy has been runbbing her head with her paws a lot recently. She's 5 months old tomorrow. She has none of the other symptoms and according to the breeder there are no cases of liver shunt in her lineage. It has quite the history of Australian Champions along the way and she's a very responsible, loving breeder who has bred pups with the sire and dam who created Suzy before without any problems. That was the first thing I asked about when inquiring, and she said no. The breeder kept one of the pups from Suzy's litter for herself for showing, just as she kept a pup from the litter the previous year for the same purpose. I doubt she'd do that if she was lying.

The only symptom Suzy has is the head rubbing, it's not pressing just rubbing the paws on her head. She plays hide and seek occasionally, when she's play fighting with my partner she hides and puts her paws up on her face, so she's quite playful with her feet at the best of times.

I'm hesitant to put her through testing if it's something that puppy's do, of course if she develops any other symptoms she'll go straight to the vet. My only concern is that none of the other symptoms match - she's otherwise very healthy, eats very quickly and eats everything, a little heavier than she should be and although they don't have to have all the symptoms is it possible to just have the one?

Is it just her scratching her head? Do dogs with liver shunt only press their heads with this or does scratching count?

I'm sorry for all the questions but I'd like to know as much info as possible.

Thanks in advance!

Good Morning:) (or whatever time it is there). I think she is just a very playful Yorkie or one with an itchy head. It doesn't sound like shunt to me at all because she isn't pressing her head. Yes, Yorkie who itch COULD have liver problems, but if that is the only symptom, I wouldn't be concerned at all. If she is that itchy I would look to allergies but it sounds like she is just playing. I would never ever tell a Yorkie owner not to test for a liver shunt because they are so common in the breed though. By the way, you wouldn't really be putting her through much. It is just two blood tests.

Evening! (11.44pm here) Thankyou for clarifying that, blood tests are nothing scary at all. I was thinking it was a more intrusive test, that puts me at ease.

I'll talk to my Mum about getting her tested. I think it would definitely be worth the money for the peace of mind. It's not an emergency situation as it's only that one symptom...

She's peeing a few times a day but she doesn't drink an excessive amount of water, her stools are fine, she's at a healthy weight (if not a little too heavy, I'm still trying to work out how much food she needs) but the only problem is itching her head straight after she eats for about 30 seconds. She does it at other times but it's predominantly after she eats.

In the meantime I'll give the breeder a call tomorrow, I know that the pups went to the vet a couple of times before I got them to check their health etc, I'll find out if she had blood tests done then.

Thanks so much for your input. I just want to do the right thing by my little girl. :)

I'm the OP. I'm convinced Lucy's "head rubbing" is a mixture of three things. One was the food she was on. I changed her food over to Solid Gold from RC and noticed an immediate difference in her rubbing. Second, I think it's how she marks since I see her do it outside if something catches her attention on the ground she will rub on it. Lastly, I have a devil of a time keeping her out of the cat food. Short of watching her 24/7 it's almost impossible since my cats are older and I can't keep it on a counter. I've noticed over the past few days that keeping the cat food away from her has all but ceased her head rubbing...

My baby didn't had any other symptoms except for Seizures.