Liver Shunts
 

I have a yorkie named timmy that is now almost 14 months. When he was nine months old he began to act drunk or as if he was having a stroke, i rushed him to the vet and after tons of bloodwork they can to the conclusion that he probably has a liver shunt. He has been through an ultrasound, biopsy, and exploratory surgury and they cannot place the shunt but they said that its there. I don't know what to think or do and from what i know a dog with a liver shunt won't last long! I am going to get a CAT scan done on him in mid march, the vets said that it would let us know if there is a shunt, they inject a form of dye into his blood stream and trace it on an xray to see if the dye gets out from the vessels (which is a shunt) That is the last thing i am willing to do, unless they say they can close it through surgery, but no more testing he has been through so much these past couple of months...Is there anyone who knows more information about shunts or has dealt with them...PLEASE HELP!!! I am trying to do whats best for him!

There's lots of us with babies with liver issues. If you do a search of this forum for 'liver shunt'; you will find lots of educational threads.

Also, probably someone more knowledgeable than me will come on.

Good luck!

Hi, my dog Teddi had a liver shunt when she was 1 year old. We had surgery at University of Tennessee and she is now 3.5 years old and completely fine! I would suggest you join this goup:
Liver_Shunt_And_MVD_Support : Liver Shunt & MVD/HMD Support
they are so knowledgeable and know everything there is to know about it. Is your dog on medication and eating special food? If not, he needs to be right away. Go to that group. They will send you a form to fill out and send back and they can answer any questions. Here is Teddi's story:
Teddi's Story

Teddi is such an adorable little dog! I'm glad everything turned out well for you.

WOW that is alot that was done, kinda backwards if you ask me...Poor Baby...

Liver Shunts are very common in this breed, so is MVD: MVD

What are the results from your Bile Acid Test (BAT) ???

The ultrasound is pretty useless, as it is only about 60% accurate in finding a shunt, and the person reading the u/s has to be pretty skilled. So, that's why I am sure they said to do a biopsy and exploratory surgery. Personally, the Scintigraphy: Portal Scintigraphy in Veterinary Medicine (Scan w/dye) should have been done first BEFORE a biopsy and exploratory surgery. As that would have been more helpful in seeing a shunt or not.

Going back to the biopsy, did they give you the results yet? MVD is found thru the biopsy, did they say anything about MVD?

Sounds to me as if he either has an Internal Shunt (can't be operated on) or MVD (tiny microscopic shunting throughout the liver - can't be operated on). Either case, he can be managed through diet and supplements, and he CAN live a very happy and long life.

Please don't fear, Liver Shunt or MVD is NOT a death sentence. We are here to support you and help you and guide you. Lots of us here have LS or MVD babies. I have a MVD girl and she is 5 now, she is doing very, very well thru a special diet and special supplements.

I totally agree. Unfortunately, it ounds like your pup has been through some unnecessary things and that was money that should've went to a scintography first... LS is not a death sentence though. :)

Thank you for everything guys, the biopsy came back fine, nothing was found and they didnt find anything in the ultrasound or the exploratory surgury...The only thing that points to a shunt is the bloodwork...the scientigraphy will tell me 100% if there is a shunt...Im hoping that he will be ok being managed medically...a part of me if hoping that the scientigraphy comes back saying there is noting wrong, is that possible?!?!?

Timmy doesn't display normal behaviors for a shunt, he is nothing size almost five lbs... he is playful...he is currently on a metronidazole compound and lactalose and he is fine when he has his medicine, if he gets it late than he is tired all day, and sometimes shakes...What are normal signs of a shunt?

100% agree here with all posts below ;( - unfortunately alot of vets are not real up on liver shunt

head pressing, spaced out after eating, seizures, picky eaters

it is not just in tiny yorkies

so no mvd on liver biopsy?

were the bile acids over 100 ?

was ALT high on CBC?

usually the way it goes is cbc panel with pre and post bile acids, then if over 100 further testing is done and you can either do protein c test which i have found not very accurate or scintigraphy to determine if shunt as most accurate or an ultrasound which is very hard to detect. If doing spay then they do liver biopsy to determine mvd if you want a firm diagnosis. I do not understand exploratory surgery ?? Your poor pup - you have come to the right place for sure - join the liver shunt group below you will learn a TON

His Bile Acid Tests came back around 232 i believe and his ALT level was 25

What does the ALT mean, is that usually high for shunts?

<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Lack of appetite
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Lethargy
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Weakness
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Disorientation
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Stumbling
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Circling or pacing
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Apparent staring into the corner
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Pressing of the head against objects
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Seizures
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Blindness
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Behavioral changes
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Excess salivation (more common in cats)
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Vomiting
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Diarrhea
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Increased thirst and [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]frequent [COLOR=blue !important]urination[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] (more likely in dogs)
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Straining to urinate
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Blood in the urine
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">Failure to grow and thrive
<LI class=ArticleContentBullet lastVisited="0" roundtrip="0">[COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Weight [COLOR=blue !important]loss[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]
These are things that are normal for a dog that has liver shunts and timmy does none of these things...he is hungry all the time, has fine bowel movements, doesn't overly drink or uninate, there is no blood in the urine, he is a great size, he is strong, doesnt stumble or circle, doesn't stare or press his head against objects, he sees everything and he is the same mood all the time! The only thing he does do is shake, but it could be because he gets cold easily...once i hold him he stops shaking! COuld his Bile Acid High Level be something else?

hmmm did you fast 12 hrs take blood feed then two hrs later pull blood when they did bile acids? if 232 yes indicative of shunt as that is high

ALT is on blood panel and it tests the liver

Are you working with a board certified internal medicine specialist?