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Old 03-06-2019, 11:18 AM   #1
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Default Liver shunt story

Just wanted to share my story because I haven't seen one exactly like it.
We adopted our Yorkie pup Bowie from an all breed rescue. The rescue told us a Yorkie "breeder" sometimes gave them pups who were unsellable. Ours was the wrong color (brown on brown). Bowie was 9 months and 5lbs when we got him, in December 2018.

He was a little weird from day one, but we had never owned a yorkie before and thought his strange behaviors were maybe part of the breed. He never wanted treats and could sometimes go all day without eating. Sometimes he would drink too much water, sometimes he wouldn't drink at all. He did a lot of head rubbing. As cat owners we just thought, "Oh look, isn't that cute? He is acting like the cat!". He would stare into space sometimes. He would be full of energy sometimes and sleep for HOURS others. One day he was so full of energy ALL DAY, so we took him on a LONG walk to get his energy out. It did no good, and when we returned he continued to pace and head rub. He refused water but was drooling. In the middle of the night I woke up to find him limp in the chair, but when I tried to put him in bed he got back on the floor and started pacing again. It was scary to witness, and I thought he was dying. I took him to the vet in the morning and they said he was fine. I had to INSIST on a blood test. The results of the blood test along with my description of symptoms, and the fact that he is a Yorkie finally rang some bells in my Vet's head. He suggested Bowie might have a liver shunt. Of course l immediately hit the internet and was devastated. My only hope was that MAYBE, because he was a puppy that he had the single extrahepatic kind that could be operated on. We paid $1200 for a scinthegrophy and CT scan. Bowie did in fact have the single extrahepatic shunt, and we were excited to have the surgery and get him on his way to recovery. However, upon speaking with the surgeon we found out that the portal vein AND the vena cava vein were so underdeveloped, that to clamp the shunt would most likely result in a catastrophic and fatal event.

So here we are. We have had Bowie for about 12 weeks, and spent over $2000 on a puppy that is most likely going to die before he makes it to two years old. Our decision going forward is to keep up with the prescription food and lactulose as long as his symptoms are minimal and he is happy, but we will not be taking any extraordinary measures beyond that. I am just so sad that this had to happen to our family. I have two daughters that are devastated. We lost our King Charles Spaniel to Mitrial Valve Disease a year ago, and had waited and searched for a rescue dog and thought we had found the perfect one. We only adopted a younger dog because we didn't want to have to go through a wasting illness until much later...we spent years with our older KCS, taking care of him, getting his meds, having fluid drained from his body. We were ready for a dog with energy we could walk and run around with. And now here we are, basically in a hospice situation a mere year later. Please don't respond to this with words like he could live for 6 years...I'm part of a few Liver Shunt FB groups, and I hear that a lot. His situation is a bit different and based on his symptomatic behavior, I can tell he isn't going to last very much longer. We will love him while we can. For anyone else out there that has to say goodbye to a puppy, my heart goes out to you. It is so hard and sad. I don't even know if I can ever adopt another dog I'm so sad. I know I won't be getting another Yorkie (which is sad) but I can't go through this again. MVD was the main reason I didn't get another King Charles Spaniel. Anyway, as you can imagine I'm so angry right now at "backyard breeders" in general. That story in Georgia makes my blood boil. Although we got our little guy from a rescue, I feel like it was poor breeding that probably got us here. I mean, how good of a breeder can a person be if they are turning over their "unsellables" to the kill shelter?
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Old 12-01-2021, 10:18 AM   #2
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Default Similar experience

I hope you see this. I want to hear back from you about Bowie. We lost our first Yorkie Lily at the age of 16 in June 2019. She was a tiny healthy 12 week old rescue who never grew past 4 pounds. When she died I was beyond devastated.

A month ago we adopted a 5 year old male Yorkie. He’d been surrendered by a breeder who had been using him as a stud. Apparently, he lived in a pen and had little social interaction. Naturally, we expected him to take time to adjust so I can’t even tell when the symptoms started or if they were there from the start.

Once he got comfortable walking around the apartment I noticed how odd he was. He lifts his front paws like a horse. He paces back and forth slowly. He stops and rests his head on the wall and often just looks out of it. He wobbles around like he is drunk.

The vet said it’s ataxia possibly from a liver shunt. I have scheduled the tests but I am so miserable at the thought of losing another dog.

Please let me know about Bowie. Is he okay? Are you okay?
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Old 12-01-2021, 02:45 PM   #3
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I hope you see this. I want to hear back from you about Bowie. We lost our first Yorkie Lily at the age of 16 in June 2019. She was a tiny healthy 12 week old rescue who never grew past 4 pounds. When she died I was beyond devastated.

A month ago we adopted a 5 year old male Yorkie. He’d been surrendered by a breeder who had been using him as a stud. Apparently, he lived in a pen and had little social interaction. Naturally, we expected him to take time to adjust so I can’t even tell when the symptoms started or if they were there from the start.

Once he got comfortable walking around the apartment I noticed how odd he was. He lifts his front paws like a horse. He paces back and forth slowly. He stops and rests his head on the wall and often just looks out of it. He wobbles around like he is drunk.

The vet said it’s ataxia possibly from a liver shunt. I have scheduled the tests but I am so miserable at the thought of losing another dog.

Please let me know about Bowie. Is he okay? Are you okay?
This post was from 2019. You might want to start your own thread so it is less confusing.

In the meantime, I am not a vet, but I just want to say that it would be unusual for a 5 year old to suddenly have neurological symptoms from a liver shunt. It is not unusual for a 5 year old to have a shunt, but usually they don't have those symptoms. I don't want to scare you, but it is worth asking your vet about GME ... or other types of encephalitis. Those neurological disorders usually show up in yorkies around 3 - 5 years of age. Whatever is going on, I do hope it is treatable. I hope you come back and keep us updated.
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Old 12-06-2021, 09:01 PM   #4
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This post was from 2019. You might want to start your own thread so it is less confusing.

In the meantime, I am not a vet, but I just want to say that it would be unusual for a 5 year old to suddenly have neurological symptoms from a liver shunt. It is not unusual for a 5 year old to have a shunt, but usually they don't have those symptoms. I don't want to scare you, but it is worth asking your vet about GME ... or other types of encephalitis. Those neurological disorders usually show up in yorkies around 3 - 5 years of age. Whatever is going on, I do hope it is treatable. I hope you come back and keep us updated.
I realize it is unusual. The vet says it is not impossible. It is just that his symptoms are so spot on with the liver shunt symptoms. He will have the bile test tomorrow. The vet did mention encephalitis. If the liver test is negative Rebel will start antibiotics and steroids. I’m trying to stay positive but he seems to be getting worse. It’s like he goes into a trance, he doesn’t respond to stimuli. I really hopes he gets better. He is so sweet. I will keep you posted.
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Old 12-07-2021, 08:14 AM   #5
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I realize it is unusual. The vet says it is not impossible. It is just that his symptoms are so spot on with the liver shunt symptoms. He will have the bile test tomorrow. The vet did mention encephalitis. If the liver test is negative Rebel will start antibiotics and steroids. I’m trying to stay positive but he seems to be getting worse. It’s like he goes into a trance, he doesn’t respond to stimuli. I really hopes he gets better. He is so sweet. I will keep you posted.
Oh gosh, I am sorry he is getting worse. Yes, please keep us posted.
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Old 12-08-2021, 08:20 PM   #6
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@ladyjane So sad to discover it is indeed hepatic encephalopathy. It maybe a shunt or micro vascular dysplasia. Most likely the latter since many dogs can go years undiagnosed. Poor little guy. Surgery or not, the outcome is likely the same, one or two years. We will try a change of diet and some medicine and enjoy him while we have him. So sad but we are giving him a safe loving home. At first, I didn’t think I could handle another loss but it is a blessing to have this time with him.
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Old 12-13-2021, 03:10 PM   #7
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@ladyjane So sad to discover it is indeed hepatic encephalopathy. It maybe a shunt or micro vascular dysplasia. Most likely the latter since many dogs can go years undiagnosed. Poor little guy. Surgery or not, the outcome is likely the same, one or two years. We will try a change of diet and some medicine and enjoy him while we have him. So sad but we are giving him a safe loving home. At first, I didn’t think I could handle another loss but it is a blessing to have this time with him.
He is only five years old. I would do further testing to find out what it is. One or two years? I don't know how anyone can assume that without knowing exactly what it is. I am going to look for and post a link about one of my pups who was diagnosed as an adult.
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Old 12-13-2021, 03:12 PM   #8
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@ladyjane So sad to discover it is indeed hepatic encephalopathy. It maybe a shunt or micro vascular dysplasia. Most likely the latter since many dogs can go years undiagnosed. Poor little guy. Surgery or not, the outcome is likely the same, one or two years. We will try a change of diet and some medicine and enjoy him while we have him. So sad but we are giving him a safe loving home. At first, I didn’t think I could handle another loss but it is a blessing to have this time with him.
Here is the link. Teddy passed away this past year but NOT from liver disease. He lived a very long life!

https://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/si...ver-shunt.html
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Old 12-13-2021, 06:53 PM   #9
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Here is the link. Teddy passed away this past year but NOT from liver disease. He lived a very long life!

https://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/si...ver-shunt.html
I don’t know what to say. His neuro symptoms are from his liver issues. We are managing the symptoms. I am happy things worked out for you and Teddy.
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Old 12-14-2021, 09:41 AM   #10
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I don’t know what to say. His neuro symptoms are from his liver issues. We are managing the symptoms. I am happy things worked out for you and Teddy.

I don't know what to say either. I am guessing you don't plan to see if there is a way to help him to live a longer life.....to do the testing to get a diagnosis and do surgery if it could help him to be well. Very sad for him.
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Old 12-14-2021, 09:48 AM   #11
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I don't know what to say either. I am guessing you don't plan to see if there is a way to help him to live a longer life.....to do the testing to get a diagnosis and do surgery if it could help him to be well. Very sad for him.
It's not that I don't want to help him. I wish I could. According to the vet, the prognosis would be the same with or without surgery. If that is the case, why would I want to put him through more tests. He is not unhappy. He is not in pain. He is responding well to the medical management.

His ataxia is so distinctive and typical of dogs with Liver shunt issues. He paces, falls, presses his nose to the wall, spaces out. I am following the advice of my vet.
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Old 12-15-2021, 06:28 AM   #12
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It's not that I don't want to help him. I wish I could. According to the vet, the prognosis would be the same with or without surgery. If that is the case, why would I want to put him through more tests. He is not unhappy. He is not in pain. He is responding well to the medical management.

His ataxia is so distinctive and typical of dogs with Liver shunt issues. He paces, falls, presses his nose to the wall, spaces out. I am following the advice of my vet.
I find it hard to believe a vet would say such a thing. IF your vet did say that without doing any testing, then you should seek a second opinion.

Best way to go is with an internal med specialist.
www.acvim.org
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Old 12-15-2021, 06:31 AM   #13
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Very informative brochure on liver shunts:


http://www.theyorkshireterrierclubof...re_9_16_13.pdf
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