Bile Acid Results High, Liver Shunt? I took my 16 month old Yorkie Mickey to the Vet to be neutered and they did a blood panel that showed high ALT. They did a liver function test and the results for that came back high (59) after he was fed a fatty diet. I was referred to a specialist which I will see on 3/20/07. I heard that there are some factors that could skew the test because of other conditions that were present and I was wondering if anyone had that experience. Mickey had some plaque on this back teeth, so they have him on antibiotics. I was wondering if I should wait a while and redo the test. Input we be appreciated. Dee |
I honestly have no idea as I've never had any experience with liver shunts. But I will bump this thread up for you in hopes that someone who may know will see this. I'll keep your baby in my prayers! Please keep us updated! And Welcome to YorkieTalk! |
According to the print out on ceeby's test, the number you said was 59 has to be greater than 100 to indicate liver shunt. ceeby's was normal but the info about the test was printed on the paper he gave me with the results on it. We discussed it because I have seen so many liver shunt babies on here. he told me that the type of food you feed has a lot to do with the number being high. he said puppy food and some adult foods are extremely high in protein. So don't panic just yet. |
Cali had high Bile Acids but not real high. I think her first test was 0/94 and on retest 0/38. I had a liver biopsy done beause she was very sickly and it showed she had a very mild case of MVD or internal liver shunt that did not require any special diet or meds. I try keeping her protien intake a little low. The specialist I went to said in her experience if the Bile acids scores are under 100 it usually means an internal shunt or something else is throwing the test off. I hope your baby retests fine. |
1 Attachment(s) Hi Dee! Rhonda from your Yorkie meetup here. This is a great site and you will get lots of support for you both and little Mickey. I am so sorry about Mickey. You said that his ALT is 59? That does not seem high since normal is 15 to 80. Maybe it is 159... if that is the case maybe it could be controlled by diet and lowering his protein intake. I would call and let the specialist know he is on antibiotics that may affect the tests he may do before you take Mickey. Anyway, I am sure the specialist will know the best course to take and sounds like you are doing everything for him. Please let us know how it goes with the specialist. P.S. We had so much fun talking to you and hubby at the meetup on Saturday. Mickey is so full of energy and just the cutest! Here is a picture of your Mickey (not in the sweater) and Bella. So everyone can see how cute Mickey is. Attachment 103843 |
Could be a mild case of MVD or maybe an internal liver shunt like Patti indicated. Sugar's mom also makes a good point that if your baby is on a high protein diet that could be causing the higher numbers...Good luck with your appt with the specialist. If your vet truly suspects something with the liver, I would go ahead and go to the appt with the specialist. It's better to be safe than sorry. We'll be praying for your baby. |
Mickey is such a cutie! |
Thanks for all the support and I will keep you posted I can honestly say without this site of caring friends and my Yorkie Meetup in San Diego, I'd go stir crazy. I appreciate each and every comment, sincerely. Rhonda, thanks for the picture of Mickey, and for sharing. We love talking to you and Jeff and are sad we can't make the next Meetup on 4/21, but we will be at the next one! One year ago today is when we got Mickey at five months old. I really did not have much education on Yorkies and have come to realize within the last few months, that although they mean well, we probably got him from a breeder that is not doing all she should. I will leave it at that for now. To be clear, Mickey's blood panel showed his ALT enzymes were 369. Because of that, they did a Liver Function Bile Acid Test which was 2.2 while fasting and then after two hours and a fatty meal his levels were 59. I am anxious to go to the Veterinary Specialty Hospital tomorrow to see the Internal Medicine Specialist, Dr. Hart. I have a list of questions and hopefully we can find out how we are going to proceed. On a positive note: Mickey is fine, always has been. He shows no signs of any symptoms. He only knows Mommy is a bit out of sorts. I have to believe and think that everything will be fine. All of your emails are like a much needed "Group HUG!" My Yorkie family are the only ones who really understand how these little babies sneak up and unconditionally STEAL OUR HEARTS! Thank you, Dee |
Heartworm Prevention Meds makes Mickey Lethargic I don't know what this has to do with anything and if it could be related to a possible Liver problem, but each month when I give Mickey his Heartgard chewable tablet taken monthly to prevent canine heartworm disease, he gets a bit lethargic for about 24 hours or so. Is there a lot of protein in that little chunk of medicine? I asked the Vet if I should give him the entire dose because the box says for dogs up to 25 lbs. and Mickey is only 3.8 pounds and they said it should be fine. I was just wondering if anyone has experienced this with their Yorkie. Thanks, Dee |
Miko has liver problems and the only one that my vet has said is safe for him is revolution...It's a heartworm prevention and flea prevention in one...It's not a pill. It's liquid that you put in between his shoulder blades. I have also read on a liver shunt group that this is very safe for dogs with liver issues. |
We spent about 45 minutes talking to the specialist today. He said Mickey looks fine and because he shows no signs of any problems and his levels are not excessively high, he is hoping (and so are we) that it is microvascular dysplasia (MVD). We are having the Nuclear Scan done tomorrow and the doctor said that that if it is (MVD), we may need to do "nothing." We could limit his intake of animal proteins and modify his diet, but I will wait and see what the results of the nuclear scan are. Mickey continues to be fine showing signs of a happy and healthy Yorkie. I will post as soon as we get the prognosis. Thanks to all for your support. I really appreciate the feedback. It helps knowing others care. I promise to "pay it forward" when the time arises. Dee & Mickey |
I have been thinking about you and Mickey and wondering how it went at the specialists office. Sounds like the news is more on the positive side. I would never know that he had any kind of problem at all. Mickey was so playful on Saturday. I hope the Nuclear scan goes well and will be sending positive thoughts your way. On a side note, I am a RN and work with many patients with a compromised liver such as chronic hepatitis. One of the functions of the liver is to filter the blood and break down many toxins in the body. Some medications are more damaging on the liver and given at a normal dose are too high for someone with a compromised liver unable to break it down quickly. I would just make sure any thing given to Mickey is filtered by "how does this affect a compromised liver" statement. Good luck to you and keep us posted! |
Mickey Update First of all, I wanted to thank the group for their warmth and support. I could not have gotten through the last week without it. We took Mickey in yesterday for his Portal Scan and the results were Shunt Fraction 0.0%, meaning no shunt. Hey may have a mild case of MVD, but that's fine. We can control that with diet. The doctor said we could do a biopsy of the liver to find out exactly what is going on, but he suggested that since Mickey has no symptoms, we should just continue him on the special diet and re-check him in three months. We agreed. Mickey is back home and happy as ever. I wanted to put him back on a dry dog food, so I contacted my Vet to get a prescription for the Hill's Diet L/D and it only comes in 20 lb. bags. So, I check Royal Canine and they have Hepatic LS 14 that has no animal proteins and good for dogs who need to control their diet due to liver issues. It comes in a 6 lb. size, Ya gotta love those people at Royal Canine for caring. Mickey was eating their Yorkie food before. He loves the new dry food. I have been giving him carrots and apples for snacks and he is flourishing today. Hopefully, in three months his bile acids will be lower or at least no higher. I thought this would be the end of the world, but like Marie and Clint told us, it is not. It is manageable and I never want to under estimate the power of the laws of attraction. All I think about is Mickey playing and enjoying life with us for a long time, nothing else will do. Each day is a blessing. We are counting ours today, Thank you again for all of your prayers. Dee & Mickey |
That's great news that he's doing so much better! Miko is also on Royal Canin Hepatic LS 14. It's a very good food for dogs with compromsied livers. |
Royal Canine Hepatic LS 14 Liver Friendly Dry Food Is anyone else feeding their dog this food? My Yorkie loves it. I refuse to feed him wet dog food. I was using the Hill's L/D in a can, but I hated messing with that stuff. When I went to buy the dry, I found it was only available in 20lb. bags. My little one is only 3.8 lbs. That would last forever, plus I prefer Royal Canine products. However, the Royal Canine website says that the Hepatic LS 14 food is only for intermittant use and I was wondering how that may be interpreted to most. I wanted to feed it to my Yorkie for at least three months because his Portal Scan came back 0.0% Shunt, so we are thinking a mild case of MVD because he is A sypmtomatic. He is fine, just his levels were high. We re-do the bile acid test in three months. I would probably really like to feed him this food indefinitely. Has anyone's Vet told them this food is only good for a short period of time? I see my Vet on Tuesday and I will ask her too. Maybe the Royal Canine site is trying to be cautious. Any comments would be appreciated. Thank you, |
All times are GMT -8. The time now is 02:39 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2003 - 2018 YorkieTalk.com
Privacy Policy - Terms of Use