# Got some bad news today



## SinisterKisses (Sep 20, 2015)

Well, perhaps not "bad" so much, but not good news anyway. Finley is/was scheduled to be neutered on Friday, and so he was in yesterday to get his pre-surgery blood work panel done. Unfortunately, it did not come back roses and sunshine. He apparently has a liver disease, either micro vascular dysplasia or a shunt, I'm told. He goes back for more blood work tomorrow to determine which it is. The vet seems pretty confident it is dysplasia - apparently, his half brother Tate (who is full brother to Gizmo, from a different litter; they all have the same dad) has dysplasia as well, which I didn't know. Tate belongs to one of the girls who works at the vet - she fell in love with Gizmo when we got him and started bringing him in, and asked us for the breeder info so she could get one of her own. After speaking with the vet and doing a bit of reading online, it seems as though dysplasia wouldn't be SO horrible a diagnosis, so fingers crossed that the vet is right and that's the one he has. We should know by Friday for sure, either way. I'm trying to remain positive, but even though it's not a totally horrible diagnosis it's totally crushed me. My baby boy is only 6 months old and is no longer a perfectly healthy little pup. So it's hitting me kind of hard right now


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## manydogz (Oct 10, 2015)

I'm not real clear on the problem your boy is having but my heart still goes out to you. Any sickness is bad news though maybe not terrible news. All good wishes to you and your boy.


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## Dorothy's Mom (Apr 8, 2015)

I'm sorry you are worrying. Totally understandable to be upset. We love them so much!

I hope it is the lesser of the two evils. What is the long-term management of dysplasia? Hopefully it is something easily managed with a little bit of time and a lot of caring by someone who loves him very much.


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Aww I'm sorry to hear that, poor Finley. I don't know much about that condition, but I hope it's something manageable and not too serious? I understand how you feel, I get so worried about my chis health.


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## SinisterKisses (Sep 20, 2015)

Well we haven't had an in-depth conversation with our vet yet, as we need to diagnose which it actually is first. But from the bit she said today about the dysplasia, and what I read online, in Fin's case it wouldn't mean anything really at all at this time. No medication, no need to change his food, nothing. Just something to be aware of, keep on his file, in case of illness later in life. There would be medications to avoid, etc. As he gets older, if it gets worse in his senior years maybe a liver medication at that point, but he's a fully happy and functional puppy right now it seems - no symptoms whatsoever, so he's living with it pretty easily. Which is why I'm hoping it's that if it has to be something. 

Thanks for your thoughts all.


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## Jessicashield (Feb 13, 2015)

aw no sorry to hear this about finley, I hope everything goes well with the tests and keep us updated.


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

wow im so sorry. i tried researching about dysplasia and it looks a bit scary. liver shunts aren't too bad either i know a couple people with chis who have it. my dex has liver issues as well and been tryin to get him to take meds...tried 2 diff kinds with only puking as result because of how strong it is to his stomach. even if ur baby can't get fixed he will live however many years he has with his loving mom <3 my guy is 7 yrs old and still fighting  i hope ur results come back ok , will keep u in my thoughts <3


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## BasketMichele (Sep 9, 2014)

Prayers and positive thoughts for you and Finley for the best outcome.


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## Chiluv04 (Dec 19, 2013)

So sorry to hear about Finley Alaina. We are all here for as much support as you need. And as hard as it is, try not to stress too much. Happy mom = Happy puppy and sometimes happiness is the best medicine. Sending healing vibes your way xxxx.


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## SinisterKisses (Sep 20, 2015)

Thanks all for your support. I'm getting a little more used to the idea, but it certainly came as a shock when it was just routine testing before a neuter. We obviously weren't expecting anything to be anything other than perfect....not like he was being tested to diagnose an issue we were experiencing. But we'll deal with it once we know for sure which he has.

As for being happy - that's an easy one. He is the world's happiest puppy all the time and his happiness makes me happy so it's impossible to be anything else when he's around


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## SinisterKisses (Sep 20, 2015)

So! Fin was at the vet yesterday to get another round of blood work done, this time they were testing his liver function (bile test) to determine if he has micro vascular dysplasia or if he has a liver shunt. Had a call from the vet this morning with the results - they came back "abnormal", higher than in a healthy dog, but the pathologist and the vet say it's typically much higher than Fin's reading in dogs with a shunt, so we're 99% sure he has dysplasia - which of course is the better of the two options. So he goes in again tomorrow for one more round of blood work, this time I think she said it was a Protein C test, to determine for certain that it is dysplasia - she's confident in saying that's what he has, but just likes to be super thorough and cover all the bases before putting in on paper. Those results will take longer, 5 days apparently, so it'll be a week before we have a definite answer. We postponed his neuter (which was supposed to be today, and was how this all came about) until next month just because the diagnosis is not absolute right this minute, so at the very least the boy gets a month-long reprieve from surgery and losing his puppy manhood


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## Dorothy's Mom (Apr 8, 2015)

Well, fingers crossed for displagia - as stupid as that sounds. I hope you're doing kay with this news.


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