# Possible Liver Shunt??????



## proudpeyotemama (Feb 20, 2012)

I took Ote to the vet yesterday for her yearly vaccinations. I want to get her spayed so I had them take bloodwork also - which they did not suggest, surprisingly. Well good thing I insisted on getting bloodwork done...turns out Ote has a possible liver shunt as her enzymes were a bit elevated. Everything seems normal, she's acting like herself, eating well (now that I found a food that she likes!) She goes back in a month for a more extensive blood test to tell if it is in fact a shunt, and if so, what type it is. My question is - if she does have a shunt does this mean she can't be spayed? Will it decrease her life span? Is there a special diet she should be on? Any experiences, opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Ote is my baby, I'm very worried.



On the bright side, her luxating patellas have gotten a bit better (possibly from supplements?) and she is 4.4lbs.


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## LostLakeLua (Sep 6, 2009)

Oh no, poor Ote!! =( Glad to hear she's acting normally!! I don't know much about liver shunts personally; but I had bookmarked this thread over a year ago because it seemed to have some great advice; hopefully it'll help answer some of your questions.

http://www.chihuahua-people.com/chihuahua-health/63912-liver-shunt-microvascular-dysplasia.html

Best wishes to you and Ote!!


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

Here are a few things I found online:

Dog Liver Shunt - Liver Shunt in Dogs

Dog Liver Health - Natural Remedies | Use Herbs and Supplements to Promote and Support Liver Health in Dogs


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

I have a buddy whose chi has micro shunt , not sure if its the same but she puts her pup on a diet plan on low protein food. Poor thing needs another test in a month or so  her pup wears xs clothes and is an adult


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I would hold off on the spaying because of the risks of anesthesia and further investigate the liver enzyme issue. Ask for a bile acid test. Your vet will know what it is. That will give you a much better look at what you are dealing with and how severe it is. 

In the meantime, do some reading on diets for liver compromised dogs. Here's a good link:

DogAware.com Health: Liver Disease in Dogs

Did your vet put her on lactulose? What did your vet recommend? I would NOT wait a month for further testing. I'd want the bile acid test done right away.


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## proudpeyotemama (Feb 20, 2012)

Brodysmom said:


> I would hold off on the spaying because of the risks of anesthesia and further investigate the liver enzyme issue. Ask for a bile acid test. Your vet will know what it is. That will give you a much better look at what you are dealing with and how severe it is.
> 
> In the meantime, do some reading on diets for liver compromised dogs. Here's a good link:
> 
> ...


I'm definitely holding off on the spay. Especially after all the research I've been doing. The bile acid test is what the vet wanted her to get next month. We go back in a week for another vaccine and I asked if we could do the test then and the vet was totally against it. She is very persistent that we wait a month, which is annoying to me. I was to gauge the severity of the situation a.s.a.p. and get Ote o the road to recovery/treatment...and verify that is even the problem! I asked if there were any precautions I should take in the meantime until further testing is done, such as diet changes or medication, and the vet said if she has been acting normal then no. Ugh. I am so frustrated. I feel like I am being more proactive than the vet everytime I take Ote for a visit.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

proudpeyotemama said:


> I'm definitely holding off on the spay. Especially after all the research I've been doing. The bile acid test is what the vet wanted her to get next month. We go back in a week for another vaccine and I asked if we could do the test then and the vet was totally against it. She is very persistent that we wait a month, which is annoying to me. I was to gauge the severity of the situation a.s.a.p. and get Ote o the road to recovery/treatment...and verify that is even the problem! I asked if there were any precautions I should take in the meantime until further testing is done, such as diet changes or medication, and the vet said if she has been acting normal then no. Ugh. I am so frustrated. I feel like I am being more proactive than the vet everytime I take Ote for a visit.


I would NOT get any further vaccines at this time. You don't want to tax her liver any further than it already is! Just say NO! 

In the meantime, I would definitely go for a second opinion. Get a copy of the labwork and get referrals to a good diagnostician and get her seen. That's what I would do if she were mine. No way I'd just wait a month. I'd also start supplements (milk thistle, etc.) and get her on a low protein diet.

Do you have her liver enzyme numbers? Just how elevated are they?


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## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

Brodysmom said:


> I would NOT get any further vaccines at this time. You don't want to tax her liver any further than it already is! Just say NO!
> 
> In the meantime, I would definitely go for a second opinion. Get a copy of the labwork and get referrals to a good diagnostician and get her seen. That's what I would do if she were mine. No way I'd just wait a month. I'd also start supplements (milk thistle, etc.) and get her on a low protein diet.
> 
> Do you have her liver enzyme numbers? Just how elevated are they?


I agree with this 100%. I wouldn't do anything else- especially vaccines- until a diagnosis is confirmed by a second opinion. Did the vet give you a reason why she wanted to wait a month? I would think that the sooner Ote is diagnosed and treated the better. 


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com App


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## proudpeyotemama (Feb 20, 2012)

Brodysmom said:


> I would NOT get any further vaccines at this time. You don't want to tax her liver any further than it already is! Just say NO!
> 
> In the meantime, I would definitely go for a second opinion. Get a copy of the labwork and get referrals to a good diagnostician and get her seen. That's what I would do if she were mine. No way I'd just wait a month. I'd also start supplements (milk thistle, etc.) and get her on a low protein diet.
> 
> Do you have her liver enzyme numbers? Just how elevated are they?


I was questioning that also. My mom's best friend is actually a very well known vet in our area who I trust a lot, so I'm thinking I will take her to him for a visit this weekend. I want to find out what's wrong and treat her, not just wait around. I've been looking up info about low protein diets and am trying to figure out what type to feed. I still want to give a high quality food....any suggestions? I read that many people opt for canned food. They did not give me numbers, just said that it was elevated a bit. I am going to call now and request paperwork.


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## KittyD (Apr 2, 2010)

You've been given some good advice about no more vaccines for now and getting a second opinion, I would absolutely go that route myself.


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## nabi (Nov 25, 2004)

Zari had an elevated ALT in her pre-op spay blood work also...since she was already fasting they went ahead with the acid bile test ....which turned out to be within normal limits......they had her back in q 6 months for Alts and she has never had any abnormalities since...her spay was then completed about 3 weeks ( I think ) later.
As for having the vaccines done, I would also wait...Izzy had a bad reaction to Profopol last month and they would not give her the rabies vaccine for a few weeks following that to allow her immune system to recover....best to always weigh on the side of caution in my opinion :daisy:


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