Leaf
Well-Known Member
I thought I'd be online Friday but I wasn't. I got home, took care of the animals and was ready for bed when my dog Coda ran into the room. She was playing with Trinket (my other dog) and then she staggered and fell sideways.
Coda got up, fell again and started yipping. I got the phone book so I could call the vet. Coda followed me into the room, tried to jump on the bed and collapsed.
I opted to go to the vet, not to call them. In my shorts, slippers and T-shirt I drove through freezing rain to the office and must have been panic stricken because a little old lady opened the door as I ran up with Coda in my arms.
I told the lady in the front my dog was having seizures. I was the first one in, barring a room full of scheduled patients.
Coda went into another seizure and they gave her a valum shot. That didnt work so they gave her phenobarbatol. Her body temp was 94 degrees, heart rate 78.
They kept her overnight. The vet ran tests, no epilepsy. Fasted her, fed her a fatty diet and did more bloodwork. The results looked to be a possible liver shunt.
I went home and called the university hospital to get details about possible surgery options.
The surgery isestimated between $2,000-$2,800. The hospital will take half down and then willmake payment schedules for 3 months.I just cant see coming up with the money unless I take out a loan. No "money fairies" are related to me - I'm usually the one helping others out, so I dont have the option to ask anyone for any type of support.
If surgery is needed and an option I can affoard, here's where she'll be referred to:
http://www.vmth.missouri.edu/
In the past their success rate with small dogs has been 80%. The dogs lifespan without surgery is approx 3yrs. With surgery the lifetime will diminish but be quite a bit longer. For a small breed like her, the estimated 14 year lifespan will go down to 8-10 years if all goes well.
If her shunt is outside the liver the survival rate of the surgery is greater than if the shunt is inside the liver.
She can be on K/D and L/D diet from the vet to help lessen the protien intake, and she can be put on the medicine called Lactous to help her eliminate more frequently in order to rid her body of toxins/bacteria faster. It's not a cure, just a way to help.
The surgeon says gettng her on medication and proper foods will help quite a bit in seeing how the surgery could go, and help her overall health in the meantime. They generally want a dog on the food/medicine at minimum 2 weeks before surgery if thats what I opt to do.
IF she has the shunt the options seem to be:
let it go and let her live until her quality of life is too poor
no surgery, but special food/medicine to prolong (somewhat) lifespan
surgery with an 80% (projected) success rate
and of course, her not making it through the surgery at all
It was confirmed on Saturday that Coda does have a liver shunt.
She has a liver shunt according to her tests. We're going to do the dye tests this coming week to see what kind it is.
Without doing the the tests (and sometimessurgery is needed even then to confirm the type), the vet is under the impression due to Koda's size and troubles her shunt is intra hepatic. I just ran across this and the last paragraph echos my vets thoughts:
The intra hepatic type of problem is another story. The surgery is quite extensive and usually requires two surgeries and several days in the hospital. The veterinary surgeon first has to go into the liver to find a suitable vein (i.e., large enough) to reconnect. This part of the surgery takes quite a bit of time and current protocol is to find the vein, sew everything back up, let the dog recover for a few days and then go back in and connect the vein. So far only limited success has been achieved with this type of surgery. Management plays a critical role in the long term maintenance of affected animals, regardless of surgical intervention. Either a low-protein diet or a no-protein diet is usually recommended. The results of this are not entirely pleasant. These dogs are never quite 100% healthy. Their coats lack luster, they have no energy, etc.
http://www.italian-greyhound.net/livershunt.htm
I read this earlier:
Diet: Because many of the toxins produced in the intestines come from protein, it is important to reduce the amount of protein in the diet. Dog food for adults and puppies usually contains 25% and 29% protein, respectively, and may have meat byproducts. Dogs with shunts need high quality proteins made from milk or vegetable, and are restricted to a protein content of 18% or less (on a dry matter basis). The diets should be easily digestible, rich in antioxidants and vitamins, and low in copper and iron.
Antibiotics: If clinical signs are not controlled with a protein-restricted diet and lactulose, veterinarians will often prescribe antibiotics to reduce the number of toxin-producing bacteria in the intestines. Antibiotics will also be needed if the animal has a urinary tract infection.
Can dogs with shunts be treated with only medical management?
Most animals improve immediately with proper diet and medicine, and about one third of the dogs treated medically will live a relatively long life. Unfortunately, over half of the dogs treated medically are euthanized, usually within 10 months of diagnosis, because of uncontrollable neurologic signs, such as seizures and behavior changes, or progressive liver damage. Dogs that tend to do well with longterm medical management are usually older at the time of diagnosis, have more normal bloodwork, and have less severe clinical signs. Surgery provides the best chance for a long healthy life in most dogs.
http://www.vet.utk.edu/clinical/sacs/shunt/faq.shtml
....
The medical management write up may or may not be in her favor. Diet changes may help but she is under a year old. Her bloodwork was all good except for her very high BUN level, but then again her seizures were not mild.
Almost every website I read says a dog without the surgery lives about 10 months after the initial diagnosis. The surgeon in Columbia said they can live up to three years.
I am so heartbroken right now!
Coda got up, fell again and started yipping. I got the phone book so I could call the vet. Coda followed me into the room, tried to jump on the bed and collapsed.
I opted to go to the vet, not to call them. In my shorts, slippers and T-shirt I drove through freezing rain to the office and must have been panic stricken because a little old lady opened the door as I ran up with Coda in my arms.
I told the lady in the front my dog was having seizures. I was the first one in, barring a room full of scheduled patients.
Coda went into another seizure and they gave her a valum shot. That didnt work so they gave her phenobarbatol. Her body temp was 94 degrees, heart rate 78.
They kept her overnight. The vet ran tests, no epilepsy. Fasted her, fed her a fatty diet and did more bloodwork. The results looked to be a possible liver shunt.
I went home and called the university hospital to get details about possible surgery options.
The surgery isestimated between $2,000-$2,800. The hospital will take half down and then willmake payment schedules for 3 months.I just cant see coming up with the money unless I take out a loan. No "money fairies" are related to me - I'm usually the one helping others out, so I dont have the option to ask anyone for any type of support.
If surgery is needed and an option I can affoard, here's where she'll be referred to:
http://www.vmth.missouri.edu/
In the past their success rate with small dogs has been 80%. The dogs lifespan without surgery is approx 3yrs. With surgery the lifetime will diminish but be quite a bit longer. For a small breed like her, the estimated 14 year lifespan will go down to 8-10 years if all goes well.
If her shunt is outside the liver the survival rate of the surgery is greater than if the shunt is inside the liver.
She can be on K/D and L/D diet from the vet to help lessen the protien intake, and she can be put on the medicine called Lactous to help her eliminate more frequently in order to rid her body of toxins/bacteria faster. It's not a cure, just a way to help.
The surgeon says gettng her on medication and proper foods will help quite a bit in seeing how the surgery could go, and help her overall health in the meantime. They generally want a dog on the food/medicine at minimum 2 weeks before surgery if thats what I opt to do.
IF she has the shunt the options seem to be:
let it go and let her live until her quality of life is too poor
no surgery, but special food/medicine to prolong (somewhat) lifespan
surgery with an 80% (projected) success rate
and of course, her not making it through the surgery at all
It was confirmed on Saturday that Coda does have a liver shunt.
She has a liver shunt according to her tests. We're going to do the dye tests this coming week to see what kind it is.
Without doing the the tests (and sometimessurgery is needed even then to confirm the type), the vet is under the impression due to Koda's size and troubles her shunt is intra hepatic. I just ran across this and the last paragraph echos my vets thoughts:
The intra hepatic type of problem is another story. The surgery is quite extensive and usually requires two surgeries and several days in the hospital. The veterinary surgeon first has to go into the liver to find a suitable vein (i.e., large enough) to reconnect. This part of the surgery takes quite a bit of time and current protocol is to find the vein, sew everything back up, let the dog recover for a few days and then go back in and connect the vein. So far only limited success has been achieved with this type of surgery. Management plays a critical role in the long term maintenance of affected animals, regardless of surgical intervention. Either a low-protein diet or a no-protein diet is usually recommended. The results of this are not entirely pleasant. These dogs are never quite 100% healthy. Their coats lack luster, they have no energy, etc.
http://www.italian-greyhound.net/livershunt.htm
I read this earlier:
Diet: Because many of the toxins produced in the intestines come from protein, it is important to reduce the amount of protein in the diet. Dog food for adults and puppies usually contains 25% and 29% protein, respectively, and may have meat byproducts. Dogs with shunts need high quality proteins made from milk or vegetable, and are restricted to a protein content of 18% or less (on a dry matter basis). The diets should be easily digestible, rich in antioxidants and vitamins, and low in copper and iron.
Antibiotics: If clinical signs are not controlled with a protein-restricted diet and lactulose, veterinarians will often prescribe antibiotics to reduce the number of toxin-producing bacteria in the intestines. Antibiotics will also be needed if the animal has a urinary tract infection.
Can dogs with shunts be treated with only medical management?
Most animals improve immediately with proper diet and medicine, and about one third of the dogs treated medically will live a relatively long life. Unfortunately, over half of the dogs treated medically are euthanized, usually within 10 months of diagnosis, because of uncontrollable neurologic signs, such as seizures and behavior changes, or progressive liver damage. Dogs that tend to do well with longterm medical management are usually older at the time of diagnosis, have more normal bloodwork, and have less severe clinical signs. Surgery provides the best chance for a long healthy life in most dogs.
http://www.vet.utk.edu/clinical/sacs/shunt/faq.shtml
....
The medical management write up may or may not be in her favor. Diet changes may help but she is under a year old. Her bloodwork was all good except for her very high BUN level, but then again her seizures were not mild.
Almost every website I read says a dog without the surgery lives about 10 months after the initial diagnosis. The surgeon in Columbia said they can live up to three years.
I am so heartbroken right now!
ray:
