Liver Shunts in Dogs

My dog is 7/8 months old. I have been trying to get her spayed for the past month or so. When I took her for her pre-op blood work, her liver enzymes came back high. We waited and did some natural liver detoxing and tried again. Some of the levels fell, but are still too high for her spay.

The vet recommended having an ultrasound done because they believe she may have a Liver Shunt.

The more I am reading about liver shunts, the harder it is for me to believe she falls in this category. She is a very high energy Doberman mix that loves to play, she has been gaining weight (last weigh in 53/54 lbs), eating is normal/regular. The only symptom she occasionally has and hasn't had in a while is loose stool/diarrhea .... however, this has not happened in a while.

Additionally, I have contacted the foster family and none of the other puppies in the litter have had any issues in bloodwork, with their spay/neuter, or with their liver.

I would appreciate any direction/information/guidance as I am feeling very overwhelemd and unsure of what to do.

We have a 4 year old rescue Jack Russell Terrier that we rescued from the JRT rescue group. We have had him 15 months. After the neurologist, internist, nuclear imaging, regular vet, and multiple tests it was determined he has a congenital liver shunt that is measured at 45%. He has a nutritionist that developed
a diet for him with very low protein. We also had him tested at Nutriscan for food allergies. We cook all organic and he is on vitamins and minerals. He is on lactulose 1Ml X 2 times a day. As a side note the nuclear imaging identified an extra disc in his back so he also has a chiropractor once a month.


He has had two liver bile tests. The last one had high results before and after the test.

He has thrown up bile in the middle of the night three times this month.

We are at a loss. Thank you for your response.

I have an 8 year old Yorkie, weighing 3 and a half pounds. She first had a bad turn about 4years ago. One morning we couldn’t find her and she had somehow wedged herself behind our cooker. She was on deaths door and my husband rushed her to the vets. She had various tests and they told us she had a liver shunt. We didn’t think she would survive the surgery so they put her on permanent medication and a heptactic diet. She had another bad turn about two years ago and they called us in to say our last goodbyes as they said she wouldn’t make it. As me and our family went into the room she jumped up to meet us, they vets couldn’t believe it. We call her our miracle dog that should of been a cat as she has nine life’s. She has good days and bad days we always no if she has a built up and she starts pacing and her back leg will go funny. If anyone has any more advice on this condition and if there is anything else I can help her with would love to here about it. I worry about her everyday. I also give her milk thistle to help her liver.

Milly my 18month old Shih Tzu was not thriving and became so ill she was put on a drip. The Vet then decided to xray her and discovered a large liver shunt. I was told she would not be able to survive but to enjoy her while I still had her. No way!
I started making phone calls and checking online and found that an experienced surgeon had just arrived in Australia and was at the Sydney Uni Vet Hospital. We immediately arranged for her to visit him and after tests he operated. Unfortunately he was unable to completely close the shunt which meant a lifetime diet of low protein food and lactulose. Milly is now 11 and apart from her vision getting poorly and a bit of arthritis she is very happy and I am hoping she will go on for a few more years. Her lovely Surgeon was only here for a short time before leaving the Country so we were so very fortunate that he arrived just at the right time.

I have a 12 year old border terrier cross who was diagnosed 7 years ago with a liver shunt. She has reacted well to medical management and she has hepatic medicated food, lactolose​ and daily medication to fight infections. At her routine check up​, we were advised that there is a possibility that she may have cushing​ disease as she has lost her hair on her ears (which we put down to old age). The vet said this might be why she drinks and urinates a lot, howeve​r she has always dran​k and urinated a lot due to the liver shunt. The vet is now suggesting that we pay for further tests to see i​s she has cushings, even if we cannot treat it.

Does anyone have any experience of treating cushing disears​e in a dog with a liver shunt or if it would be best to leave her medication as it is?

My little shitzu is only 4 months old and he is a very likeable and friendly dog and both my kids and the rest of the family love him he loves to spin around and nip toes playing around. He’s so small and cuddly and never seems to bark a lot or be bothered about the kids.

My Husky has developed multiple acquired liver shunts, we are guessing due to a sago palm she ate last year. We took her back to the vet where they did blood work and suggested we send her to an animal hospital for an ultrasound. That`s when we received the bad news. The Vet at the hospital says surgery is not an option(due to the severity of her case) and just keep her on the high quality/low protein diet and she may live 1-2 more years. My dog is only 2 years old.Is this the only option is to just sit around for the next year or 2 just to put her to sleep at the oldest age of 4? Please tell me there is another option, this is tearing me apart. Thank you

My 18 month old puppy had and intrahepatic liver shut closed with the ameroid constrictor at 10 months old. His levels have been normal and they have taken him slowly off his lactulose. He has been off the lactulose for 1 week now. He has vomited the last 2 days and has diarrhea as well. He is still very pink and is not showing any neurological effects as he did before the surgery. Could the vomiting 1-2 times a day and diarrhea be his body adjusting to not having the lactulose anymore? He is going for a follow up blood test next week, but yesterday and today this has started. He is also still on his RX LD food.

Writing with urgent concern. I own a 10 week old shepherd lab/rottie mix. We have owned him for roughly 2 weeks. The last 3 days he has been showing very unusual signs. We had him to the vet and they first thought it was his blood sugar hypoglycaemia (we tried him with honey on his tongue) when he first took a reaction "attack" it worked he was himself right away, the second time he didn't respond in the attack, he collapses and lays there and can not get back up even when we try to stand him (after 20 minutes or so he does). His head wobbles side to side. After he comes out of these "attacks" he is his good old self. He doesn't shake. He eats normally and drinks well, bowels move normal, peeing fine. We had him to the vet today he stated all blood work was normal, except for a slightly elevated white blood cells and a temp. They perscribed him an antibiotic "metronidazole". After doing much of my own re search I came across this disorder, I am concerned he may have this. My next step is to get his bile acids checked. Will this pin point me in the right direction? I would appreciate any information. Thank you

Luna had the operation to correct her shunt at 5 months old, they couldn’t tie the whole vessel off as she couldn’t cope with the flow so they tied 75% of it hoping to do the rest at the end of this month. However Luna is showing huge improvement, no clinical symptoms, she’s eating well and growing steadily. Is it possible the last bit left could close itself? I’d rather not put her through a 2nd operation if it’s not needed

Hi there. We recently purchased an American Eskimo puppy from a breeder with the intent to breed the puppy in the future. One month later the breeder informed us that two of the three pups in the litter had developed a liver shunt, had seizures and were put down as a result. We are having our pup tested for liver shunt. She has frequent urination but no other symptoms. My question is if we were to get genetic testing done on the pup would it show any genetic predisposition to having a liver shunt or passing on the gene to any future pups if we were to breed her? Thank you so much!

I have a 4 month old yorkshire terrier puppy who was just diagnosed using ultrasound with a single vessel extrahepatic liver shunt. She is currently 2.3 lbs and has been on the liver diet for 2 weeks along with lactulose and kepra. She presented with a seizure which is how we found the problem and thus the kepra. We are planning on doing the banding but the surgeon would like her to be a bit bigger. Weight gain is slow and was wondering what the best age/size is typically for this surgery and other items we can safely use to help with weight gain.

I have a 10 month old pup with a liver shunt. Is it possible it came from the stud, and Should I stop using the stud? He has fathered several other litters, with no other problems.

We are not sure what to do next after these reports...we were told the next steps would be a CT scan and a biopsy that could cost up to $4500. She is now not really eating anything and throwing up when she does eat. All of the information is overwhelming and the options are all expensive so we want to make the best decision possible. This is the report from the vet so far:

"young dog, anorexia, weight loss
low BUN, low Potassium, low Albumin, elevated ALT, AST, & ALKP and bilirubin, low cholesterol, urine SG is 1.004, Bile Acids 262 & 252 pre&post."
After this, we had an ultrasound done with these reports:
"The liver was small, hyperechoic and irregularly marginated. The gallbladder was within normal limits. The abdominal fat was diffusely hyperechoic, more severely so in the cranial abdomen. A small volume of anechoic abdominal effusion was detected.
Insufficient portal vasculature was visible to reliably assess for portosystemic shunting. The adrenal glands were slightly small.
The spleen, kidneys, urinary bladder, GI tract, pancreas and abdominal lymph nodes were within normal limits.

Conclusions:
Evaluation for portal vascular anomalies was not possible due to the patient's body conformation, the hyperechoic abdominal fat graft interposed GI gas. Intrahepatic and extrahepatic portosystemic shunting remain possible. CT would be necessary to further evaluate. A small liver would be compatible with a shunt, although the hyperechoic parenchyma and irregular contours are not characteristic of a simple portosystemic shunt, and chronic acquired liver parenchymal disease should also be ruled out.

Histopathology is recommended to further evaluate this possibility. Unfortunately, due to the small size of the liver and the patient's body conformation, ultrasound guided sampling would not be possible.
The hyperechoic abdominal fat and abdominal effusion may be due to the reported hypoalbuminemia, portal hypertension or combination of processes.
The slightly small adrenal glands may be a normal variant in this young patient, although Addison's disease is also possible.
Adrenal function testing may prove useful in further evaluating this possibility."

Hello,

My 2 yo mini doxie has multiple liver shunts both inside and outside of her liver. She is inoperable due to the fact that the anestesia could kill her. She is in tact for this reason. She has had one seizure that I witnessed. I suspect she had a few while I was away at work after reflecting on vomit I would find etc.

Can Allopurinol (or similar antibiotic) be combined with a low protein diet to treat urate bladder stones in a Yorkie that had corrective surgery for a liver shunt 4 years ago? What else can be used to manage this recurring condition (urate bladder stones)

Charlie is 5 years old and was diagnosed with a PSS as a puppy. He had an operation to surgically close the vessel when he was 1 years old and all went well until at the age of 3 he was misdiagnosed with constipation, resulting in a ruptured bladder and emergency surgery to discover he had blocked due to urate stones as a result of his liver disease. These stones were removed and he was placed and a low protein diet (Hills UD). This month we discovered the bladder stones are back through an ultrasound.

I was advised my vet that the only treatment available is to continue with the low protein diet and hope that that dissolves the stones. It was said that antibiotics like Alloprinol cannot be used in dogs with an underlying issue such as a liver shunt (even though he already had the corrective surgery as a puppy). Can liver shunts return as dogs’ age?

I just want to know what other forms of treatment can be used for Charlie to dissolve the urate stones and prevent any more from forming – is it safe to use an antibiotic? What about liver supplements? I’ve also read about using lactulose syrup to draw toxins into the colon for immediate expulsion. Are these options recommended/safe?

A few months ago I posted a question about my beagle Linus, who has an inoperable liver shunt, within the liver. Linus has been doing wonderfully since putting him on the hepatic diet along with two meds for his gut. He has no trouble taking his heartworm med each month. In the next 4-6 weeks,it will be time to get back on flea and tick medication. I would have kept him on it year round, but I wanted to see him improve on his new diet and meds first, which he has. I have always used Nexgard with all my beagles. Is it safe to go back on the nexgard? I'm always concerned whether he will suffer ill effects if his liver cannot metabolize medication.

My 1yr and 1mos old neutered male beagle was just diagnosed with intrahepatic liver shunt. Because his symptoms were so vague and minimal until a month ago when vomiting and diarrhea became more frequent, we had no idea he had any problems other than Every thing other than his normal premium kibble would cause diarrhea and/or vomiting. I have no pet insurance and have already gone into debt to pay the $5,000. For testing and exploratory surgery. They were unable to fix the shunt inside the liver. We already changed him to the liver diet and he is on meds. The surgeon is referring us to an interventional radiologist, but I’m tapped out and am sure it would be cost prohibitive. As I have lost already lost 3 beagles in the past 2 1/2 yrs, this is heartbreaking. The cost of the seizure Med alone is 125.00 a mos. Hes never even had a seizure. He did have episodes when he was between 5 and 9 months of very subtle neuro episodes in which he would stumble going up the porch steps or be sitting and slowly start tilting over but would catch himself before falling. The neurologist could find nothing wrong. This was prior to the the Dx of the shunt. Do you think the seizure med is necessary in the absence of seizures? Oh, his liver is very small and only one half of the liver was/is getting blood flow. Do you think he has much of a chance of a happy life on the diet, and how important is the seizure med without symptoms of seizures? Thank you!

My dog was diagnosed with a possible liver shunt when her bile acid test was high. No shunt was found on ultrasound. She is currently on Denamarin and her diet consists of egg, boiled chicken breast and Hill's Science Diet ideal weight for small breeds.She appears healthy, perhaps slightly overweight. Is there too much protein in her diet? I am concerned about her kidney health.Her blood work, such as CBC and CMP are normal.

Our dog is 7 years old. Over the past year though bile acid testing, an ultrasound and bloodwork we discovered he had a liver shunt, thankfully outside his liver. We proceeded with the operation to close off the shunt and to remove a few very small urate stones in his kidney. Prior to the surgery he had 2 generalized seizures, that were 2 months apart. Immediately after the surgery, he had 3 focal seizures with 24 hrs while he was recovering at the hospital. At the moment he is on anti-epileptic medication, lactolose and antibiotics to recover from the surgery.

Do you think that there is a possibility that the 3 focal seizures are a result of him adjusting to the surgery, stress of being at the hospital for 3 days or the sedatives used? Or is there another underlying cause related to the brain or another major organ?

He is currently Day 3 at the hospital as they are monitoring him closely.

Any insights would be helpful

My almost 2 years old dog was diagnosed with an congenital extrahepatic shunt of 10mm of diametre. The vet says she needs surgery to survive because she also started with neurological symptoms. Her liver couldn´t develop well because of the lack of nutrients but they say that it can recover.

We took her to the vet because she started with neurological symptoms as blindness, disorientation, etc. She is already into prescribe diet and antibiotic.

I want to know her chances of survival because the surgery is really expensive and I´m a student. I know that every surgery comes with a risk. What would you recommend?

Thank you a lot for your time.

I have a 6-year-old Miniture Schnauzer in perfect health up until one year ago. So far he’s had 2-3 UIT, blood in urine 2x, “sand” in his bladder and urethra (seen on an ultrasound). Through test the vet has seen crystals in his urine, 1x high liver enzymes >280, but back to normal levels after 30 day re-test. My vet decided to do a Bile acid test, which was “alarmingly high”. A specialty Vet diagnosed Sebastian with having a liver shunt. I’ve read a lot of studies where surgery has a great outcome. However, since he has six I was told he has a great risk of not fully recovering. We’ve stared to medically manage. Are older dogs at a greater risk of not recovering after liver shunt surgery?

i have a pug with liver shunt she is stumbling pacing disorientation anorexia where is the best place to go for surgery and reasonable price i live in rockaway beach ny

Our dear Bella, she is a Yorkie, 5 1/2 years old. During last year she have been taking different antibiotics because she got two different bacteria, one of them is very resistant the other one is gone. About two weeks ago she finished the last liquid antibiotic and last Wednesday night my daughter found her totally disoriented, with blindness, walking supporting her head of the wall, without recognizing anyone. My daughter immediately took her to the emergency room and after ruling out meningitis they informed us that she had Shunt.
They also found in Bella's belly different things: paper, metal, fibers. The reason was because during the last days Bella's behavior changed and she was destroying many things, we thought she was stressed maybe because the antibiotic or maybe because the cold keeping her inside the home mostly all time. Right now, Saturday, she still having all these things in her belly and yesterday Bella became to vomit and sadly her vomit went to her longs and now she has pneumonia.
Vet also found crystals in her urine.
Today the vet told my daughter that the only option for Bella is to have a laparoscopy with a special anesthesia for dogs with Shunt in order to take out all those things from her belly. He also told her that a surgeon will be there in case that they need to open Bella's body to take out what is in her tummy and to fix the problem in her liver.
Would you please give me a second opinion? What can we do?

Hi, my best friend is almost 7 1/2. We discovered his shunt at 4 months old. He underwent surgery in Nashville, TN and we were conpletly misinformed about what to look out for and monitor on an ongoing basis.
He would develop crystals, we would do a bladder scrape and or briefly give allopurinol.
Finally, in 2013 we discovered after new symptoms had arisen and getting him to a surgeon elsewhere that no constrictor was ever placed during his first surgery.
He’s a loving miracle. We rest bile acids regularly but were informed this week that he’s developed urate stones and that because of the amount of procedures he has had and scar tissue he likely would not survive another surgery and that the stones are too far gone to be able to have any impact without surgery.
My vet says it is a matter of time until he tries to pass one, at which point euthanization needs to be decided upon quickly.
Are there ANY alternatives or ANYTHING at all I can do to help him and prolong his life?
Is he in pain now if there is no straining to urinate? He is a therapy dog and a fighter. We’ve come so far and I cannot give up this easily.
Thank you for taking the time to review this!

MISSY HAS LIVER SHUNT LOCATED INSIDE HER LIVER, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE BEST DIET FOR HER AS INTERNET SITES ARE VERY VARIED IN OPINIONS SHE IS ON royal canin hepatic food but getting very bored with it

I was considering adopting a 3-year old xolo that a vet's office has had since she was a puppy because of a liver shunt. She has done well on a prescription diet and medication and they now feel she is ready to be adopted out. Would you recommend adopting this dog? I tried to get additional information on her, but have been ubduccessful. Can you advise regarding potential future costs, life expectancy, if I could even consider surgery for her now? She looks great in her photos and seems very well adjusted and happy. I dont mind special needs dogs, but want to ensure I could properly care for her.

Itsy was diagnosed 1 year ago with liver shunt and has done very well with meds and diet change. She rarely ever show symptoms and have been directed by the vet to up her meds an extra dose on days she seems off. I've noticed a little blood on her pee pads this week. Is this normal or could she need a different Med?

My 8 year old Yorkshire Terrier had kidney stone surgery two years ago. The next year she was diagnosed as having a liver shunt. I can not afford the surgery and have opted for the diet change and medication. Occasionally she has episodes where she circles and is lethargic. She eats well and those are the only symptoms she has and they usually last a day or two. I wanted to know during these episodes is there any pain related??

We just adopted a poodle-mixed dog. The vet placed him at 6-8 years old, leaning more towards 8. After 2 weeks with us, the vet did a full blood work and x-Ray on him.
His x-ray showed a smooth pebble looking stone in his bladder. Blood test results that were out of the ordinary:
Glu: 63 mg/dl
Tp: 9.9g/dl
Alb: 2.3g/dl
Glob: 7.6g/dl
Alkp: 804 u/l
Rbc: 4.2 m/ul
Hct: 25.3%
Wbc: 52.54 k/up
Neu: 43 k/ul
Lym: 6.26 k/ul
Mono: 2.89 k/ul
Plt: 147 k/ul
We are waiting for the ultrasound to confirm that it is a liver shunt. As a liver shunt surgery here would cost upwards of 10k, I was wondering if there is another way to manage it and how much pain he would be in without the surgery

My 1 year old King Charles spaniel may have a liver shunt but it costs too much to know. Also no one in his blood line has this condition but I was wondering how much time does he have left without the low protein diet and how much time would he have with the low protein diet?

I am a breeder and a buyer is returning a puppy because they cannot afford to do surgery, what kinda of cost is associated with a postsystemic shunt on a golden retreiver puppy.

Our Sheltie had a large liver shunt repaired at 3 moths of age. She is now 3 1/2 years old and we are still having regular urinary puddles and occasional poops inside. The urine is very dark and stains the carpet. She can go weeks between accidents but I am wondering if this is related to her previous condition. Thank you.
Joan
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