Bobby could be the poster child for portosystemic shunt also known as liver shunt.
Tuesday night Bobby fell ill and was increasingly lethargic. He vomited several times throughout the night and was not himself on Wednesday morning. He deteriorated during the day and when I arrived home early at 1:30, he did not even open his eyes when I walked into the kitchen.
We were at the Eastern Animal Hospital by 2:30 where Bobby was examined. I asked if Bobby might have a kidney infection because he kept peeing on our floor. He wasn't able to hold his urine for more than two hours which is unusual for a 9 month old dog. The vet thought his kidneys felt enlarged so she pulled blood and took x-rays. His kidneys were clean but he had two elevated levels in his blood test indicating liver problems. At this point, the vet gave the differential diagnosis as either tick fever or liver shunt.
Bobby stayed at the hospital (and is currently still there). He's on an IV and has been switched to a low protein diet which is customary for dogs with liver shunt. His weight was shocking. He only weighs 13 lbs at the moment.
The vet is pretty sure now that Bobby does have portosystemic shunt. She will ultrasound again tomorrow to try and confirm where the open blood vessels are located. Outside the liver is operable, inside is not. In small dogs, the open vessels are much more likely to be outside the liver.
Too tired to explain liver shunt. Will do so tomorrow.
Comments