MissMonaro Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Just after some information on Liver Shunts in young dogs for a friend. I dont know much about it, so thought I'd put some feelers out on DOL for any information. I have done some googling, but am after "real life" experiences....if your dog had one and what did you do about it ? Is it hereditary or just "one of those unfortunate things" ?? Did you operate and if so, how succesful etc ? Can PM me if you like. Thanks. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 It's congenital in at least some beeds MM. Location of the shunt affects operability. What breed do they have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissMonaro Posted August 15, 2009 Author Share Posted August 15, 2009 Labrador.....and from the research I have found they are one of the breeds listed. One site I found said that all pups are born with a liver shunt, but they close over within 3 days of birth and the pups livers then function for themselves instead of via the mother. Of course, some dont close over and hence, they have a problem. So I'm a bit confused as to if "all" breeds do have it, then why do some sites list that its more common in certain breeds etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymoo Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...;hl=liver+shunt http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...;hl=liver+shunt BHere are two relitivly recent threads that might help you out. http://www.poshpawssalon.com/liver_shunt%20information.htm http://www.vet.utk.edu/clinical/sacs/calendar/testing.shtml And some interesting reading. Shunts can be genetic or they can develop them. Since having my baby pup have one Ive done quite a bit of research, ask if you have any specific questains that these dont cover Hope that helps MM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissMonaro Posted August 16, 2009 Author Share Posted August 16, 2009 (edited) Thanks Missymoo......greatly appreciated. Edited August 16, 2009 by MissMonaro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 Labrador.....and from the research I have found they are one of the breeds listed. One site I found said that all pups are born with a liver shunt, but they close over within 3 days of birth and the pups livers then function for themselves instead of via the mother. Of course, some dont close over and hence, they have a problem. So I'm a bit confused as to if "all" breeds do have it, then why do some sites list that its more common in certain breeds etc. The shunt is a normal function while the pup is a foetus but some breeds can be predisposed to the shunt being retained after birth, the shunt exists to allow blood to bypass the liver which is normal while the foetus is growing as the blood is already cleaned by the mother's liver, if the shunt fails to close after birth the blood continues to bypass the liver and the liver over time will shrink and eventually shut down, I was told that my dog would probably only live 1-2 years without surgery. Congenital shunts are those that don't close up after birth whereas acquired shunts occur often due to some other problem with the liver. Acquired shunts generally have the worst prognosis as shutting one down often just results in another one appearing somewhere else, sometimes acquired shunts can have multiple vessels as well. My sibe had a congenital shunt, they are generally thought to be inherited but the mode of inheritance is not simple or clearly known so it's very hard to pinpoint which relatives are contributors. Larger dogs more commonly have intrahepatic shunts than smaller dogs which is what my dog had, his was quite deep inside the liver and required fairly complex surgery to repair. Surgical treatment for a congenital shunt is generally recommended and is most successful if the dog is less than a year old. Having said that though the surgery is expensive and there are no guarentees that it will work and there is risk of post-op complications, post-op siezures are the most dangerous I was told this can occur in about 30% of dogs, the intrahepatic shunt surgery my dog had had about 50% chance of working first go, extrahepatic shunts have a higher success rate because it is less difficult to get to and a band can be fitted which will close the shunt down gradually. I took the chance to have surgery with my dog because he was quite young (10 months) and wasn't responding well to medical management and it paid off, he is nearly 3 now and you would never know there had been anything wrong with him, he is a perfectly normal happy healthy husky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymoo Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 great post tkay! all the good points marked down! How is your boy doing?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Thanks missymoo my boy is going great, we had the last bloodwork done back in August 07 which came back perfect and since then he has really grown into a very healthy dog, no one can guess that he had this problem his growth didn't even appear to stunt as he is a steady 27kg and you can't see the scar unless you are really looking for it. All in all you couldn't have wished for a better outcome I posted a bunch of pics of him in this thread you can see he is about as normal as it gets for a sibe ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissMonaro Posted August 19, 2009 Author Share Posted August 19, 2009 Thanks Tkay - much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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