Can a dog with a liver shunt live normally with diet and medication?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Medical treatment for liver shunts consists of: Liver diet so despite him being a puppy I'd put him on Hill's l/d if a small breed dog or Purina HA for growth (Soy based and less likely to form ammonia) Lactulose Prilosec (omerprazole) to prevent gastric ulcers exacerbating signs Antibiotics usually short term but sometimes long term I hope this helps!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If Pako has a deficiency of Taurine and L-carnitine, then yes, he should be on a supplement. However, that being said, most commercial dog food diets have sufficient amounts of both and most dogs do not need supplementation. If your veterinarian thinks this will help, I would look at ordering the following product, which can be found online quite easily. Liver support medications such as Hepagen C as well as a low protein, low fat diet such as Purina NF, Hills L/D diet, or Royal Canin Hepatic Support diet can help as well. These diets are formulated especially for dogs that have liver problems such as liver shunts, and they make it easier for the liver to metabolize nutrients that are provided to the body. Pako will have a decreased live span without surgical treatment of this disease. He may live a few years without many problems, but the disease can become refractory, and the neurological signs may worsen over time. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Poor Bruce! This is quite scary new, I know but it can be quite treatable. If you can afford it and for the best possible outcome, I would ask for a referral to a specialist. A specialist will be able to do a thorough abdominal ultrasound to see the shunt and determine what type of surgery might be needed. Surgery is the best option as it can usually repair the problem and he can live a normal life. If this isn’t an option, then yes I would certainly try to manage it medically. You can switch to a special food and add in a medicine that will help decrease the toxins that his body isn’t able to get rid of on his own. Unfortunately neither option is 100% guaranteed to work, but I have see good success with both especially with early intervention. I hope this helps and gives you some peace of mind. There are options. You just have to decide which is best for you and Bruce. Please let us know if you have additional questions. I have included an article with more information. Hugs! https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/portosystemic-shunt-in-dogs

Hello, I am very sorry to hear about your Alfie. It does sound that your puppy had liver disease, likely liver shunts. This is almost always a surgical condition. We do not recommend surgery only if it is technically impossible to do. Feeding special diets, giving antibiotics or lactulose it only complementary treatment. It is not possible to bring up a healthy dog with liver shunts only by giving special diet. Finally, it is not uncommon to recommend euthanasia for sick, poorly, seizuring puppies. Some of them just do not give much hope for a healthy life despite all intensive treatment and procedures we can provide. Please, accept again my condolence on your loss.

I'm sorry to hear that! It really depends on the severity of the shunt and what kinds of symptoms she's showing, so this would be a good question to discuss with your veterinarian - but in general, surgery is strongly recommended for dogs with liver shunts who are having neurologic symptoms. Medication and diet are usually not sufficient to control their symptoms without surgery.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Malin! I would use any drug or supplement with extreme caution on a puppy with a liver shunt. Drugs are not metabolized appropriately due to the shunt bypassing the liver for filtration. What is best is that Malin be seen by your Vet and treated for the nausea and diarrhea. I hope this helps and I wish you and Malin the best!

How cute is Asroc. I would recommend taking him to the vet because he might need additional medication to help him with the shunt. Their are some medications that can be given to help improve quality of life with a shunt. You could try adding in sweet potatoes into his food with some veggies like peas and green beans. These are low in protein but can increase a patients interest in food.