My dog with a liver shunt won't eat kibble. Is meat safe for him?

You might try gradually decreasing the amount of canned food added to the dry food. You can also try switching the dry food to a different hepatic diet to see if the new kibble will be more exciting. You can also try soaking the kibble in some warm water (and continue mixing in the canned food) til it softens so that Louis cannot pick it out. Gradually decrease the amount of canned food. Then gradually add less and less water. This will need to be slow. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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.

Hello and thank you for contacting PetCoach. Yes, low protein diet is very important in managing puppies with liver shunts. There are prescription diets for dogs with liver shunts, for example by Hill's or Royal Canin, alternatively low protein food can be prepared at home. Here you have good articles on feeding pupps with shunts: https://vetmed.tennessee.edu/vmc/SmallAnimalHospital/Documents/Shunts/MVD-Brochure.pdf - from page 12 https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/07/liver-shunts/#:~:text=Egg%2C%20dairy%2C%20and%20soy%20protein,%2C%20organ%20meats%2C%20or%20fish. Good luck.

Louis needs VERY specific nutrition or else his shunt is going to start causing problems. If you want to make a home made diet, you need to work with a veterinary nutritionist. 99% of diets found on line were found to be unbalanced and this would be very detrimental to Louis. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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.

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!

This is not the same but is fine for your dog. The licorice root is a natural anti inflammatory herbal remedy and it also inhibits liver injury so it's a good choice for animals with high liver enzymes. You may still want to give the milk thistle if you can find it separately. You have done an excellent job maintaining Kandy throughout her life with a liver shunt. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Kandy.