My dog has a liver shunt. How do I stop hepatic encephalopathy episodes?

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.

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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Holly! I would consider doing a bile acid test if her ALT is still elevated at the recheck. That can help with the diagnosis of a liver shunt. Yes, dogs can live a relatively normal life if the symptoms of the liver shunt can be managed with diet, antibiotics and laxatives. That is if she is even experiencing hepatic encephalopathy signs. I hope this help and I wish Holly the very best!

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

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!

I am so sorry Skipper may have a liver shunt! The best and preferred treatment for a liver shunt is surgery to identify and close the abnormal blood blood vessels. This will eliminate the shunt and return normal blood flow to the liver. A high protein diet is not used to treat dogs with a liver shunt; in fact, it's a restricted protein diet. A reduced protein diet helps reduce the production of toxic wastes such as ammonia. A minority of dogs can be treated medically with this low protein diet and medications, but surgery is the best treatment for it. A liver shunt surgery is costly and the cost does depend on the clinic. From estimates I have seen at veterinary schools in the US, I would expect to spend at least $2000-3000 on this surgery, but your vet can give you a better idea of the cost. I hope this helps!