Star's Story

I own one of the most beautiful and sweetest creatures that God ever put on the face of this earth. She has taught me compassion to an extent that I could never fathom before. She has taught me bravery that I never knew existed in animals. She has taught me to love beyond my wildest dreams and she will teach me heartache I have never known before. She is my heart, she is the light that shines so brightly in her eyes when she looks at me in gratitude for helping her through another spell. She is my little liver shunt baby that I know I will lose sooner than should be. She has too many shunts for surgery to fix. Five times I have sat through her spells holding her and crying over her not knowing if she will live through the night or not. Watching her little 3 lb. body jerk and listening to her cries of pain so weak but loud enough to pierce my heart like a bolt of thunder that shook my entire being. This LS the face of liver shunt and if test will eventually eradicate it then please let's do it quickly. God did not put humans or animals on this earth to suffer in the way these babies suffer. They are not "just dogs" -- they are living breathing forms of life that live and suffer in the same way we do. If Liver shunt were a human problem everyone who had it or knew of anyone that had it would be rushing to stop it. This only my opinion and after all I only own and love a liver shunt baby.

Jean Fritz of Mesquite, TX "Star" passed 1/99 to rainbow bridge

Theodore's Story: Life of a Liver Shunt Yorkie

It was Labor Day, 1998, and we were about to return from a long weekend away with our children. We had talked on occasion about getting another Yorkie, to add to our family of two children and two Yorkies. We were within thirty minutes of the breeder where we had purchased our other two Yorkies, five years earlier, so we called the breeders to see what they had. This woman told me they had a very special little guy who was ready to go. We made the little detour on our way home to see this little fellow. He was indeed special, very bright, full of mischief, and full of energy. He was just eight weeks old and one and a half pounds. Of course, we were just going to a look, and not go home with a puppy that day. We all made an agreement in the car before getting to the breeders house that we would only a look and then go home and talk about it as a family. Well, anyone who can go look at Yorkies and not go home with one or two, is a much stronger willed person than any one of us in our family. I was the only one who kept saying we need to go home and think about this.

Both of my children and my husband really wanted this puppy, he was lavishing those precious puppy kisses on each of them. He truly was adorable and it wasn't long before they convinced me that we must take him home today. I was not nervous about taking home such a small puppy, I was not a nervous new Mother, as I had taken home two eight week old puppies just five years earlier. So, we made the purchase and were as delighted as can be with our little bundle of love. We named him Theodore.

As the days passed the first week, I realized that Theo was not interested in eating. I gave him exactly what the breeder was feeding him and she told us to give him a half of piece of cheese each day to supplement him for the first week or two. So we did. He was soon refusing all kibble, and only wanting the cheese. I took him to the vet several times with the complaint of something not being right, not eating. The vet told me he was just a finicky puppy and to keep on trying.

So I did, and my children did, we would do anything to get this little guy to eat. Played games with the food, put a tiny piece of cheese on each piece of kibble, put Nutrical on each piece of kibble, all the while we were sitting on the floor encouraging him to eat. We would never have much luck. One week after bringing Theo home I called the breeder and told her that he was not eating well at all, and not gaining weight yet. I was concerned about Theo's lack of interest in food. She gave me all kinds of suggestions, and I tried them all. The second week I took Theo to the vet twice, telling the vet something is wrong, he won't eat. Again, the vet sent me home, thinking I was an overprotective Mom....

The next Sunday morning, two weeks after bringing Theo home, we awoke to find him in a deep coma, body temp had dropped 5 degrees, his little life was almost over...... I was hysterical, crying for my husband to come and see. Theo was totally limp. He had refused all food the night before, even his cheese. I left it out for him and thought he would eat it during the night. I immediately called the emergency vet, and gave her the info. She thought immediately that Theo was in hypoglycemic shock, low blood sugar. She asked if we had any Karo syrup or honey on hand, and I told her I had the honey, and she told me to start giving it to him. This was not easy to an unresponsive pup. But, I kept rubbing it on his tongue, and the vet kept asking me if he was waking up. Then she told us to keep giving it to him all the way to her office.

It was only 5-10 minutes till we got there and when she examined Theo he was still quite limp. She checked his glucose, it was low, but, not low enough to cause coma. The vet was confused, and started doing x-rays. She found his internal organs had started to swell, he was so close to death. She saw out of the ordinary gas masses in the x-rays, and at first thought Theo may have a perforated intestine. She was going to do surgery on him, telling us he was going to die if she didn't, and a good chance he would die if she did.

She sent us home and said she would work on him for a while. She called me every 15-20 minutes and finally asked me if it would be OK for her to call in an internal specialist that she knew. It was Sunday morning, and this internal specialist agreed to come to the clinic and see Theodore. Thank God she made that call, as this man had a strong suspicion what Theo's problem was.

They did get him feeling better and let me take him home that night with supplemental feeding solutions. It was a horrible night. Theo had neurological symptoms, he appeared to not be able to see, he pressed himself up against the walls as he walked. He cried in anguish all night long. I slept in a sleeping bag on the kitchen floor with him as he had to urinate every five minutes. He paced the floor most of the night. The next day we made an appointment to visit with the internal specialist. He told me what he thought Theo's problem was. Liver Shunt. I had never heard of this before. He said we could tell by some special blood tests, liver function tests, and bile acids tests. We did the testing and two days later I got the phone call from this vet telling me the bad news. Theo did indeed have liver shunt.

There is a Veterinary Teaching Hospital several hours from where we live, and time was of the essence at this point. The vet sent us on an emergency referral and we were on the road that afternoon with our darling little Theodore. When we arrived we spent time with the Dr's there and they assured us that even though he was so small and in such poor shape they could and would fix him with this surgery. Theo was semi comatose when they pried him out of my arms....Theo was admitted to Intensive Care and given plasma and glucose and things to make him better for the surgery the following day. I waited nervously by the phone all day for the surgeon to call. The call came telling me Theo had done wonderfully and was back in Intensive Care until he was awake and eating a bit. I picked him up just two days later, and was shocked to see how long the incision was. Theo had been cut open from just under his neck the entire length of his body. I was afraid to touch him. We took him home with his medications and his post surgery care instructions. Theodore did very well with his recovery. He played and ate much better. He looked like he was going to be OK.

The surgery Theo had was the amoroid ring surgery. The Dr's put a small gelatin type ring around the shunt, and it takes 6-9 weeks for it to close off the shunt entirely so at this point we were still not expecting Theo to be totally well. About 8 weeks post surgery I noticed Theo was sleeping much more than he had been and was not as interested in his kibble. I mentioned it to the vet and at this point in time was the first time anyone told me this surgery may not work. I was astounded! The Dr's at the University told me they could fix him....why hadn't anyone told me the surgery may not work?

My vet and I waited several more weeks to run the liver function tests and bile acids again. I was truly optimistic that Theo would be OK and maybe it was just going to take a little longer. The lab tests came back and I heard the worst possible news. The surgery had not been successful. Theo was in the same dire situation he was in before this major surgery. Theo was feeling clinically better due to the medications that control the toxins and the ammonia. Theo's liver was small and underdeveloped from not getting a good supply of blood. The neurological symptoms and coma are the result of the toxins and ammonia that builds up, because the blood is not going through the liver to be cleansed, it is being shunted around, straight to his heart and brain. So as the days went by, I continued to hand feed my baby as he had no interest in eating. We did this five times a day. He was on a prescription low protein diet, it is the proteins that cause the problem with this genetic disease. Each day was a struggle, but, at least Theo was now sleeping all night, and I didn't have to get up to supplement him with Nutrical and the other meds the Dr's had given me. The vet and I were hoping beyond hope that this was just a temporary set back, maybe that ring was just taking more time than we thought.

So, we waited two more months, and did more lab work. The results were worse than before...... Again, my heart was breaking for this little puppy that we all loved so much. The University Hospital where Theo had his surgery did not have their Transcolonic Scintigriphy up and running. This is a test that can show exactly how much blood is shunting and where the shunt is located. We really wanted this test, we wanted to know why Theo's symptoms returned and why his lab results were so bad. The University kept putting me off, telling me it would be ready very soon. This went on for months, and I finally told them I was taking Theo all the way from Minnesota to California to see the leading specialist in Nuclear Imaging, and get the test we so desperately needed.

I made arrangements with a dear friend to stay with her and she took such very good care of Theo and I. She took us to our appointment and she was there when the Dr. told me that less than 10% of Theodore's blood was going through his liver, and that the surgery did work, the ring closed off, but,Theo's liver would not accept the increased blood flow and it created numerous smaller shunts around the liver ..... I flew home from CA devastated, knowing I had done everything in my power to help my darling little Theo. Theo and I have tried so hard....he had given this the good fight. He has eaten when he hasn't wanted to. Each week I took him to be weighed, getting very excited over several ounces. Week by week went by and Theo gradually gained weight. As he put on weight he felt better and was less prone to hypoglycemia. I remember when he got to two pounds. I remember when he got to three pounds. When he hit four pounds I was so happy, I knew he had something to go on at this point. He is such a love, so sweet, snuggles all the time. That cute little face that tilts to the side when you talk to him. He is my constant shadow. I stayed home most of the time to care for him. I did not want to be away from him for any length of time.

Now, as months have gone on, Theodore turned two years old in July 2000, a day we never thought we would see. The specialists at the University told us after they knew the surgery failed that Theo would have only three weeks to three months to live. That was the first of December 1998......well, they didn't know how strong willed Theodore is! This little guy fights every day of his life....he truly has the will to live. Still, each day, I hand feed Theo, adjusting his meds accordingly, I fret over him constantly, weigh him, look at him, kiss him, everything I can do to make his little life wonderful!

Today, 9-21-2000, we have started our medication of last resort...... I have been saving this one till nothing else worked and know it is our last hope for quality of life for Theo. He is very sleepy most days, has had a few minor seizures, but, as the toxins slowly clear, he gets up and runs like the wind! He is telling me life is good...and as long as Theo wants to fight, I will fight with him, for as long as it takes. Fortunately, Theo is in no pain.

The breeders I bought Theo from were a nightmare to deal with... back when I knew nothing of liver shunt or breeders, I was ignorant. I thought anyone that took upon themselves to breed these babies would only do it right... boy, was I wrong. First they told me they had never heard of liver shunt......been breeding for 25 plus years...... then I called their vet and he told me they did indeed have quite a problem with liver shunt, which only made me more angry. Why didn't this vet educate these woman! I called these two ladies, and I use that word loosely, from the emergency vet crying, my baby was in a coma, and surely these long time breeders could shed some light on what was wrong. The only thing they said to me was "did you drop him on his head". So much for help. I did call them back several days later to tell them that Theo was having surgery and that he was very critical. The day of Theo's surgery, the breeders called me, wanting to know if I "needed" another pup, as we did not think he would live through the surgery.....kind of tells it all, doesn't it? Knowing nothing of puppymills or bad breeders I asked when at their house what were those other puppies in another pen....they steered me away from them, but, they were a Yorkie mix they were sending to CA. I thought something wrong with that, but, remember, I was ignorant. I thought all dogs died of old age or were hit by a car...... so much for reality.

Now I am a Liver Shunt Mom....... and each day with my precious Theodore is a day to rejoice in.... as there will not be too many of these days left. He is just a baby yet, at two years old. Liver Shunt is a horrible disease with hills and valleys, the highs and lows are very hard to deal with. You never know when Theo goes down if he will get back up.

We must find the genetic marker for this horrendous disease. Only then will Theo's life have meaning... only then can we preserve this precious breed for future generations..... but, only if all breeders co-operate... or else it will be the death of the breed, death by liver shunt...... not a pretty picture. Oh, I forgot to tell you one thing..... the cost..... not that it matters to me at this point, but, Theo's medical care for the first year was about $4000.00..... and it goes on and on. What happens to the poor little Yorkies whose owners just cannot afford this type of treatment.... it must be agony for them. I know it has been for me, and I have been able to get Theo the best of care. So please, breeders, do not hide this, do not breed this, do bile acid tests on every puppy you have and every puppy you sell so you are not selling this horrible emotional experience..... you are the only ones you can control this.... please, do it now, for the future of our beloved breed.

Bev Patronas

Return To Previous Page