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Harri the Welsh Terrier's Diary

Caro Perry said:
The vet thinks it's possibly a liver shunt. I am of course worried sick about the little pickle.
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If it is a liver shunt he may have to go on a special diet. i feel so bad for him. I said 'he was only messing you about' previously and i feel bad because he clearly wasn't! :( just give him lots of cuddles from me! :) this may be helpful: - Tess and Her Homemade Liver Shunt Diet
 
Violet Turner said:
If it is a liver shunt he may have to go on a special diet. i feel so bad for him. I said 'he was only messing you about' previously and i feel bad because he clearly wasn't! :( just give him lots of cuddles from me! :) this may be helpful: - Tess and Her Homemade Liver Shunt Diet
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I thought he was messing me about too! The vet thought the same. He's given no real indication that anything was wrong until this morning. The vet couldn't find anything wrong yesterday. The only actual symptom he has now is a slight tremor and he's subdued. Thank you for that link. It does make me feel better that if (and it is an if still) he does have it then the prognosis is not entirely bleak.
 
Caro Perry said:
I thought he was messing me about too! The vet thought the same. He's given no real indication that anything was wrong until this morning. The vet couldn't find anything wrong yesterday. The only actual symptom he has now is a slight tremor and he's subdued. Thank you for that link. It does make me feel better that if (and it is an if still) he does have it then the prognosis is not entirely bleak.
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yeah well were all here for you if you need us! if he is sick/loose stools then take him straight to the vet ASAP! If i was in your position i would also be very panicked, there seems to be a lot of people on the internet with dogs that have a Liver Shunt, so you don't seem to be on your own. :( Just give him loads of kisses and cuddles from everyone on the forum! :) just remember were always here if you need someone to talk to :)
 
Aw thanks Violet. He's still refusing his "proper" food. Vet has said not to change his diet for exactly the reason you mention so he's had some Fish4dogs kibble which I usually use as a training treat (therefore he'll eat it!), another kibble that has no grain as he's normally grain free and I've roasted him a chicken. There's also some fish for him tomorrow. He is eating this little lot fortunately I've been told to try keep his blood sugar up as it's low enough for there to be a risk of him having a seizure. I'm going to be out of kibble tomorrow and of course nowhere local stocks either brand! Guess it's fish and chicken!
 
Caro Perry said:
Aw thanks Violet. He's still refusing his "proper" food. Vet has said not to change his diet for exactly the reason you mention so he's had some Fish4dogs kibble which I usually use as a training treat (therefore he'll eat it!), another kibble that has no grain as he's normally grain free and I've roasted him a chicken. There's also some fish for him tomorrow. He is eating this little lot fortunately I've been told to try keep his blood sugar up as it's low enough for there to be a risk of him having a seizure. I'm going to be out of kibble tomorrow and of course nowhere local stocks either brand! Guess it's fish and chicken!
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Well if he’ll eat it then let him have chicken and fish, you can add some honey and icing to his food or off your finger to get his blood sugar up - http://vetconm.com/canine-low-blood-sugar-symptoms-and-treatments/

Attempt to keep it up because seizures are not a brill thing for a dog, and could become a lifetime thing.
 
Josie said:
I’m guessing the vet gave you some tips to keep his blood sugar up @Caro Perry?
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Basically feed little and often with something he'll eat but not to change his usual diet.... That's a challenge as he won't eat the "usual diet". Basically he's usually low fat, low carb so chicken fits the bill ( and is part of his usual diet)and he's eaten quite a bit. I'm hiding his pills in peanut butter which is a very rare treat. It's not the ideal feeding regime but it'll have to do until we know what's going on.
 
Oh, poor Harri. Hopefully the vet will have confirmation soon and you can get a proper plan in place for his diet. I don't think I would be offering honey and sugar unless the vet specifically said it was ok though ... :(
 
JoanneF said:
Oh, poor Harri. Hopefully the vet will have confirmation soon and you can get a proper plan in place for his diet. I don't think I would be offering honey and sugar unless the vet specifically said it was ok though ... :(
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Well I'm not being as strict as usual! He's just been allowed to share a bit of my (plain) breakfast crumpet. It's nice to seem some spontaneous interest in food.
 
Caro Perry said:
Well I'm not being as strict as usual! He's just been allowed to share a bit of my (plain) breakfast crumpet. It's nice to seem some spontaneous interest in food.
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Well at least he's eating something, probably not the best thing ever but still... When will the vets tell you what it really is? paws and fingers crossed from our household! :( sending invisible hugs to Harri :p
 
Violet Turner said:
Well at least he's eating something, probably not the best thing ever but still... When will the vets tell you what it really is? paws and fingers crossed from our household! :( sending invisible hugs to Harri :p
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I'm hoping for a better idea tomorrow, If his blood results look much better it's probably just some sort of infection. They'll also be checking the ammonia levels. If those are high it will point to a shunt and then he'll need an ultrasound on his liver to take a look. My vet has a basic ultrasound but if necessary they'll refer him.
 
Caro Perry said:
I'm hoping for a better idea tomorrow, If his blood results look much better it's probably just some sort of infection. They'll also be checking the ammonia levels. If those are high it will point to a shunt and then he'll need an ultrasound on his liver to take a look. My vet has a basic ultrasound but if necessary they'll refer him.
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poor thing, even an infection can be bad. but the vets know what they are doing. How old is Harri? And does he stare into space? The vets can do multipul tests: Bile acid (test how much acid is in his bile), Urinalysis (if the urine is diluted than normal) and Blood Count (they will test the blood in the body)
 
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Violet Turner said:
poor thing, even an infection can be bad. but the vets know what they are doing. How old is Harri? And does he stare into space? The vets can do multipul tests: Bile acid (test how much acid is in his bile), Urinalysis (if the urine is diluted than normal) and Blood Count (they will test the blood in the body)
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No - he's not having absent episodes. Based on the first bloods, a neurological cause is well down the list of possibilities. He's only 7 months old :(
 
Well the good news is his blood sugar levels this morning are back to where they should be after being close to hypoglycaemia levels on Saturday. They are running a battery of liver function tests on his blood but we need to wait until Weds for the results. He's a lot perkier and the mischief program has definitely rebooted (I never thought I'd be so happy to see him shred the waste paper basket!) He refused to eat his scrambled egg for lunch but he's just helped me eat mine. Clearly a gourmet, his eggs need butter and seasoning!

Clinically xylitol poisoning is a very good "fit" but the only way he could have got at that is by eating something he found out on a walk. There is literally nothing with xylitol or sorbitel in the house
 
That's really good news :) Let's hope it turns out to be something caused by an infection or something he ate, which will get completely better. I bed you'd be happy for him to eat all your food, off your best china, right now!
 
JudyN said:
I bet you'd be happy for him to eat all your food, off your best china, right now!
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Absolutely! Nothing but the best for the little chap. I'm just awaiting my first order of raw food for him. I just hope he likes it!
 
That's good news, glad he's getting back to his usual self :)
 
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