On July 16, 2008. Leeland had his liver shunt ligation surgery. After ultrasounds, and x-rays we were sure that's what it was. The surgeon said he wouldn't know exactly what he was dealing with until he actually opened Leeland up.
There were concerns that what looked like one big shunt on ultrasound was actually dozens of tiny inoperable shunts. Other concerns were that even squeezing the blood vessel would send Leeland into shock, making the ligation impossible.
I dropped Leeland off that morning and I cried like a baby. I have always been a "dog person" but I've never felt anything like my bond with Leeland. As crazy as it seems to some people, he really is like a baby to me. He is such a huge part of my life and I was terrified of losing him so soon.
I went to work and was a nervous wreck, finally around 3pm that afternoon I got the call from the surgeon. Leeland had done well in surgery and now only time would tell. He spent the night in the hospital and came home the next night. I made a bed on the floor and laid next to him all night (he was not strong enough to jump on the bed like he normally does, and we couldn't risk him jumping down and opening up his incision). He was so tired the whole next day, all he could do was whimper in pain. The second night home we went to sleep on the floor just like before, but this time he woke me up at 5am, seizing.
We hopped in the car and rushed to the emergency vet (which happens to have the office below our surgeons office). We saw the same night-shift doctor that we had in May. He put Leeland on Valium and told us that he would observe him for more seizures. We went home and waited to hear back. We called often and didn't get much news, after a few encounters with snobby receptionists and incompetent vet techs, we were thoroughly frustrated. Come to find out later that the office forgot to prescribe us a pain reliever for Leeland the day of surgery, keeping him in an extreme amount of unnecessary pain those few days.
We took him home that night and prayed there would be no more seizures. Luckily, there weren't. Slowly Leeland regained his energy and started acting like himself again.
24 comments:
That picture makes me so sad.
Leeland is a strong little man.
He's strong because he got so much love from you!
i am also going throught this ordeal with my dog. She is a two year old Mini Poodle. We just found out she has a liver shunt. This is the week we are having her on the meds and low protein diet. I have decided that i want to have this surgery and i have to see if i am approved for care credit also. How much was your surgery?
Hi GummyBear-
I'm very sorry to hear about your little poodle. I'll be hoping for the best for her.
Leeland's surgery was about $2,000 and the two recovery days in the hospital were about $700 more. We had one follow up visit after the seizing incident and that ended up making the grand total about $3,000. Not including all the diagnostic tests and prescription food and medicine. I've talked with some other people that had lower rates in their area. Hopefully that will be the case for you. Have you met with a surgeon? Ours was able to give us a quote so we could determine if it was financially possible.
It was very costly and stressful, but we new at that time that we weren't willing to risk it. We were very lucky and amazing results with Leeland's surgery and he's doing so well 13 months post-op.
Good luck, please keep me updated on your situation.
Kathy
Hello Kathy,
How old was Leeland when he had the surgery? My minischnauzer Mollie will have one in 2 weeks, i am a little bit concern because she is 5 years old.
Hi Sally,
I'm sorry about Mollie, I know how terrible it is. Leeland was 1.5 years when he had his surgery.
Please update me on how Mollie does after surgery.
Best,
Kathy
Thank you for the reply Kathy.
How is Leeland doing? do you think you made the right choice? did you also consider not doing surgery and going with meds and diet?
Leeland is doing so well I can't even believe it. This july will be the two year anniversary of the surgery and aside from a few days of recovery immediately after the surgery, he has been acting like a bouncy puppy ever since.
With these incredible results, I of course feel like we made the right decision but hindsight is 20/20. At the time we had no way of knowing if it would work or not.
Although we saw vast improvements in Leeland when he as medicated before the surgery we were told there was no guarantee of how long the medicine would be effective.
The surgery it seemed, was high risk but more permanent. Now it's been two years and Leeland is better than ever, on no medications and no prescription food.
In our eyes the surgery could have ended Leeland's life immediately, but medicating might have ended up feeling like he was a ticking time bomb. I do, however, have a friend who decided to medicate his Pug instead of having the surgery and she has been doing wonderfully for over 2 years. I'm not sure what her bile acid numbers were though, Leeland's were severely high and we thought it would inevitably lead to his eventual resistence to the medicine.
Sorry that was a lot! Just wanted to let you know where we were when we decided the surgery was right for us. And although there is no guarantee on if Leeland will have a normal life span, we are sure that the years he has and will have are high quality.
Kathy
Kathy, that is so great! He is so adorable and specially he's got a very good mom! I will let you know about Mollie's surgery. On monday, i am taking her to the University of MN for a second opinion. Mollie is recovering slowly and coming back to herself but it is not over unfortunately.
Sally,
Just checking to see how the second opinion from UMN went. I hope Mollie doing well.
Kathy
Hello Kathy,
We did an ultrasound today they found the shunt outside the liver. The surgeon is now concerned that Mollie might not only have 1 shunt outside the liver but also many small shunts inside because her bile acid test numbers are not as high as they should which could indicate that she could also have many shunts in her liver. All i can say today is that i dont know what to do... The surgeon will call me in few more day after she has all the records she needs. i dont understand why Mollie never had symptoms like many other dogs had when they were puppies.
Hi Sally,
I'm sorry to hear that. Our surgeon was also concerned that Leeland might have more than one small shunt grouped together outside the liver or the grouping of shunts within, although his bile acids were extremely high.
Although Leeland was younger than Mollie he was still older than most dogs (puppies) when the are diagnosed. We were told that the toxins built up in his blood over time so even though his liver was not functioning properly when he was younger, the neurological symptoms did not surface until his blood reached a kind of saturation point.
I'm still hoping for the best for you and Mollie. Whether you decide on surgery or medical management I hope she has a long and comfortable life.
Best,
Kathy
P.S. Please keep me posted if you get around to it, I know it will be the last thing on your mind with all the stress of the situation but if you get a moment I'd love to hear how she's doing
Hello Kathy,
Another question. Was Leeland's surgeon experienced enough? I am struggling now because the surgeon at the U is a resident. it is making me uncomfortable. the surgeon at the other clinic is a diplomate (i dont really know if it makes a big difference) Thank you so much!
Hi Sally,
Leeland's surgeon was very experienced and said he had performed the surgery many times (most often on schnauzers).
He did mention that it would be a relatively easy surgery (assuming that everything looked the way it should when the opened Leeland up) so perhaps it is something a resident could handle. Do you have any other options nearby? He might be very capable but you really should feel 100% comfortable before you spend so much money and put Mollie under the knife.
Best,
Kathy
Good Morning Kathy,
Just an update: Mollie's bile acid test from november 09 showed that the numbers werent as high (50-90ish) but when we did the test again 1 wk ago her numbers came back high (100-190ish). i dont understand why her numbers are not consistent. we are waiting for the surgeon to call us. How is Leeland? i think schnauzers are great
Hi Sally,
Leeland's numbers got worse over time as well.
Have you heard from the surgeon yet?
Leeland is doing great, and I am so happy and thankful everyday for that because he just means the world to us. I love schnauzers too! We got him impulsively not even knowing anything about the breed and now I can't imagine not haivng one. I think I'll always own a schnauzer!
Hope Mollie is well, keep me posted!
Best,
Kathy
Good Morning Kathy~
I am so glad to hear Leeland is doing great! We scheduled Mollie's surgery for July 7th. I am still not 100% sure if this is the best for Mollie because she is older, what if something wrong happends during or after the surgery? or if her prognosis is not good?. She is doing fine with medication too. The surgeon told us she has 15 to 20% risk (what was Leeland's risk?). The surgeon will use a band that closes even slower than the ameroid constrictor. The resident surgeon will do the surgery with a senior surgeon... You dont know how much help you are giving me with your experience. Mollie is also everything to us (her and our other schnauzer), i am preparing also for the worst.
Have a blessed day~
Hi Sally,
Sorry for my delayed response. I've been busy but still thinking about Molly. Did she have the surgery? If so I hope it went well. Please let me know how it went when you get a chance. Your both still in my thoughts, I know how scary it is.
Best,
Kathy
Hi Kathy~
Thank you for replying. Mollies surgery is in 2 days! on wednesday. I am giving her a lot of love in case and preparing myself for the worst. thank you for your concerns
Sally
Hello Kathy~
Mollie's surgery went well! She spent 2 nights at the ICU and then came home last friday. My husband and I didnt get sleep for 4 days in case she has seizures but none! The surgeon told us that MOllie's liver was mildly damaged from the shunt which is very good. She is recovering nicely and she is happier each day! Thank you for your concerns and for replying my questions each time!!! you were a big help to me.
THANK YOU!
Hi Sally!
Thank you so much for the update! I was just wondering about Mollie. I'm so happy to hear that the surgery went well. Two nights in the ICU must have been difficult, and I know seizure watch is no fun.
I was glad to be of some help and I'm so glad Mollie is on the road to recovery.
Thanks for the good news!
Kathy
Hi Kathy,
Just found your blog and wonder how Is Leeland? I figured, he will be around 9 years old or older by now. I really curious to know about his story. As well as Sally and Mollie.. If you still keep in contact with her. My mini schnauzer, Ginger (6.5 years old) just diagnosed with an extra hepatic liver shunt (Mollie's story sound very similar to Ginger..) Im very worried about her. So far, she is doing great medically managed by prescription diet, lactulose and denysol.
The university teaching hospital didn't recommend surgery for her due to post operative complications might be fatal in her case.
I tried to see other specialist for a second opinion and he only gave me a 50/50 option but he did say if Ginger is his dog, he will go for surgery! At this point, I don't know what to do..
Please response if you still open to this blog and thanks so much for sharing your story!
Mariani
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