Back for an update on little Leeland! July 16, 2009 marked the first anniversary of Leeland's shunt ligation surgery. I am very proud and happy to report that he is doing so well. He still has all of his energy for playing and walking and now eats "normal" dog food with no issues at all. We could not be happier about his progress.
This time last year we were still waiting and watching to see how he would react to the surgery, I am so grateful he has come this far and we've had another wonderful year with him!
Thanks again to all of you who wished him well!
4 comments:
Hi KG,
I've come across Leeland's story as I await the results of my yorkie puppy's bile acid test. If the doctors are correct, tomorrow afternoon I'll be planning the ligation surgery. I wondered if I could ask you if you have any suggestions on how to choose a surgeon. There are at least two surgeons locally that can do this surgery for me, and I'm wondering what questions I should ask them? How much experience is appropriate? Any advice for someone just wondering what questions to ask would be greatly appreciated. I've seen stories of people driving to Tennessee from California to ensure the best care, and I don't mind doing that, if necessary.
Thanks for sharing your story, and thanks in advance for any insights you can provide.
Hi Sean,
I'm sorry to hear about your yorkie. I have also read stories about people driving from all over the country to Tennessee. Considering the heavy financial burden we were going to face, we knew that traveling wouldn't be an option for us. We had very few options when choosing the surgeon to perform Leeland's surgery. Luckily there were a few with notable experience and we narrowed it to two very quickly. We met with both of them and decided based on how we felt about their answers to our questions.
Our main questions were : how many times have you performed the ligation surgery? what have your success rates been? what will you do if you open Leeland up and the shunt is inoperable? what are the sruvival rates for dogs that remain medicated after an unsuccessful ligation attempt? will you personally be following up and watching Leeland for proper healing after surgery? Then we asked them both to describe the procedure to us in detail. We ending up picking the surgeon who seemed confident and willing to answer all our questions in depth. He had performed hundreds of ligations and was honest but optimistic about the outcome.
I hope you find a surgeon you feel comfortable with and I am hoping for the best for your little yorkie. Please keep me updated and good luck!
Hello KG
I came across your story this morning while Googling what to expect from recovery from liver shunt surgery. My mini-schnauzer, Georgia, had an ameroid constrictor placed around a congenital shunt last Wednesday. She came home on Thursday as she refused to eat in hospital (she ate perfectly when she got home). She has had increased energy over the last few days and almost seems back to her old self. Georgie is 2 years 10 months old and had no symptoms until about 2 weeks ago. She was diagnosed and operated on within a week. I was fortunate that they managed to diagnose her the same day I took her to the vet. The next two days were used to confirm the diagnosis and determine whether she had a congenital or acquired shunt. She is still on her antibiotic, her painkiller meds finished yesterday and she is on Hills l/d food which she loves. I would like to know what to expect and what to look out for in the coming days, weeks and months. I only take her back next Wednesday for the sutures to be removed but after that I don't know what to expect. If you have any hints, tips or suggestions I'd be very grateful.
Claire (South Africa)
Hi Claire!
Sorry it took me so long to respond. I'm so happy to hear that Georgia made it through surgery ok.
Leeland stayed on Hills l/d for about a month after the surgery, after that it was clear that he was ready for regular food. We experiemented with many different types, trying to be sensitive to his needs but it turned out his digestion got back on track rather quickly.
Now he eats a food called Natrual Balance - venison and sweet potato recipe. We also phased out the medicine he was on in about the same time frame and he transitioned really well.
After we got Leeland's staples removed the ordeal seemed to completely over. We got his bile acids tested on last time and his numbers were better than the average dog. He adjusted quickly to his new food, his energy levels stayed up, and his mood was great all the time. We are now at about 2.5 year since the surgery and we have never had any complications or issues with food.
I'm glad to hear Georgia is almost back to her old self and I hope your recovery process is as smooth as ours was. We feel SO lucky that he made such a complete recovery.
All the best!
Kathy
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