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My puppy died from liver shunt. Should I worry about my other puppy?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 13 days old

If puppies are born and one suddenly dies of a liver shunt. ..Does it mean the bigger puppy will have the liver shunt too? The one puppy suddenly collapsed and died at 2 months old. I'm worried about the other one now.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on November 4th, 2016

They could have it or not. Liver shunt can have a congenital origin. I would strongly recommend to check all of them at your local vets. Abdominal ultrasound and specific blood tests are very sensitive way to diagnose this disease.

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    No it does not mean the bigger puppy has a liver shunt. Liver shunt is not contagious, as it is a congenital malformation. Usually this is a "freak accident". If you are really worried you can ask your vet to do a specific exam that will reveal any problems provided there are problems.

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