Is my small puppy too small for liver shunt tests? What's the cost?

Question

Is a 13 week old 1lb4oz puppy to small to take blood from for tests to rule out a liver shunt ? Not believing this breeder or her "vet" . They're now saying he's too small to take any blood from him &that they have to take him to a specialist. Which is too expensive and test results will take too long but I would also like to know what are average costs of baseline lab work at a vet? Full chemistry ,blood count & urinalysis, pre and post bile acid profile? Also he's never had any symptoms ever. Pet's info: Dog | Pomeranian | Male | unneutered | 3 months old | 1lb

Rodrigo Roca, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, sorry to hear about Jericho. Baseline bloodwork may run anywhere from $120 to 180 dollars. Urinalysis will run anywhere from $45 to 100 dollars. Bile Acids will likely run from $120-180 dollars as well. Most of the places vary depending on which lab they use to send out the blood to and what hey get charged from sending that blood to them. Other diagnostics to consider when working up a liver shunt include an abdominal ultrasound ($250-400) and a CT Scan ($700-1000) . You'll also have to consider medications and special diets for pets with liver shunts. If he is not having any symptoms, you may choose to continue monitoring at home until he gets a little older and bigger so that they can safely obtain all of the blood they may need for this testing. The laboratories will need at minimum 3-5mls of blood to run these tests and 3-5mls of urine. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Is my small puppy too small for liver shunt tests? What's the cost?

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