Is surgery the only option for my dog's liver shunt, or can diet help?

Question

Hello! I want to ask some questions if it is possible. I have a dog (yorkshire terrier) and he was diagnosed with extrahepatic portosytemic shunt. My concern is if is any diet or the surgery is the only way?I am afraid that his body is weak he lost 1kg , also he made albumin transfusion. What are the surgery chance rate?Thanks for your time! And sorry for my english.

Dr. Strydom, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Some pets with liver shunts can do well with medical management, however, most of those pets will eventually be euthanized due to neurologic problems (hepatic encephalopathy) as the liver fails at removing toxins from the body. In some pets, a change of diet can be enough to control the signs. A typical diet would involve low-protein, low-magnesium, high zinc, and high Vitamin E, in addition to lactulose. Surgical repair of the shunt is common, particularly for congenital shunts. Before surgery, the veterinarian will try to stabilize your pet as much as possible with a low-protein diet and antibiotics. Post-operative antibiotics will also be given. After surgery, once the pet has normal bile acid levels, he can usually return to a normal diet. It takes about two weeks after surgery before the pet feels better. The surgery is curative whereas medical management is life-long therapy in which the life span will be shorter. In my opinion, surgery is the way to go for this problem. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Is surgery the only option for my dog's liver shunt, or can diet help?

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