Maggie-May's unusual liver!

Maggie-May came to see us as a puppy, and a very cute puppy at that being a cross between a Pug and a Bichon Frise.  She was the picture of health and had everyone wrapped around her finger.   We gave her a complete examination which she passed with flying colours but little did we know what was brewing inside her. 

Weeks later she returned to see us and it seemed that overnight she had gone almost completely blind, she was disorientated and vomiting.  The day before she had been completely normal.  We were worried she may have something wrong with the development of her brain or that her liver was malfunctioning so we admitted her for treatment and tests.  A blood test and an ultrasound scan confirmed that she had an extra blood vessel that was taking blood around her liver rather than through it.  We call this a "shunt" and it's uncommon. 

The shunt causes the liver to be very small because it's not used properly.  The blood that absorbs the food we eat should go straight to the liver so it can be processed.  If it does not then chemicals from the intestine enter into the blood that goes to the brain and this is what caused the signs she was showing.  In some cases it can result in seizures. 

Maggie-May deteriorated that day and at one point she collapsed and could not stand and we feared the worst.  Fortunately by diagnosing and starting treatment early we reversed the signs and she improved over the next 6 hours with intensive care. By the next day she was her bouncy self.   

We referred her to a specialist surgeon at Great Western Referrals who very carefully closed the blood vessel that was bypassing her liver.  Now all Maggie-May's intestinal blood goes to her liver first and looking back we realise that she has never been better.