Testing puppies for the need for shunts

[Pam 19]

I am really concerned. A while back I read since there is all this problem going on now with puppies having to have shunts that they would recommend all breeders to have puppies tested. I think the test they said that needed to be done is called a Bile Uric Acid & it's to be done before & after the puppy eats. I thought they were just talking about Yorkies but I don't know if other dogss have to have shunts or not. If anyone has heard anything about this please let us know. I was a nurse for a long time & when I worked in the Endoscopy unit (looking into patient's lungs, stomachs, colons, gallbladders) we had to deal with bile a lot. When I read the post earlier about the Yorkies throwing up bile it made me think about all this above. Bile comes from the liver & the gallbladder. When the people take their babies to the vet I would make sure that I ask about whether the bile could be coming from the liver or the gallbladder & if the vet thinks the test I mentioned above needs to be done. I'm not trying to scare anybody but I'd ask all the questions. Just to be on the safe side. I hope everything turns out alright for you & your babies.

[Sarah]

Thanks Pam for making us more aware, encourage us to ask our Vets everything we can think of. Sometimes people don't because they don't know the right questions to ask, and you helped with that also....

Much Appreciated!

[jude09]

Yes, this is definitely very useful! Thanks Pam!

[Pam 19]

Thanks Sarah for your reply. You know there are a lot of times that we go somewhere like the Doctor, Vet or anywhere that we have questions to ask that are important to us but once we're there, finish talking to whoever, walk out the door & start home we start remembering questions we meant to ask & forgot. When my patients would tell me that they did that a lot I would tell them while they're waiting for their apt. date to come up to write down & make a list of any questions that they might think of during that time & bring the list with them the next time. They started making lists & it ended up that all their questions were finally being answered. I do this myself & I've found it really helps. Whereever I go with questions I get my questions answered. This is really a lot of help at a Doctor's office or Vet.

[PoodlePoodie]

I'm now more aware with shunts. Thank you for the post. )