Yorkie with diarrhea.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks for an interesting question. I'm wondering if I could ask you a few more questions to help me be able to answer you better.

• Is Enzo underweight?
  
• Did he ever have any bloodwork that showed liver concerns? If so, do you know any of the lab values that were off?


• How long has he had diarrhea for?


• Has he been on any medicines to help with the diarrhea? If so, did any of them help?
  

Thanks! I am in between appointments this afternoon, so when I'm finished my next appointment I will respond to you based on how you have answered the above questions.

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

It may be that I don't have the full picture here, but nothing you have described makes me think of a liver problem at all.

It's true that Yorkies are prone to liver shunts and microvascular dysplasia (which is basically like having several really small shunts in the liver).

I'm not sure that I would be doing a biopsy with the information that you told me. However, specialists are not usually wrong. So, if the specialist is advising the biopsy it may be necessary.

When I have a young dog with diarrhea the first thing I do is 1-3 fecal exams to look for parasites. I do more than one because sometimes we don't always see them.

I would likely also treat with a broad spectrum dewormer and also a course of a medication called metronidazole. This medication helps with inflammation in the intestines.

I may also do a diarrhea panel which is where we send stool to the lab to do DNA tests for unusual parasites and bacteria. It's a little controversial but I have cured several dogs with chronic diarrhea by doing this.

The other thing I would try is a hypoallergenic diet for a couple of weeks combined with some probiotics to help with the bacterial flora in the intestines.

If you are not sure about doing the biopsy, it's not a bad idea to see another vet and get a second opinion. That vet can look at the previous reports (including the specialist's report) and see if there is something else that should be done.

Hope that helps!

Dr. Marie.