Dog ate chocolate?

 ask a vet

Liver shunt surgery.

Species: Cat
Breed: Mixed Short Hair
Age: 6-12 months
Recently I found out that the kitten I adopted a few months ago has a Portosystemic shunt. His symptoms are subtle but a bile acid test concluded that he does have a shunt. We are going to put him on a low protein diet and lactulose and hoping that as he grows that he will out grow the shunt. But I am worried that if all this fails we will have to do surgery, which I'm not sure I can afford.

I was wondering if anyone knows of any foundations or organization that help with the payment of the surgery? I never been a person to ask for money and I hate the idea of it but I have become attached to this little guy and hate to see anything bad happen to him.

If you have any information I would be grateful :)


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

This is a tough situation to be in. Unfortunately cats don't tend to do as well with liver shunt surgery as dogs do. But, there are some cats that do well. An ultrasound may help your vet determine if Diesel is indeed a good candidate for surgery.

You may get some help from some of the following resources:

Help with Vet Bills

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---


Do you have a pet website? Interested in learning more about SEO for Wix?

Check out our dog age calculator and cat age calculator.

Want to receive pet coupons, vet advice and info on new pet products in your inbox?

* indicates required

We'll only send you great stuff, never spam. Unsubscribe any time.

Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.

Search for similar questions:

ask a vet

Popular questions...

Hairless cat skin problem. I recently took my hairless cats collar off and there was a small red sore were the... (11632 views)

Dog with bloody stool. Hi, I mistakenly changed my dog's food without mixing which I now know is a big... (13816 views)

Sore gums in chihuahua. My dog's gums are very sensitive. I tried brushing them and on the right side, they... (11634 views)

Sick after eating Iams ProHealth. My cat has been eating IAMS PROHEALTH and this morning he threw up 4 times and now... (10718 views)

How to keep dogs from breeding. Hi there, I have a one year old female Beagle/Boxer mix and a Lab/pitt mix... (6901 views)

Addison's disease. I had almost the same experience as the person who wrote you about losing their dog... (19893 views)

Cat died suddenly. 10-11-2010 Dear Dr Marie, almost exactly similar to the post:... (26932 views)

Proteus indole positive diarrhea. Hello, I am from Romania. My cat Bruno (10 months) has diarrhea and at the faeces... (9575 views)

Horrible euthanasia. Lucy has had steroid injections for the last 18 months due to loss of fur and skin... (6849 views)

Intranasal vaccine reaction. our kitten seams to have had a reaction to her nasal vacine it had been about four... (9325 views)

See all questions...

Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

Is an online vet visit just as good as a trip to your veterinarian? No! But, many times, asking an online veterinarian a question can help save you money. While Dr. Marie can't officially diagnose your pet or prescribe medications, she can often advise you on whether a vet visit is necessary. You can also ask Dr. Marie for a second opinion on your pet's condition.