"Jake's" Amazing Adventure
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| Jake came to us at the age of 3 years for a transcolonic portal scintigraphy (liver scan). His referring veterinarian had diagnosed a liver dysfunction based on laboratory evaluation. The portal scintigraphy confirmed the diagnosis of a single extrahepatic portosystemic shunt vessel. Up to this point, Jake's story is like hundreds of other dogs we have seen with congenital liver shunts. |
Portal scintigraphy demonstrating a single extrahepatic shunt vessel.
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Jake went home with his owner to prepare for surgery to correct the shunt. Jake improved with the appropriate medical management for his liver dysfunction. |
| Unfortunately Jake's shunt vessel proved particularly difficult to identify at surgery. A few months (and 2 surgeries) later we saw Jake again for another scan to determine the outcome of the previous surgeries. Unfortunately the scan revealed that the surgeries did not work. The follow up scan looked identical to the original scan....there was still a shunt! |
Jake's second portal scintigraphy was virtually identical to the first.
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After a great deal of research and effort by Jake's owners, Jake went to Tennesee to have another surgery. This time the surgery was performed at the University of Tennesee's College of Veterinary Medicine. Luckily for Jake, this surgery was successful. |
| One month following Jake's return to California, we did another portal scintigraphy and it confirmed a normal portal blood flow. The third surgery worked! Jake was now on the road to a long healthy life. |
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A year and a half later, Jake's owners sent us a picture of his birthday party! He's happy, healthy, and enjoying his cake!
Jake's story is unusual. Most dogs with a congenital liver shunt are successfully treated with a single surgery performed by a board certified veterinary surgeon. Jake's story points out the fact that sometimes extraordinary efforts are required to ensure the best outcomes.
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