GREENVILLE, SC.....We were sent information last week begging us to help a 6-month-old puppy that was having medical issues they could not resolve. He was constantly swollen with fluid in his abdomen, and his liver values were all over the place. He didn't want to eat and was just plain miserable. He had been adopted from Greenville County Animal Control when they discovered he was very sick and returned. He was in foster and was seeing the County Vet. when it was determined he either had to get out to a reputable Rescue or he had to be Euthanized.
We immediately had him taken to CVRC in Charleston where he was immediately put in ICU because of his condition. His liver values were all over the place that indicated he had a possible liver shunt issue. When he arrived, he was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia and had to go into oxygen and be treated for pneumonia.
Evander is a fabulous, adorable Boxer Mix puppy that just melts in your arms. The thought of him dying has had everyone upset for such a young pup. Cat scans were done, and it was revealed that Evander has lots of liver shunts. A liver shunt is a blood vessel that carries blood around the liver instead of through it. In some animals, a liver shunt is a birth defect ("congenital portosystemic shunt). In others, multiple small shunts ("acquired portosystemic shunts") form because of severe liver disease such as cirrhosis. The Specialists believe Evander's shunts are acquired. The extrahepatic shunts will always remain but if they are acquired (rather than congenital), then we may be able to treat an underlying liver disease to slow down how quickly more shunts form. The only way to determine what disease he has is with a liver biopsy.
Evander was finally able to be taken out of the oxygen chamber, and a liver biopsy was performed yesterday. We will have to wait for the biopsy to come back to determine what disease he has. Only then, will we know how to treat him. We do not know if he can be medically treated so he can live a long Life or if the liver Disease he has will give him only months to live. What we do know is that whatever the outcome, he is going to get whatever he needs to have a great Quality of Life. There is no more passing him around from one person to another and everyone giving up. We are going to get to the bottom of it and do everything we can to save him. When the surgeon went in yesterday, she did notice his liver was enlarged. Not significantly larger but enough for us to know there is some underlying Disease.
Evander feels pretty good today with the medication he is on. As far as he is concerned, Life is Good. He has people that shower him with love and affection, and his every need is met. The liver biopsy will take about a week to come back. During that time, he is closely monitored in ICU to make sure we do not miss anything. Life has been rough for this adorable puppy. His liver has created havoc with his system, and we are just going to have to figure out how to make it stop or to slow down the progression of the disease that is causing this. Please, do whatever you can to help us keep doing what we do.....SAVE ABUSED / NEGLECTED ANIMALS like Evander that are fighting for their Life.
