Angel Fund Update

 

03/05/2007 03:12                                                        

             From: Karen M Tobias

           

                                                                                                

            Subject :   Angel Fund Update..03/05/07

 

We are not doing any more breeding studies. We just finished spaying and

castrating all of our breeding animals and their pups and obtained liver

biopsies from them.   Although the two most recent pups had normal bile

acids at 6 weeks of age, they were slighlty increased at 6 months of age

( one was 14 and 9, the other 9 and 38) and both had MVD.   Their mother

Trouble had a nearly normal liver (still some mild changes) 1.5 years after

surgery , which is good for a shunt dog.

 

All of the folks that have contacted us lately have wanted to donate dogs

for breeding; I told them that the breeding study has ended.   I am asking

them to contact YTNR or other rescue agencies so that more experienced

folks can deal with the screening of potential  adoptive parents and a

wider placement pool.

 

We've currently got 3 projects:

1.   Response of small breed dogs to steroids after shunt ligation.   This is

because some of the dogs- especially the tiny Yorkies- are having signs of

low cortisol (stress hormones) after surgery, leading to slower recovery

and poor blood sugar control.   The preliminary work was supported by the

Angel Fund; the major study has been funded by the AKC.

2.   DNA collection on shunt Yorkies that have a normal sibling.   The

sibling must have normal bile acids (less than 5 and less than 10, or less

than 10 and less than 15, depending on the lab).   We are freezing samples

from both.   This is being supported by the Angel Fund.

3.   Liver tissue evaluation on Yorkies with normal bile acids, and any

shunt dog 4 or more months after shunt surgery.   We recently received

biopsy results on a healthy Yorkie puppy with bile acids 14 and 9 that had

microvascular dysplasia on the liver biopsy.   Previously we would have

considered these bile acids normal for a Yorkie (though our normals are

less than 10 and less than 15).   We had a Maltese that only had fed bile

acids (they were 2);   this dog also had microvascular dysplasia on liver

biopsies .    I'm working with a Tennessee practitioner that sees alot of pet

Yorkies; she will hopefully be providing me with samples from Yorkie

with normal bile acids. We'll offer free spays or castrations to our shunt

owners if they'd like to come back to us.   This is being supported by the

Angel Fund.

 

You're welcome to forward this info on to anyone.   Karen

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