Average_Joe

My 9 week old Sheltie-mix pup was acting very sick and disoriented earlier this week, so we took it to the vet for some help. It turns out that he may have a liver shunt, which is a serious condition that may be causing toxic buildup, that is normally taken care of in the liver, to bypass the liver altogether and reach the brain and other organs. I did some research online and it seems like there are 2 ways to deal with this: either through risky, expensive surgery or through diet and medicine.

Right now we are debating what to do for the pup. We can either spend the money on the surgery, testing, and recovery costs that would run anywhere from $2000 to $5000, try a prescribed diet plan that would reduce the amount of toxic waste produced by the body, or put him down (the vet's advice). Right now, I'm leaning toward trying the diet approach, but it may not be successful and may cause further harm to the dog.

This may not be a common problem to most of you fellow pet owners, but I would greatly appreciate some advice about how to handle this problem.
Has anyone had a dog with a liver shunt? If so what did you do?
Has anyone had a pet with a physical defect that required special attention, surgery, or euthanasia?

I promise not to judge any decisions you made, only take them as advice.