Ollie’s Story exemplifies how PETS get the BEST care when VETS work together !

Ollie is an adorable 1 year old yorkie who lives in the Caribbean. His mom called @drboazman due to concerns of a possible liver shunt. The island that Ollie lived on was not able to diagnose & treat Ollie’s suspected liver shunt.

A liver shunt is an abnormal connection between veins which bypass the liver. The liver helps to detoxify the blood that travels through it. A liver shunt creates a toxic situation in the blood, which can lead to vomiting, nausea, neurological disorders, seizures, incoordination, excessive thirst, excessive urination, & diarrhea .

Ollie came to us for a STAT on site CT scan thanks to @mobilepetimaging . A STAT CT Scan provides our team with a radiology report within minutes ! This high definition CT scan enabled us to prove that he has a single congenital extrahepatic liver shunt that requires surgical repair with an ameroid constrictor & longterm medications. An ameroid constrictor is an inner ring of casein that is surrounded by a stainless steel sheath. Casein is a hygroscopic substance that swells as it slowly absorbs body fluid. The stainless steel sheath forces the casein to swell inwardly, eventually closing the ring & obliterating the shunt. Ameroid constrictors gradually close over 4-5 weeks !

Ollie’s CT scan also revealed small bladder stones that often form secondary to a liver shunt & require surgical removal. These stones are called ammonium urate stones. Did you know that only about 5% of all bladder stones are urate stones?