Portosystemic Shunt (PSS) or Liver Shunt
What is a Liver Shunt? The following brief excerpt of Portosystemic Shunts is from the brochure supplied below and best explains the disease. “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.”
To learn about this disease, here is a “Everything You Need to Know About Portal Systemic Shunts” brochure to educate you on PSS supplied by the University of Tennessee and authored by Dr. Karen Tobias.
Warning to All New Puppy Buyers!
The recommended age for Liver Bile Acid testing is around 10 weeks while the pup is still living with its dam, siblings, and Breeder. This testing and its costs are the responsibility of the Breeder before placing puppies in new homes.
However, one or more individuals who are selling IW puppies are claiming that Liver Bile Acid testing should take place at 16 weeks of age. This minimum number of weeks is required by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) to enter the results in their database for a clearance certificate. However, almost all well-respected Breeders do not wait until 16-weeks as the typical age to place our puppies is 12 weeks. The reality is that the pup who is tested at 16 weeks of age is already placed in their new home, which then places the burden of the expense on the new puppy owner.
What if that pup is diagnosed with Liver Shunt?! The new owner may be heartbroken (depending on the diagnosis), but they will be committed and already bonded with the puppy, and do not want to return the puppy to the Breeder. If they do not wish to return the pup, then most likely the new owner will have to bear all the expenses of the pre-and post-prandial blood tests and all surgical and medical treatments for the disease! This is outrageous!
Note to Irish Wolfhound Breeders:
Due to increased incidences of congenital Liver Shunt (PSS) in Irish Wolfhounds, Breeders are URGED to perform full protocol Bile Acid testing on all puppies, and NOT JUST post-prandial testing, which is a blood sample taken two hours after feeding.
Why do both pre- and post-prandial tests?
Because the Fasting (aka Resting or Preprandial blood sample test is important. This 12-hour fasting period gives the liver time to retrieve any bile acids remaining in the bloodstream, meaning that before the test starts, there are no bile acids, or only very low levels of bile acids, in the bloodstream. The results of the Fasting or Resting Test establish a very important baseline or starting point before you do the post test...
If you use only the post-prandial testing and the results come out high, or even equivocal, then it is recommended that you retest using the full protocol with samples taken both after fasting and two hours after feeding. So, if you are going through all the trouble of doing a Bile Acid Test, then you might as well do it properly from the beginning, so you do not have to repeat the whole procedure again!
For prospective owners, current owners, and Breeders I also recommend this article from the Scottish Deerhound Club of America website — “Using the Bile Acid Test for Liver (Portosystemic) Shunt Testing”.