In the beginning

I was born in May 2006 in a rescue center. I can't really remember my real mum, but my human mum and dad fell in love with me straight away. I'd just had a big feed and felt terrible again. I always felt awful after eating. I thought it was normal.

Food was poisoning me

My new mum and dad were great.

Dad taught me how to play football...

... and life was great, except I never really enjoyed eating.

It was more what happened after I ate. I'd start to get a bit manic - kind of out of control. I'd have these fits and bang into things and fall over.

And then I'd just feel terrible - really depressed. It'd go away after awhile. The problem was apparently lots of puppies seem to act this way, but my mum and dad guessed something was wrong....
... especially when I got really sick.

The day I nearly died

As the days passed, the worse I felt. Mum and dad took me straight to the vets and they stuck something up my bottom and did some tests, then sent us home with no answers. This happened the next two days as well, and then on the 4th day I felt so ill I started to go blind. I don't really remember it - mum says it was like I was intoxicated - I kept crawling up onto her head and whining.

Mum rushed me again to the vets at Cibyn veterinary clinic. By this stage I had lost my sight completely and my blood was so poisoned I was close to death. Dr Hubbard, the vet, took one look at me as I whined, with my tail right under my body, and crawled up onto mums head. She'd seen these extreme symptoms before.... she said she thought I had a liver shunt...

Liver Shunts explained

Mum and Dad described it to me as a 'plumbing problem'.

Apparently there was a major vein bypassing my liver, which meant that my blood wasn't getting cleaned - all the toxic matter and bacteria absorbed from my gut was flooding my system.

I was going to die unless I had surgery.

Mum and dad had insured me, but my sickness happened in the first 2 week pre-condition period - so the insurance people refused to pay for my surgery.

Mum said she didn't want the engagement ring that dad was going to buy her... or the new kitchen for that matter... Mum and dad found a great lady called Dr Carolyn Burton at a place called Davies Vet Clinic, who specialised in liver shunts.

There was hope.

Waiting for surgery

I needed to get a bit bigger before I had the surgery, so the next 3 weeks were spent on a controlled diet with regular doses of lactulose, a laxative that passed things through my gut so quickly that the bacteria couldn't build up.

I was very skinny but mum and dad took me to some great places like the beach, so that I could have as normal a life as possible.

Whenever the toxins built up too much they'd take me to the vets and I'd be put on a drip overnight.

After the first surgery

In August 2006 I had my first operation. I'd had a 50/50 chance of surviving the surgery - but I did! I was tired and so skinny - but I was alive!!!

My gut swelled up for days after, but it was a success... mostly. Mum and dad told me the surgeon had managed to close most of the shunt, but that they couldn't close it completely as it would cause too much pressure on my liver.

Even so I started feeling heaps better and even put on a little bit of weight.

...and I was able to sleep better than I'd ever slept before.

Surgery No. 2 and my plumbing is sorted !

After the first surgery I started putting on weight and I felt really good. I didn't have anymore fits, but I was kept on a very strict diet for 2 months while we waited to see if my liver would respond to the new blood flow.

I even started running in the mountains !

Life was good - but I was still dependant on my controlled diet and lactulose doses every day unless I had one more operation to close the shunt completely.

Just after the New Year of 2007 I had my second operation - and now I'm a normal dog. I can eat whatever I like... although flour is not that yummy...

...and I'm so fit I can run for hours in the mountains!!

I now have a sister, Fly, who mum and dad rescued after she was dumped - turns out she was pregnant....

but that's another story!!!