Hi all this is not easy to ask for help but my parents got two very sweet Maltese puppies a year ago. Pebbles and Bam Bam. Bam Bam was born with a medical condition I will posted details below. My parents have put him on a special diet with special foods he can only eat. This is not helping him at all. Bam Bam is only 1 year 6 months old and he needs surgery on his liver. He has a shunt wrapped around his liver and sadly is making his life very difficult. My parents love this little guys so much it is breaking my heart. The surgery to fix this issue Bam Bam was born with is $10-$12k and my parents don’t have that kind of money to take care of this. My parents lost their sweet doggy Gabby almost two years ago she was 16 years old. It’s was so heartbreaking for both my mom and dad and I don’t want to see them go through that pain again especially because BamBam is so young. He is such a sweet little guy. But I feel helpless. Any help would be absolutely incredible and I know this is a big ask. Below you will see the information on Bam-Bams illness.
BamBam is suspected to have a congenital portosystemic shunt (PSS). This is a birth defect in which
blood from the intestines bypasses the liver instead of flowing through it to be filtered.
The liver’s job is to remove toxins from the bloodstream. When blood bypasses the liver, toxins —
especially ammonia, a byproduct of protein digestion — are not properly filtered and instead circulate
through the body and reach the brain.
This causes a condition called hepatic encephalopathy, which explains BamBam’s neurologic
symptoms.
Symptoms This Condition Causes
Dogs with hepatic encephalopathy may experience:
• Head pressing against walls or furniture
• Walking in circles
• Wobbliness or falling over
• Acting disoriented or “not themselves”
• Episodes of apparent blindness
• Symptoms that worsen after eating and improve when fasting
These symptoms were documented by emergency veterinarians and are classic for liver shunts in
young dogs, particularly in small breeds like Maltese. In order to correct this surgery is necessary.