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My name is Sydney and this is my 3-year-old rescue Kobe who means everything to me! I am asking for your help today because Kobe needs a life saving surgery to correct a very large shunt in his liver that he was born with.
Let me take you through our journey. On April 2016, I adopted Kobe from a family that had neglected his needs for socialization as a puppy. He spent most of his time alone in a room and was not properly played with or socialized. When Kobe first came home with me at 7 months of age, we had to work through a lot of his behavioural problems. He was aggressive with his food and toys and he was fearful of any loud noises, strangers, and any sudden hand movements. With a lot of hard work and patience, Kobe now completely trusts me and he lets me do everything with him. He’s opened up so much and is now thriving at his second chance at living like a normal dog.
On Christmas day of 2016, Kobe started to pee blood and seemed to be in pain when urinating. We took him to the veterinary hospital to run urine tests, x-rays, and finally an ultrasound to find struvite-urate stones in his bladder that needed to be removed. I did not hesitate to scramble to find a way to pay for the $4000 dollar surgery. Once Kobe recovered from the surgery, he felt so much better and his health was back to normal.
In the summer of 2018, Kobe had his first seizure. I rushed him over to the veterinary hospital in tears. Blood tests, urine tests, and x-rays were done and Kobe was referred to a specialist because of concerns for his liver and because he had blood in his pee again. At the Toronto Veterinary Emergency Hospital, specialists performed a CT scan (advanced imaging) and they found a Portosystemic (Liver) Shunt and another urate stone. I was told that Kobe will need a surgery to close the shunt or else he will develop liver failure and die early in life.
What is a Portosystemic Shunt?
- In most cases and in Kobe’s case, there is a defect at birth in the “portal vein”
- Blood normally flows through the liver via the portal vein for it to get rid of toxins and other metabolism byproducts
- Dogs with portosystemic shunts have an abnormal portal vein that allows blood to bypass or shunt around the liver instead of through it, leading directly back into the body’s circulation without being detoxified
I am currently managing Kobe on a liver friendly diet, liver medications, and medications to control his seizures. He is stable but I can see that his behaviours aren't like a normal 3 year old. He sleeps a lot now and he doesn't want to be bothered as much with anyone.
Did you know…
- Surgery provides a 95% success rate, meaning Kobe can be expected to live a normal dog’s lifespan after surgery
- Without surgery, the expected lifespan of more than half of all dogs with liver shunts is about 10 months. This is especially true for younger dogs. It would be 10 months of the liver failing (seizures, lethargy, inappetence) before needing to euthanize due to a poor quality of life.
What I’ve done so far
- Bladder stone surgery with ultrasound in Winter of 2018 (~$4000)
- Pre-anesthetic blood, urine, x-ray screening (~$500)
- CT scan to map where the liver shunt is and how many stones are in the bladder ($2058)
- Feeding an appropriate liver diet, lactulose, antibiotics, anti-seizure medications ($200 per month)
What I need help to cover now
- Surgical correction involves closing the shunting vein and redirecting the flow of blood appropriately into the liver
- The surgery costs $5339-6622 and does not include the costs of any rechecks or follow up work. I do have pet insurance but unfortunately it won’t cover the surgery.
I’m saving up for his surgery now and any little bit of help means so much to me! Even if it’s a few dollars, I would be so grateful and Kobe would be, too!
At 23 years old I am trying my hardest to pay off all of Kobe’s bills. I’m working two jobs and spend most of my time off with Kobe nowadays. He's my life and my baby. Kobe is only 3 years old and has already gone through so many hardships and health problems. I just want this chapter closed so that he can finally live a normal, happy, and healthy life going forward.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading about Kobe’s story and for considering donating.
I would like to thank Kobe's amazing vet Dr. Do for providing excellent care over the past few years and helping me with this go fund me page.
I would like to thank my friend and coworker Mel Terry for helping me brainstorm ideas on how to help my beloved dog Kobe.
Attached are photos.
For more information about liver shunts, please refer to this website: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/portosystemic-shunt-in-dogs
Let me take you through our journey. On April 2016, I adopted Kobe from a family that had neglected his needs for socialization as a puppy. He spent most of his time alone in a room and was not properly played with or socialized. When Kobe first came home with me at 7 months of age, we had to work through a lot of his behavioural problems. He was aggressive with his food and toys and he was fearful of any loud noises, strangers, and any sudden hand movements. With a lot of hard work and patience, Kobe now completely trusts me and he lets me do everything with him. He’s opened up so much and is now thriving at his second chance at living like a normal dog.
On Christmas day of 2016, Kobe started to pee blood and seemed to be in pain when urinating. We took him to the veterinary hospital to run urine tests, x-rays, and finally an ultrasound to find struvite-urate stones in his bladder that needed to be removed. I did not hesitate to scramble to find a way to pay for the $4000 dollar surgery. Once Kobe recovered from the surgery, he felt so much better and his health was back to normal.
In the summer of 2018, Kobe had his first seizure. I rushed him over to the veterinary hospital in tears. Blood tests, urine tests, and x-rays were done and Kobe was referred to a specialist because of concerns for his liver and because he had blood in his pee again. At the Toronto Veterinary Emergency Hospital, specialists performed a CT scan (advanced imaging) and they found a Portosystemic (Liver) Shunt and another urate stone. I was told that Kobe will need a surgery to close the shunt or else he will develop liver failure and die early in life.
What is a Portosystemic Shunt?
- In most cases and in Kobe’s case, there is a defect at birth in the “portal vein”
- Blood normally flows through the liver via the portal vein for it to get rid of toxins and other metabolism byproducts
- Dogs with portosystemic shunts have an abnormal portal vein that allows blood to bypass or shunt around the liver instead of through it, leading directly back into the body’s circulation without being detoxified
I am currently managing Kobe on a liver friendly diet, liver medications, and medications to control his seizures. He is stable but I can see that his behaviours aren't like a normal 3 year old. He sleeps a lot now and he doesn't want to be bothered as much with anyone.
Did you know…
- Surgery provides a 95% success rate, meaning Kobe can be expected to live a normal dog’s lifespan after surgery
- Without surgery, the expected lifespan of more than half of all dogs with liver shunts is about 10 months. This is especially true for younger dogs. It would be 10 months of the liver failing (seizures, lethargy, inappetence) before needing to euthanize due to a poor quality of life.
What I’ve done so far
- Bladder stone surgery with ultrasound in Winter of 2018 (~$4000)
- Pre-anesthetic blood, urine, x-ray screening (~$500)
- CT scan to map where the liver shunt is and how many stones are in the bladder ($2058)
- Feeding an appropriate liver diet, lactulose, antibiotics, anti-seizure medications ($200 per month)
What I need help to cover now
- Surgical correction involves closing the shunting vein and redirecting the flow of blood appropriately into the liver
- The surgery costs $5339-6622 and does not include the costs of any rechecks or follow up work. I do have pet insurance but unfortunately it won’t cover the surgery.
I’m saving up for his surgery now and any little bit of help means so much to me! Even if it’s a few dollars, I would be so grateful and Kobe would be, too!
At 23 years old I am trying my hardest to pay off all of Kobe’s bills. I’m working two jobs and spend most of my time off with Kobe nowadays. He's my life and my baby. Kobe is only 3 years old and has already gone through so many hardships and health problems. I just want this chapter closed so that he can finally live a normal, happy, and healthy life going forward.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading about Kobe’s story and for considering donating.
I would like to thank Kobe's amazing vet Dr. Do for providing excellent care over the past few years and helping me with this go fund me page.
I would like to thank my friend and coworker Mel Terry for helping me brainstorm ideas on how to help my beloved dog Kobe.
Attached are photos.
For more information about liver shunts, please refer to this website: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/portosystemic-shunt-in-dogs