Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pug puppy with bile duct blockage treated by surgery
By Thiel, Cetina et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2015·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Extrahepatic biliary atresia in a 4-week-old Pug.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-week-old female Pug was brought to the vet because she was lethargic, not gaining weight, and had pale-colored stools. The vet suspected extrahepatic biliary atresia, a condition where bile ducts are blocked, and performed surgery to create a new pathway for bile flow. After the surgery, her stool color returned to normal within a day, and follow-up exams showed she was doing well, although some liver enzyme levels were slightly elevated. While she seemed healthy at 15 months, her bile acid levels were still high, indicating that long-term monitoring will be necessary.
People also search for: puppy pale stools · Pug liver surgery · extrahepatic biliary atresia treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report diagnosis and surgical therapy of extrahepatic biliary atresia in a dog. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical report. ANIMAL: Dog (n = 1). METHODS: A 4-week-old female intact Pug presented with acholic feces, lethargy, and poor weight gain. On the basis of the stool color and abdominal ultrasonography findings, extrahepatic biliary atresia was suspected. Intraoperatively, no major duodenal papilla was identified and cholecystoduodenostomy was performed. RESULTS: One day postoperatively the stool color was considered normal. On ultrasonographic examinations up to 6 months after surgery, the gall bladder remained small and the stoma was functional. Serum biochemical profile after 10 months had a mild increase in alanine-aminotransferase (149 U/L; reference interval [RI], 0-85 U/L) whereas alkaline phosphatase and glutamate dehydrogenase were within normal limits. At 15 months, clinical examination was normal and blood ammonia concentration was within normal limits (43 µmol/L; RI: <100 µmol/L) but bile acid concentrations were still markedly elevated (fasting, 95 µmol/L [RI: <20 µmol/L] to postprandial, 127 µmol/L [RI: <35 µmol/L]). CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonography and stool color can be helpful noninvasive diagnostic evidence in extrahepatic biliary atresia. Surgical correction with cholecystoduodenostomy with a good clinical outcome is possible even in very young dogs. Long-term prognosis in dogs with extrahepatic biliary atresia is unknown.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25546567/