Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Non-surgical diet and lactulose outcomes in dogs with congenital
By Favier, Robert P et al.·Published in The veterinary quarterly·2020·Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Outcome of non-surgical dietary treatment with or without lactulose in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts (CPSS), a condition where blood bypasses the liver, were treated with a special low-protein diet, sometimes combined with lactulose, a medication that helps remove toxins. The dogs were monitored for their quality of life and survival time, which averaged about 3.2 years after diagnosis. Owners reported noticeable improvements in their pets' well-being during treatment, regardless of the type of shunt. This suggests that non-surgical dietary management can be effective for dogs with CPSS.
People also search for: dog liver shunt treatment · low-protein diet for dogs · lactulose for dogs with liver issues
Abstract
Congenital portosystemic shunts (CPSS) are vascular anomalies, allowing portal blood to bypass the hepatic parenchyma, thereby accumulating toxic substances such as ammonia in the systemic circulation resulting in hepatic encephalopathy.To evaluate the outcome of non-surgically treated dogs with a CPSS.Case records of 78 dogs with a single congenital CPSS confirmed by ultrasound and/or computed tomography between September 2003 and February 2015 were reviewed. Median age at diagnosis of CPSS in dogs was 10.8 months (range 2-133 months). Non-surgical treatment was started as an adjusted diet (a diet restricted in protein) with or without lactulose. Owners were contacted by telephone to determine survival time and presumed cause of death, if applicable. In addition, a questionnaire was used to retrospectively assess quality of life (QoL) and CPSS scores in 37 dogs before and during non-surgical treatment. Differences between Kaplan-Meier curves were tested by a Log rank test.Overall estimated median survival time (EMST) was 38.5 months (range 1 day - 91 months; 78 dogs). No significant differences between EMSTs were found between dogs with extra- ( = 48) or intrahepatic ( = 29) shunts, nor between treatment with only an adjusted diet, or an adjusted diet combined with lactulose. During non-surgical treatment, significant improvement in perceived QoL and CPSS scores were found ( < 0.01).Our study demonstrated that an overall median EMST of 3.2 years was reached and that owners retrospectively perceived that non-surgical treatment resulted in an improved QoL and clinical performance, irrespective of intrahepatic or extrahepatic CPSS location.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32194008/