Diagnosis and medical management of liver shunts in San Leandro, CA | VCA Bay Area Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Hospital

We have made the difficult decision to permanently close VCA Bay Area Veterinary Specialists. Emergency services will cease on 3/22, and the hospital will close on 3/31. Patient records are being transferred to VCA Encina Veterinary Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where they have specialists in internal medicine, medical oncology, surgery, and dentistry. You can continue to call our main line to request your pet’s medical records, as it will be directed to a dedicated voicemail after our closure.

For any emergencies after 3/22, we encourage you to locate the nearest 24/7 hospital to you. Three nearby options are SAGE Veterinary Centers in Dublin, OakVet Animal Specialty Hospital in Oakland or VCA Encina in Walnut Creek.

We deeply appreciate your trust and support over the years our hospital has served this community. It has been a joy and a privilege to care for your pets.

Diagnosis and Medical Management of Liver Shunts

Portosystemic shunts can be diagnosed via several methods including:

Abdominal ultrasound
Nuclear scintigraphy
Abdominal CT scan
Cranial mesenteric arteriograms

Abdominal ultrasound is considered the least invasive. However, it only has approximately 70% sensitivity (ability to diagnose a portosystemic shunt when present). Abdominal CT scan and cranial mesenteric arteriograms require general anesthesia and are costly, but they provide the anatomy of the shunting vessel. Nuclear scintigraphy is considered the gold standard (best test available) test and it is non-invasive. Nonetheless, patients become radioactive for 12-24 hours. This may require an overnight stay in the hospital.

Medical management of liver shunts is done via controlling clinical signs. This is best attained by using a combination of diet, antibiotics and laxatives. Treatment is tailored to each individual patient.