Please Help . We need Information

[Matthias]

Hello together !
i stay in germany and i have a little chihuahua. He is 5 years old and 8 month ago the Dr. say to us that he have a hydrocephalus. The vet wants to do an operation, to put a shunt in order to get the water out of the cephalus.

The question is: has anybody heard about this operation in dogs? I know it in humans and it is not difficult and mostly successful. If anybody has heard about the operation in dogs and the results, who does the dog feal/live with such a shunt afterwards, who are the chances to survive the operation? Please let me know asap. Please provide also a link, if you find one, about this kind of operation.

The dog is at the moment treated with cortison but it is not enough to cope with the problem.

Thank you very much in advance.

Matthias :confused:

[Renee750il]

Matthias, I'm so sorry to hear about your little one's health. This is a hard decision to have to make. I can't say that I've ever run across this before. Have you done some internet searches on the subject?

Your vet should be willing to sit down with you and explain the care and long term effects of the surgery for you and your dog, and tell you how many, if any, of these procedures he's done. If none, are you going to be referred to another vet or a specialist, and if so, that vet should be willing to sit down with you and discuss everything before you commit to having the surgery done.

Keep in touch with us, and if any of us find anything out we'll surely let you know.

[Debi]

I have no advise for you. I just hope your little pup is ok. Sounds so very serious. My thoughts are with you.......keep us posted.

[flyndog]

Matthias, I'm so sorry you and your dog are going through this. I agree with Renee. Talk to your vet. If possible, I would get a second opinion from another vet before surgury. Good luck to you both!
Kit