Congenital portosystemic shunts in Maltese and Australian Cattle Dogs

Abstract

Congenital portosystemic shunts were definitively diagnosed in 62 dogs over a period of 15 years. Maltese and Australian Cattle Dogs were significantly overrepresented, accounting for 14 and 13 cases, respectively. Maltese invariably had a single extrahepatic shunt derived from the left gastric or gastrosplenic vein, whereas Cattle Dogs usually had large intrahepatic shunts involving the right liver lobes. The clinical syndromes resulting from anomalous portosystemic communications were indistinguishable in the 2 breeds. Fasting blood ammonia concentration was elevated in 20 of 22 dogs tested, providing a minimally invasive and effective means of diagnosis. Complete or partial shunt attenuation was performed successfully in all 9 Maltese and in 2 of 6 Cattle Dogs in which it was attempted.

Inherited liver shunts in dogs elucidate pathways regulating embryonic development and clinical disorders of the portal vein

“…In addition, EHPSS and IHPSS were very rarely seen in the same breed (Hunt 2004; Krotscheck et al 2007; Martin 1993; Tobias and Rohrbach 2003; Vulgamott 1985; Winkler et al 2003). Intrahepatic shunts were diagnosed mainly in large dog breeds and extrahepatic shunts in the smaller and toy breeds (Tobias and Rohrbach 2003; Tisdall et al 1994). CPSS in humans has been classified as being a rare disease (Stringer 2008).…”

“…In dogs, the closure occurs within 6–9 days (Lamb and Burton 2004). IHPSS is diagnosed almost exclusively in large-sized purebred dogs (Hunt 2004; Rothuizen and van den Ingh 1982) and a predisposition to IHPSS is suggested for Irish wolfhounds (Kerr and van Doorn 1999; Meyer et al 1995), Australian Cattle dogs (Tisdall et al 1994), Old English Sheepdogs (Lamb and White 1998), and Labrador and Golden retrievers (Tobias and Rohrbach 2003; van den Ingh et al 1995). The shunt can be anatomically positioned at the left or right side or centrally in the liver.…”

“…Extrahepatic shunts occur in small dog breeds with a predisposition in Cairn terriers (van Straten et al 2005), Yorkshire terriers (Tobias 2003; Tobias and Rohrbach 2003), Jack Russell terriers (Hunt 2004), Dachshunds (van den Ingh et al 1995), miniature schnauzers, Havanese, Dandie Dinmont terriers (Tobias and Rohrbach 2003), and Maltese (Tisdall et al 1994). …”

Distribution of extrahepatic congenital portosystemic shunt morphology in predisposed dog breeds

“…Pedigree analyses of intrahepatic shunts of Irish wolfhounds [3,11] and of extrahepatic shunts of Yorkshire terriers [12] and Cairn terriers [10,13] have shown an inherited basis of shunts in these breeds. Besides the Cairn and Yorkshire terriers, a breed predisposition for EHPSS has been reported for Jack Russell terriers [8], Dachshunds [14], Miniature schnauzers [6] and Maltese [15], which also indicates a hereditary background of the disorder in these breeds [10,13]. Test matings in Cairn terriers showed that EHPSS in this breed has a complex, probably polygenic mode of inheritance [10].…”

Transjugular coil embolization of an intrahepatic portosystemic shunt in a cat

“…[5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Reported mortality rates following surgical treatment of intrahepatic PSSs in dogs, for instance, range from 23 to 66%, with perioperative mortality rates ranging from 13 to 66%. 6,7,[11][12][13] The prognosis following surgical treatment of intrahepatic PSSs in cats has not been determined, but it is unlikely to be more favorable than in dogs.…”