Jaundice/pancreatitis/cushings

[Charliesmom55]

Hi.  My sweet chihuahua, Charlie is 11 years old.  He was diagnosed with Cushing's disease about 1 1/2 years ago.  About 9 months ago, he had one of his anal sacs removed due to cancer, followed by radiation (as far as we know there is no metastasis). He also developed bladder stones around the same time as his anal sea resection, so they removed the stones at the same time.  He's been on Urinary SO since then.

On New Year's eve, Charlie got to a plate of deviled eggs that had bacon on top.  We're not really sure how many he ate ( I didn't make them).  A few hours later we noticed the left side of his stomach totally bloated.  We rushed him to the ER where they diagnosed him with food bloat.  Within 2 days he developed pancreatitis and started to show significant signs of improvement (more energy, more appetite, drinking water, no more swelling, not tender, etc).  They allowed us to treat him at home as long as he was eating and drinking and getting better every day, which he had been.  We brought him back to the vet twice for extra fluids.

This morning, i noticed his belly was yellowish and his poop was grayish so I brought him straight to the vet.  They tested his urine and confirmed jaundice.  They are going to keep him for a few days to give him IV fluids, antibiotics, etc.  They are doing a sonogram of liver tomorrow.

My questions:  I'm looking for insight on his prognosis ( I get that there are no crystal balls here).  I know cushing's makes him more prone to pancreatitis.  Is it common to get jaundice after a bout of pancreatitis?  Will his cushing's prevent him from getting over jaundice?  What's the prognosis of overcoming liver issues?  If there is a blockage, do you think surgery is a wise choice?  ANY info you can provide would be much appreciated.

[Mjlesy]

Thank you so much for all your care to your little man. I am very interested in learning on how his liver sonogram goes.  My chi has liver disease, but it is controlled by medication and diet.
If it does turn out to be something of the liver, I really hope that all goes well.
Sorry that I am of no help otherwise.
Best wishes.

[Jerry_NJ]

So sorry to read of the suffering, Charlie and his family, bless you for putting so much into his survival.. you must love him very much.. and I understand that too.

I can't be of any help, but seeing your post about to drop from page 1 on this community I decided to reply to let you know you post isn't unread.

Perhaps you can now help answer some of your questions and share them here - and drop in any time in the future to share information, ask other questions, and help others who have questions...e.g., we just took in as a foster dog (likely will adopt - don't know how I could take him back) from a local rescue shelter that houses most of their animals.   The guy we took in was guessed to be a Chihuahua mix, but he looks to be at least 80% short haired Chi to me (based on pictures I find on the web).  But, he is 10 pounds and underweight, hope to see him up to at least 12 pounds, is close to 12" at the shoulder, so way beyond the size associated with a Chi... any ideas?

I hope Charlie is doing better and any advice on Chi to me is welcome, our Jasper was an immediate lapdog so he must have had a home life prior to being rescued from the street.  He's estimated to be 5 years old.  He had spent about a year in the shelter and when learning that and meeting him I couldn't just leave him there.

If interested in a side discussion on Chi, I'm very interesting in learning, and can only tell the little I've learned in one week with Jasper.  I also have a link to the rescue advertisement for him with pictures and can provide them.

You can send me a "note" or "private message" if the above seems useful and of interest to you.  Or you can ask me to send the message to you in a reply here, I will watch.  This would save you the "learning curve" here to send the message.

Best to Charlie (mom)