Photo: Alonso Nichols

VETERINARY FILE

SHILOH

Complaint: Runt of her part-Bernese-mountain-dog litter; vomiting, drooling, acting agitated.

Diagnosis: Liver shunt, a birth defect in which an important blood vessel fails to close, affecting the liver’s ability to process nutrients and filter toxins.

Treatment: John Rush at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine (the only vet in New England who treats liver shunts without risky invasive surgery) inserted a special mesh stent to promote blood clotting and reduce blood flow through the shunt. The resulting dam directs the blood back where it belongs.

Outcome: Shiloh, now two, has recovered. “She’s much more playful with our five children,” says her owner, Ellen Penafiel. “She will go to her bin and grab a toy, something she never did before.”