Bichon Frisé

Hi, everyone -

I have some important, heartbreaking news.
Before Christmas, I got a text from a lady who got one of Merry & Bentley's puppies last year. She brought the puppy to the vet, because she was going to have some retained puppy teeth pulled. The vet did a routine pre-surgery blood test and found out that something was wrong with the liver numbers. After further testing, an ultrasound, and, finally, a liver biopsy, it was confirmed in February that the puppy has something called Microvascular Dysplasia (MVD). Basically, it's an abnormality that inhibits the growth and function of the liver. There wasn't any indication that the puppy wasn't healthy. She doesn't have a shunt, which can accompany MVD.  Typically, a puppy with a shunt is more adversely affected and likely to show symptoms.  Many dogs with MVD are asymptomatic.

We started doing bile acid testing on some of our dogs to check their liver function. The test includes having blood drawn after an overnight fast (pre-prandial) followed by a blood draw 2 hours after eating (post-prandial). Typically, the pre-prandial level is quite low (0-15 normal). The post-prandial level should be under 30 (some sources say 25, some say 35 are normal). We started off by testing three of Bentley and Merry's puppies from different litters. Two of the puppies (Curly & Ethel) tested great, and one (Col. Mustard) was just slightly higher than normal (31.7) on the post-prandial test. I was relieved, as the puppy with confirmed MVD tested at 47 pre-prandial and 117 post-prandial.  Next, I brought Merry and Bentley in.  Merry was fine: 2.1, 14.8. Bentley's results were great for his pre-prandial test: <1, but abnormally high for his post-prandial test: 73, so we're assuming that he has MVD. The only way to know for sure is through a liver biopsy.  After getting those two checked, I brought in another puppy, Mr. Green.  He also had a higher-than-normal result (19 & 51).  The high pre-prandial number could have been because when I groomed him that morning, and he was licking the table where there had been some food.  Technically, for the test, the dogs aren't supposed to be around food or given a chew toy for at least 8 hours before the test, because that can trigger their body to start getting ready to digest food.  Regardless, his post-prandial numbers were elevated.

Basically, there is no cure for MVD. It's just managed through diet and supplements, if necessary, as well as avoiding medications that are hard on the liver, which isn't a bad idea anyway.  Many dogs go through life with the condition, and it isn't discovered until the dog is older and has bloodwork done for something else.

We're sad, not only because we will no longer be able to have puppies from Bentley, but because there are potentially other puppies from him with MVD - both Bichons and Teddy Bears. I haven't heard of any others with the condition, so I'm hoping there aren't many.

At this time, I'm not sure when or if we'll be getting another male. Finding a nice Bichon male for breeding has proven difficult. Bentley was the 8th one we have had here in 12 years. Some, I never used, some I only had a couple of litters with. Bentley's conformation and personality (aside from being a little annoying when he sees me... he's a bit pathetic haha) are amazing. Finding another one like him would be extremely difficult. Those are some big shoes to fill.

We will be looking for people who are willing to offer a good home to Bentley and other dogs/puppies we have here from him who have abnormal bile acid results.  Most dogs with the condition go on to live full, normal lives.  We're hoping that's the case with Bentley and his offspring.  Please contact me if you're interested in providing a home for one of them.