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Treatment

No specific medical care recommended for asymptomatic dogs. You will need to watch for adverse reactions to drugs. Selected drugs or dietary protein restriction is inappropriate to prescribe. You should not treat the symptoms without first consulting your veterinarian.

Brain and nervous system damage that occurs as a complication of liver disorders and protracted vomiting or diarrhea will need to be treated in hospital for supportive care and diagnostic evaluations; these dogs will most likely have other disorders, or complicated MVD. Mild brain and nervous system damage that occurs as a complication of liver disorders will be controlled with a veterinarian approved protein-restricted diet and appropriate medical treatment,

Prevention

Recommendations to eliminate MVD from a particular genetic line or breed are not possible at present. Based on information derived from large pedigrees of Yorkshire terriers, Cairn terriers, Tibetan spaniels, Maltese, shih-tzu, and Havanese dogs, breeding unaffected parents does not eliminate MVD from a kindred. The genetic defect involves vascular malformations commonly involving the liver, but may not be limited to this organ. In high incidence kindreds, you will need to remain vigilant for vaguely ill dogs that may have a portosystemic vascular anomaly; surgical exploration can miss this, as can some of the other standard tests.