Common Diagnoses | Liver Disease

The liver is one of the most complex organs within your pet's system. It is responsible for storage of essential vitamins and minerals and it plays a vital role in both digestion and removal of toxic substances from your pet's body. The liver is an active part of your pet's immune system and it produces key factors in your pet's ability to clot blood normally. Because it interacts and depends on so many other organs within the body, it is also a common organ to be affected by a great number of problems your pet may encounter with age. With so many functions, so many things can go wrong and diagnoses can be confusing. Your pet can present with a multitude of symptoms if the liver not working efficiently. Luckily it is one of the few organ systems that has a great capacity to heal and actually regenerate itself, so "liver disease," though often serious and sometimes difficult to diagnosis, is not necessarily a fatal disease.

Causes of Liver Disease:

Infections: Both viral and bacterial.

Toxins: Typically due to ingestions of plants, rotting food, over-the-counter medications (avoid giving acetaminophen (Tylenol) to dogs and cats—just don't do it!), or overdosing of pet or human prescriptions such as rimadyl, deramaxx or some of the commonly used anti-depressants. The latter typically occurs when medications are accidentally left on tables or counter tops and childproof caps don't have a chance against a willing set of canine teeth—so keep all prescription medication away from both children and pets!

In cats: Feline Hepatic Lipidosis: If this website was exclusively about cats this would top the page. Hepatic lipidosis occurs rapidly and is difficult to reverse once it's established. When the disease occurs, cats will not eat for a number of days, resulting in fat being deposited in your cat's liver. It is a poorly understood process that is often a secondary result of stress or other disease processes and it can progress quickly. This disease interferes with the liver's ability to function normally and it can be fatal. Development of lipidosis almost always precedes symptoms, so don't wait on your cat's appetite. If your cat does not eat for 48 hours, contact your veterinarian to set up a same-day appointment to discuss with your veterinarian how your cat should be treated.

Breed specific tendencies: Cocker Spaniels and Siamese cats are more likely to have liver problems.

Cancer: Including, but not limited to, carcinomas, hemangiosarcomas (common in Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers) and lymphoma.

Vascular abnormalities: Typically broken down into congenital vascular "shunts"—much more common in small pure-bred dogs though they can occur in large or mixed breed puppies and acquired vascular shunts which typically occur in middle aged to older dogs of all breeds and size.

Aging fibrotic changes: Often termed cirrhosis.

Diagnostic Methods:

Because there are many possible causes of liver disease, a specific diagnosis can be difficult. This is especially true with the liver, as basic blood work does not always give veterinarians direct insight into the magnitude of your pet's problem. Blood panels evaluate liver enzymes, which can be elevated due to processes within the body not directly related to a liver problem. On the other hand, even when liver tissue is directly affected, enzymes can elevate early in the disease, but later drop back into a more normal range if a problem has become more chronic. In pets with more serious, long-term disease, affected liver tissue can actually stop producing normal enzymes, making it look on paper as if your pet's liver is normal. Because of this, more thorough diagnostics such as bile acids (liver function) testing, ultrasound, ultrasound guided biopsies or needle aspirates, urinalyses, coagulation profiles and complete blood counts are often vital to getting a thorough picture of your pet's disease. At Canyon Pet Hospital, we pride ourselves on having the ability to do the majority of this testing in-house, with same-day or next day results, so your pet can be treated quickly and more accurately for their specific problem.

Signs of Liver Disease:

The more common signs of liver disease in adult dogs and cats include:

In puppies signs of liver or vascular abnormalities include:

The above signs are seen in waves and are usually seen with increased severity 30 minutes to an hour after mealtime or snack.

If your pet has been diagnosed with liver disease:

It is always important to report any new or worsening symptoms to your veterinarian. Give all prescribed medications as directed and do not stop or change dosages of medication without consulting with the veterinarian. Often, food or dietary changes or restrictions will be given, such as feeding lower amounts of protein in your pet's diet and focusing on small amount of high quality, highly digestible proteins as well as good carbohydrates and fats. This type of diet, along with quality nutritional supplements, helps limit the production of metabolic toxins, reduces liver workload, and improves liver efficiency. If possible, divide your pet's daily food total into frequent small meals, including one just before you turn them in at night. Always provide access to fresh, clean water and do not restrict water intake without first consulting your veterinarian.