Dog Liver Disease

The largest organ in the body is the liver, an indication of its importance in health. It is involved with almost all of the biochemical pathways that allow growth, fight disease, supply nutrients, provide energy, and aid reproduction. Liver cells, which are called hepatocytes, go through thousands of complex biochemical reactions every second in order to perform these myriad functions.

Since the liver is involved with almost all biochemical processes it is no wonder that there are many different diseases that will affect it.

Symptoms

Symptoms of liver disease are variable and subtle in the early stages of the problem. The classic symptoms are:

Poor appetite (anorexia)- This is a common symptom

Weight loss- The poor appetite that occurs in liver disease eventually leads to loss of weight. Improper metabolism of fat, carbohydrates, and proteins complicates the situation also.

Polyuria/polydypsia (PU/PD)- This is excess urinating and excess drinking of water. This can occur in liver disease, although several other important diseases cause these symptoms also, notably, kidney disease, Cushing's disease, pyometra, and diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes).

Lethargy- Poor appetite and disruption in normal physiologic processes leads to this symptom.

Anemia- Improper nutrition from a poor appetite, along with disease in the hepatocytes will cause this.

Light colored stool- If the biliary tree is prevented from secreting normal bile pigments into the intestine the stool will lack pigmentation and appear lighter in color.

Bleeding disorders- The normal clotting system is impaired since it depends on a healthy liver.

Distended abdomen due to ascites or hepatomegaly. If the distention is severe enough breathing might be labored from pain or the pressure on the diaphragm.

Vomiting (emesis), nausea, or diarrhea. Sometimes blood is present in the vomitus (hematemesis), especially if a gastric ulcer is present. The ulcer comes from a complex interaction of histamine, nitrogen, bile acids, Gastrin, portal hypertension, and an altered mucous membrane lining the inside of the stomach.

Pain due to distention of a diseased liver.

Orange colored urine or mucous membranes due to jaundice.

Behavioral changes- circling, head tilt, heap pressing, and seizures, particularly right after a meal.

In a recent study it was found that dogs with liver disease can also have high blood pressure. This is called hypertension, and should be monitored to see if therapy is needed.

Diagnosis tests

1. Physical exam,  blood test, urinalysis, and ultrasound.

A thorough approach is needed for a correct diagnosis of any liver problem. An organ like the liver that is so intimately involved with other important organs will exhibit symptoms that mimic disease in these other organs. Also, what initially might appear as a diseased liver is in reality a disease elsewhere in the body that is involved with the liver secondarily. This is why it is crucial to follow a thorough and methodical approach.

1. Signals

Liver disease can occur in pets of any age. If it occurs in young animals we tend to think more of toxicity, a liver shunt or a viral disease like adenovirus in dogs. In older pets we tend to think more of inflammation and cancer as the cause of the liver problem.

Several canine breeds are prone to getting liver disease:

Bedlington terrier's, Skye terriers, Doberman pinschers, and West Highland White terriers get a problem with excessive copper accumulation that results from failure of normal biliary excretion of copper.

Cocker spaniels have an increased incidence of chronic hepatitis.

Many medications that are used for dogs have side effects that can cause liver or kidney problems.

For example Phenobarbital is commonly prescribed for dogs with seizures.  The side effect is that Phenobarbital may be harmful to the dog's liver. 

Resources:

http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/PBLiver.html  

Phenobarbital Effects

I found out there is another med called Potassium Bromide which also controls seizures in dogs.  And Potassium Bromide does not do harm to the liver.  I found that most vets always prescribe Phenobarbital because (1) is is cheaper and (2) it is usually more effective at controlling the seizures.   However, in many cases Potassium Bromide would be effective.  And if it costs double the money, who cares if it is effective and not in danger of damaging the liver.  It would be worth it.   There are some vets that do prescribe Potassium Bromide, so you can check with various vets to find the ones that use this.

Here is a site by Long Beach Animal Hospital with information on dog liver disease

Long Beach Animal Hospital

Natural herbs and tonics for dogs with liver problems.

I found that milk thistle is a great natural herb that is beneficial for the liver

Milk Thistle  Pet Well Being