posted by Tess on Jun 19
The liver has innate properties of regenerating itself and can function easily even when a major part of its mass has been affected by a disease. This is the double edged nature of the largest organ in the body. It is advantageous in as much as it means that it keeps on working to its full potential for a long time even when it is affected by a liver disease. On the other hand, it also restricts manifestation of symptoms of liver disease in dogs while the disease continues to progress.
Liver disease in dogs throws up multiple symptoms, which are often confusing as they can relate to many mild disorders. The liver being the main industrial center in the body, performing multiple functions, is connected with practically all the biochemical processes that a body needs to function at optimal levels. As such, liver disease can affect any part of the body and in turn be affected by viral or bacterial infections in other organs or body systems. Some of the main symptoms of liver diseases in dogs are:
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posted by Tess on Jun 9
The large size of the liver stands testimony to the multifunctional roles that it plays in the health of a dog. Its importance can be gauged from the fact that 25% of the blood pumped out with each heartbeat goes into the liver alone.
Another significant aspect of the liver lies in the fact that it stores its capacity for emergencies and uses only a small amount of its potential at any given time. This inherent property actually works against your pet as the symptoms of liver disease in dogs remain hidden for a long time. The liver has an advantage that is matched by very few organs in the body. Liver cells can regenerate themselves allowing a disease struck liver to resume normal functions in many cases.
The liver is also involved in practically all that goes on in the body. It is involved in growth, supply of nutrients, providing energy and filtering toxins. It also aids other organs in their functions. Understanding liver disease in dogs is a complex process. The causes behind liver malfunction, however, can be tabulated for easy understanding.
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posted by Tess on May 6
Out of the numerous liver functions, filtering of blood is perhaps one of the most important and crucial to the health of your dog. After the food has been digested in the intestines it is absorbed into the portal blood stream and carried to the liver. The liver works upon it to:
* Store some of the food for energy.
* Filter bacteria, chemicals, toxins and nutritional byproducts.
* Produce proteins and other substances necessary for life.
A liver shunt is a condition where the portal blood vessel, instead of carrying blood through the liver, carries it around it. In dogs with a liver shunt the unfiltered blood is carried into the body and toxins accumulate in the blood stream and kidneys, a condition that ultimately causes serious problems.
There are reasonable indications that suggest that liver shunt is a congenital liver disease in dogs and mostly the young puppy dies within weeks after birth. Some dogs do survive for years before some of the symptoms of liver disease in dogs like seizures, abnormal behaviors and serious illnesses become noticeable. In certain cases, however, liver shunt is acquired later in life due to insult to the organ due to a disease or injury.
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posted by Tess on May 2
A liver shunt is a blood vessel that carries blood around the liver instead of carrying blood through the liver. A liver shunt problem is mostly congenital. A dog may also acquire multiple small shunts from a severe liver disease, such as cirrhosis. There are basically two kinds of liver shunt conditions that are possible – congenital liver shunt and acquired liver shunt.
Congenital Liver Shunts
The liver function is not needed in the fetus. The mother’s liver performs functions like filtering, production of proteins and storage of sugar for the unborn baby. There is a large shunt in mammalian fetuses that carries blood from the fetal liver to the heart. This shunt (duct) usually closes once the baby’s liver becomes operational before or after birth. In rare cases this shunt does not close leading to what is known as a congenital ‘intra hepatic’ shunt. In certain cases, a blood vessel outside the liver grows abnormally and remains open while the fetal shunt closes. This condition is known as congenital ‘extra-hepatic’ shunt.
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posted by Tess on Apr 21
Certain factors make it is very difficult to diagnose liver disease in dogs .
* Symptoms of liver disease in dogs are difficult to pin point as they are subtle and vague and often mimic those relating to other diseases.
* Liver cells can continue to perform their dedicated functions despite the liver mass being affected.
* The liver has a great reserve capacity.
* The liver can be affected by other diseases as it supports and is supported by many other organs and systems in the body.
All these factors can lead to frustration for a veterinarian to diagnose whether the liver is affected and to what extent. One of the tools that the specialist will use is to get a complete chemistry profile of a blood sample. Although, clinical pathological tests and enzymology play a crucial role in arriving at correct diagnoses, it seldom indicates any deviation from a healthy condition of the liver. Enzymology is a branch of biochemistry that deals with the chemical nature and biological activity of enzymes.
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posted by Tess on Apr 2
Its multifunctional nature and its unusually large size with six lobes, makes the liver a complex organ. It is equally affected by primary diseases that originate from it and secondary problems that start from other organs but reflect upon liver functions. Veterinarians usually perceive liver disease in dogs on the basis of the age of the animal. In young dogs, a liver disease is normally caused by toxicity, diversion of blood from normal channels or viruses. In older dogs inflammation and cancer are the usual suspects.
A specific diagnosis of liver disease is not possible as there are too many causes of liver disease in pets and feline liver disease and canine liver disease cannot be diagnosed too easily. Moreover the symptoms of liver disease in dogs are subtle and tend to overlap with other conditions. Feeling the abdomen usually lets the veterinarian know whether there is an enlargement of the liver. Yellow coloration of the gums, teeth and mucous membrane are indicative of jaundice, a type of liver disease that is caused by excessive retention of bilirubin. Beyond that a series of laboratory blood tests need to be done to confirm a diagnosis.
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posted by Tess on Mar 25
To understand the causes of liver disease in dogs it is important to have a look at its physiology. The liver is involved in multiple functions and therefore its health can affect numerous organs. Conversely, the health of various other organs can negatively affect the health of the liver too. A summary of liver functions is presented here:
* Metabolism - The liver regulates the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and proteins.
* Detoxification - It is a multi phased process that involves deactivating an offending drug for easy elimination and converting an inactive compound into an active form so that it can circulate through the blood stream and have an affect on the body.
* Bile Metabolism - Bile is produced by liver cells and secreted by them into channels in the liver and stored in the bladder. Inactive compounds are eliminated in the bile, red blood cells are re-circulated through the bile system, and bile helps in absorption of fats from the intestines to the blood stream.
* Coagulation - The liver plans and directs the complex synthesis of proteins that initiate and maintain clotting of blood.
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posted by Tess on Mar 21
Liver disease in dogs is a more common occurrence than feline liver disease. Liver has always been a mysterious organ, which performs more functions in maintaining life than any other organ in the body. Its large size with the capacity to continue work even when it is affected by disease makes it difficult to diagnose a liver disease. In addition, given the right support, liver cells can regenerate and bounce back to normal functioning.
One of the major functions of liver is to metabolize fats, carbohydrates and proteins. If the liver does not function properly, the nutrients cannot be metabolized effectively and harmful by-products cannot be broken down. This can greatly affect the detoxification process. For example:
* The bacteria in large intestines produce toxic ammonia while breaking down proteins for absorption in the blood stream.
* When the liver is unable to provide essential nutrients to the body, cells break down body tissue to cover up the loss. Ammonia is also produced during this process.
* Liver disease leads to an inability to detoxify toxins and they enter the blood and circulate throughout the body.
* In severe conditions contaminated blood reaches the brain and causes hepatic encephalopathy leading to fits, seizures, excess salivation and head pressing.
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posted by Tess on Mar 16
Before understanding the treatment of liver disease in dogs, it is necessary to understand the functions that the liver performs in the body. The liver is the largest and among the most important organs in the body with an immense reserve capacity. Its multiple functions include:
* Regulation of the level of most of the chemicals in the body.
* Production of proteins for blood plasma.
* Conversion of waste products.
* Support in the regulation of fat distribution in the body.
* Production of bile for easy digestion.
* Regulation of amino acid levels.
* Storage of glycogen for later use as an energy source as per need of the body.
* Elimination of toxins from the blood.
Some of its functions are similar to those of other organs, which is one of the reasons that symptoms of liver disease in dogs resemble those caused by minor ailments of other organs.
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posted by Tess on Mar 13
The liver performs important functions like detoxification of the blood, production of bile for digestion and the removal of waste from the body. It is structured with six lobes and is one of the most complex organs in the body of the dog.
An early detection of a liver infection in a dog can help in improving the prognosis of pet liver diseases including feline liver disease . The unusually vast capacity of the liver to continue to function even when afflicted is mostly responsible for late detection of liver disease in dogs. Early detection is also tough since the symptoms of liver disease tend to surface only after the disease has progressed. Symptoms of liver disease in dogs may be gradual or sudden and symptomatic of certain conditions like indigestion and anxiety.
There are multiple causes of liver disease and a specific diagnosis is not always possible. Some of the major causes include:
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