Because of the dangers a damaged liver present to the health of your dog, it would be best to be educated about how to prevent the disease from forming. Learn about the causes and symptoms of canine liver disease, then review the below treatments and preventative measures that can be taken to safeguard against liver failure in your pet.
Prevention
There are many causes which can contribute to a dog’s susceptibility to liver disease. Here are some tips for helping prevent the disease from developing.
Improve the dog’s nutrition. Diet is one of the most important aspects of managing a dog’s health. Talk with your vet about what kinds of foods to avoid (for example sodium and potassium high foods should be limited, as the retention and intake of these in particular can be bad for the liver.) Consider giving your dog distilled water to lower the amount of minerals he is ingesting.
Limit the amount of copper the dog’s diet. High levels of copper in a dog’s system puts strain on the kidney.
Be wary of poisons/cleaning products around the house. Note if you dog may have access to anything which could be poisonous around your house, such as cleaners like bleach, heavy soaps, aerosols, antifreeze, etc. Review the list of toxic household goods to see if anything rings a bell.
Consider possible toxic exposure your dog might be experiencing. Are there pesticides used in your neighborhood? Is your dog taking any medications where one of the side effects is liver disease? Has he ingested any pills accidentally, or human drugs? If the dog is on daily medication, such as seizure management meds, ask if there is any ingredient that might correlate to liver disease, and if there is an alternative medication to use instead.
Treatments
Unfortunately, not all kinds of liver disease or liver failure are curable, especially if the damage is over 90%. However, with proper care, dietary changes, an animal might be able to enjoy a fairly comfortable life in spite of the difficulties. Here are some options:
Supplemental treatments: AVOIDING copper, talk to the vet about adding supplements like vitamin K (to address the blood coagulation issue) and vitamin E to lessen oxidative liver injury and reduce free radicals from the dog’s system. There is also a liver disease therapy treatment which can be fed to your dog in supplement form. It is called SAMe or S-dadenosylmthionine, which provides strong support for the liver functions.
Lower the dog’s caloric intake: Do so by diminishing the fats from his diet. Make sure to feed him well-balanced foods.
Rehydration and antibiotics: If the dog is suffering from serious dehydration, they can receive fluid replenishing treatments and IVs at the vet. If necessary there are also antibiotics, steroids, and ursodeoxycholic acid, or even blood transfusions in severe cases which might be prescribed if the vet deems this a safe approach for your dog.