canine liver disease
Canine liver disease is more common than most people realize. It generally
occurs in older dogs but that doesn’t mean younger ones won’t ever be affected.
It may surprise you to learn that this ranks in the top 5 reasons of death for
canines. The fact that the liver performs a variety of functions for canines
means that without it working like it should they are susceptible to a variety
of medical problems.
The main responsibility of the liver is to keep the blood clean. When that
doesn’t happen though your dog can end up with toxins in the body and in the
blood. It also helps with the digestion of food and when that isn’t occurring
your dog may not be getting the proper nutritional that it requires.
One of the reasons why canine liver disease can be so deadly is that most dogs
don’t exhibit any symptoms at the onset of it. If that were the case most owners
out there would be taking their pet to the veterinarian early on and a diagnosis
made. Once symptoms do start to show up, the liver disease can already be
progressing and the liver function compromised.
The symptoms that can be evident with canine liver disease include a loss of
appetite, weight loss, loss of energy, swelling in the abdominal region,
discoloration of the urine and feces, signs of pain around the abdomen when
touched. Since these symptoms indicate that the canine liver disease is
advanced, many vets are now doing regular testing for their patients as a way to
detect this problem much sooner.
You may be interested in finding out what causes canine liver disease. With
certain dogs it can be a genetic factor. Most of the time though it is due to
other medical problems including anemia, Pancreatitis, or hepatitis. If your dog
has suffered from parasites or heartworms the liver may be severely affected.
You may think that your home and surroundings are safe, but canine liver disease
is often the result of some type of toxins that they are exposed to. This can be
due to chemicals you use in a garden or that your neighbors may be using so be
very aware of that. If your dog is taking daily medications for some health
concern then that can lead to problems with the liver as well.
Canine liver disease is often associated with diabetes, heart problems, and
cancer in dogs. The foods you feed your dog can be too high in fat as well for
the liver to properly breakdown. This is astonishing to many dog owners because
they aren’t aware that what they feed their dogs can be harmful. Also, dogs that
are obese are more at risk for canine liver disease than those at a reasonable
weight.
The Canine Liver Foundation is dedicated to doing all they can to prevent canine
liver disease. This includes educating owners, helping people to give their dogs
the right diet, and educating veterinarians about the different forms of care
for dogs with liver disease.