Signs of Liver Failure in Dogs

Liver disease and acute liver failure in dogs can be a very scary issue, but knowing the signs may decrease the chance of liver disease seriously affecting your dog’s life. Your dog’s liver tissue is very sensitive, and many environmental or genetic abnormalities can cause liver dysfunction. It’s important to maintain a healthy diet and weight to prevent your dog’s liver from developing liver damage and maintain healthy liver functions.

The liver is one of the body’s vital organs; proper liver function helps with digestion, blood clotting, detoxifying blood, and serves other important roles. When a liver is not working right, and there are signs of liver failure in dogs, it can negatively impact many aspects of your dog’s life, so it is important to know the warning signs of liver failure. When liver problems are caught early on, there is a much greater chance of recovery than if realized too late.

A healthy liver will help with blood clotting, keep bile acids normal, and remove toxins from your pet’s body, preventing both acute and chronic liver disease. Veterinary medicine can aid in the treatment of liver disease if detected.

Causes

There are several conditions that can lead to acute liver disease in dogs, which damages liver cells. Some of the conditions that cause liver disease in dogs and destroy liver tissue include:

• Certain mushrooms can be toxic and result in liver failure in dogs.
• Viral infection or other infectious diseases, such as bacterial infection, and hepatic encephalopathy.
• Ingestion of toxic substances, such as antifreeze, can cause acute liver damage in dogs as well as liver failure.
• Blue-green algae, such as those found in lakes and ponds, is very dangerous and can cause liver dysfunction and liver failure.
• Trauma to the liver, such as from a heat stroke or accident, will also damage liver tissue, clotting factors, and bile flow.
• Chronic hepatitis can also cause liver disease.

If your dog has had a previous condition such as gallstones, liver cancer, diabetes, infectious hepatitis, hyperthyroidism, or similar endocrine diseases, they may be more likely to develop chronic liver disease as the liver is already compromised and can eventually lead to liver failure in dogs. It is important to have your vet perform yearly blood tests for early detection of liver problems.

Dogs who are overweight tax their bodies’ organs, with the liver being highly susceptible to high blood pressure, diabetes, lack of vitamin E. It’s a good idea to maintain a healthy weight for your dog to prevent liver changes. Feeding a low-protein diet rich in amino acids and vitamin E instead of fatty, carbohydrate-laced foods is helpful in preventing many types of chronic liver disease. If your dog is overweight, put them on a weight loss plan to help their body function optimally. Your pet’s body is a temple!

There are also certain dog breeds that are more susceptible to liver diseases, so research your specific breed to investigate the diseases in which they may be prone. Old dogs also tend to be prone to liver disease, as their bodies tend not to function optimally.

Stages

There are four stages to liver disease. Be aware of these clinical signs to avoid acute liver failure. If you have any questions about the presence of liver disease, have your vet do an abdominal ultrasound. An abdominal ultrasound can detect primary tumors, liver size, severe infection, copper storage disease, bacterial infection, or other dog’s liver disease. This information could prove useful if you have dogs diagnosed with liver disease.

• First Stage – Abnormal inflammation can typically be treated with prescription veterinary medicine or diet changes. Blood samples, blood pressure testing, and ultrasound testing will be very important to discover how to proceed with treating your dog’s liver disease.
• Second Stage – Fibrosis, the liver begins to harden, but can still be treated, and the liver dysfunction is typically reversed using certain medications.
• Third Stage – Cirrhosis, permanent liver scarring. If your dog is diagnosed with third-stage liver failure, there may be permanent liver damage, abnormal blood flow, and very high liver values in their blood tests, but certain medications can still be helpful.
• End-stage liver disease – Dogs diagnosed with this stage of liver failure, where the liver is unable to function properly despite veterinary medicine treatment, have a high chance of total liver failure. This is why it is important to be aware of the signs of liver disease, so you can treat liver disease in dogs before it becomes fatal.

If you suspect that your dog has a chronic or acute liver disease, have your vet do an abdominal ultrasound. This will give you the most accurate information on the stage and severity of the liver disease. This can be especially important for older dogs and small-breed dogs. Early treatment can improve the chances of recovery from acute liver failure.

If your dog’s blood tests detect acute hepatitis or tumors, your vet may suggest surgical removal of the tumors and vet medicine for the infectious canine hepatitis.

Treatments

Depending on the cause of the disease, there are certain treatments that work best for different toxins and severity levels. There are antioxidants, medications, supplements, or diet changes that support liver function. Chronic hepatitis can be found via blood tests and treated with antibiotics.

The best way to begin treatment is to first discover the underlying cause of the liver disease. Diagnosing liver dysfunction can be done via a liver biopsy, ultrasound or blood tests. Treat liver disease seriously to prevent heavy bile acids, scar tissue, or tumors from getting worse.

Signs

It is typically difficult to catch the signs of liver disease early on because it can look different for varying breeds, such as small-breed dogs or big dogs. Also, the signs can be subtle. It is a good rule of thumb to consult with your veterinarian if your dog is acting, eating, or looking differently than they typically do. It is also wise to get yearly baseline blood scans for liver function when your dog gets older, as your dog’s body changes as they age. This will aid in the early detection of liver disease, giving your dog a better chance of survival. Once there’s liver damage, liver tumors, or scar tissue from prior liver disease, it will be far more challenging to address liver problems.

Several common symptoms of liver disease or liver failure are:

• Swollen stomach – liver problems often cause a swollen liver.
• Blood in urine or feces – when liver cells are damaged, their gastrointestinal tract will shed red blood cells.
• Seizures – liver disease affects every part of your dog’s body.
• Jaundice – a yellowing of your dog’s skin and eyes.
• Loss of appetite – severe liver disease will cause this
• Vomiting – your dog’s liver is trying to fight the liver disease, making your dog nauseous.
• Excessive urination – when diabetes mellitus, hepatic encephalopathy, liver tumors, and infectious canine hepatitis are present, this symptom is common.

Sometimes, but not often, liver disease can lead to neurological issues as well. This is common if your dog has hepatic encephalopathy. This liver disease is caused by neurotoxins in your dog’s blood cells. If your dog’s liver cannot filter these toxins, they enter the brain and cause behavior changes.

If liver problems are not treated quickly, there may be impaired liver function, liver damage, abnormal blood flow, which affects red blood cells, and an abnormal accumulation of toxic substances in your dog’s liver.

If you notice any of these signs, your dog should be taken to the veterinarian as soon as possible, as there may be time to reverse or combat the disease. If caught early on, there is a chance of recovery, so your dog may continue living a happy, healthy life.