Liver Disease in Dogs, Symptoms, Causes and Prevention

Liver is a vital part of the dog's body. Without this organ, it is impossible to survive. It helps in digestion, removing toxic substances from the body as well as in storing minerals and vitamins. Since it has multiple functions, it becomes more vulnerable to infections. Thankfully, liver functions on its own and regenerate itself when there's any damage. However, a small damage to the liver can depreciate your pooch's health and increase the risk of other infections in the body. Therefore, it is imperative to keep a check on your furry pal's overall well being.

Spotting the symptoms of liver disease is a bit tricky as it doesn't have any remarkable signs which you can observe. Below are some common indications of liver disease in dogs.

-         Decrease in appetite
-         Lameness and confusion
-         Diarrhea, vomiting or bloating
-         Drinking more water
-         Unable to walk properly
-         Yellow in the eyes, gums and ears (Jaundice)
-         Dull eyes or discharge from eyes

Since the signs of liver disease are quite vague, it is best to get your pet checked by the veterinarian for proper diagnose. There are various factors that contribute to liver disease, so even if you do everything right for your pooch, he could still get sick due to external factors.

What Causes Liver Disease in Dogs?

Liver disease has many different causes. It can occur due to variety of reasons; exposure to any poisonous or toxic material, and excessive heat. Whenever the dog is exposed to such substance, it leads to organ fails in his body and eventually damages the liver. Moreover, liver disease can occur due to aging and genetics too.

Dogs get exposed to many environmental toxins, which in the long run can be very harmful to pets. Below are some toxic substances that increase the risk of liver disease in dogs.

•          Heavy metals
•          Pollution
•         Cleaners containing harmful chemicals
•          Pesticides
•          Flame retardants

Though we cannot entirely protect dogs from this, we can put some effort into minimizing the damage, so pets can live a healthy life.  

Other than that, some treatments also inflict harm upon certain areas of the dog. Thus, always be cautious before administering anything to your dog and ensure whatever he consumes is healthy for him.

How to Prevent Liver Disease in Dogs?

If you want to protect your dog's liver, you need to take preventive measures before it is too late. Treatments work, but the dog doesn't always recover properly. Therefore, as the saying goes, "prevention is better than cure", below are some preventive measures to protect your dog from having liver disease.

�    Provide healthy and homemade food. We get that many pet parents have hectic schedule, though if you plan the meals and prepare it early in the week, you might be surprised at how easy it is! Keeping the dog away from preservatives and unhealthy food items is the best you can do for his liver.

�  Keep the house and surroundings clean. There are numerous toxic substances outside of your house which you can not control. What you do have control over is your home; keeping it clean from insects, pests and dusts will prevent many diseases.

�  Add supplements to your dog's diet. Nutritional diet and supplements assists in breaking down the fat-soluble toxins, thus keeping your dog's liver intact.

�    Administer liver. Yes, you heard it right! Giving liver to your dog can indeed help in

     keeping his liver healthy and maintaining his overall wellbeing.

Since liver is an essential organ of the dog's body, it needs to be nurtured and protected at any cost. Therefore, feed your dog a good quality diet, keep him active, and protect him from unnecessary harmful substance to ensure good health.