Acute liver failure is a very serious condition. It can occur suddenly or as the end-stage of a chronic liver disease. The liver cleans and detoxifies the blood; it stores reserves of many nutrients and produces hormones that regulate digestion, metabolism and blood coagulation. Failure in the liver causes multiple systemic problems, including fluid in the abdomen (ascites), digestive ulcers, lack of blood coagulation, susceptibility to infection, and hepatic encephalopathy, a liver-related brain disease. Many different conditions can lead to acute liver failure in dogs. Poisoning and infection are some of the most common issues that will trigger a sudden illness. Many endocrine imbalances affect the liver, and cancer or chronic inflammation can slowly destroy tissue. Some factors are the result of a congenital abnormality that is present at birth. Depending on the cause, liver failure can occur at any time in a dog’s life. Some cases are reversible once the issue causing the problem is resolved. The liver is capable of regenerating itself and building new, healthy cells, but too much dead tissue causes scarring and cirrhosis. Many symptoms can be treated supportively with medications that support liver function. Diet change can also put less stress on the liver. If the condition cannot be treated, acute liver failure will lead to death.
In dogs, severe liver failure can cause dysfunction in many different systems and may even affect important organs like the brain. Veterinarians call this condition acute liver failure. It needs immediate treatment. Long-term recovery will depend on the cause. Acute liver failure is a very serious condition. It can occur suddenly or as the end-stage of a chronic liver disease. The liver cleans and detoxifies the blood; it stores reserves of many nutrients and produces hormones that regulate digestion, metabolism and blood coagulation. Failure in the liver causes multiple systemic problems, including fluid in the abdomen (ascites), digestive ulcers, lack of blood coagulation, susceptibility to infection, and hepatic encephalopathy, a liver-related brain disease. Many different conditions can lead to acute liver failure in dogs. Poisoning and infection are some of the most common issues that will trigger a sudden illness. Many endocrine imbalances affect the liver, and cancer or chronic inflammation can slowly destroy tissue. Some factors are the result of a congenital abnormality that is present at birth. Depending on the cause, liver failure can occur at any time in a dog’s life. Some cases are reversible once the issue causing the problem is resolved. The liver is capable of regenerating itself and building new, healthy cells, but too much dead tissue causes scarring and cirrhosis. Many symptoms can be treated supportively with medications that support liver function. Diet change can also put less stress on the liver. If the condition cannot be treated, acute liver failure will lead to death.
Read more at: https://www.vetary.com/dog/condition/liver-failure-acute
Acute hepatic failure is a condition characterized by the sudden loss of 70 per cent or more of the liver’s function due to sudden, massive, hepatic necrosis (tissue death in the liver).
REFERENCES
Jessica Vogelsang, DVM
Life’s Abundance Staff Veterinarian, Author of DVM360 and Owner of Pawcurious.
Becki Baumgartner, Certified Master Herbalist
Practitioner of Natchez Trace Veterinary Services
Huisheng Xie, DVM, PhD
First Chinese veterinary herbal pharmacy in the US. Founder of Xie’s Jing Tang Herbal Inc.
Richard Palmquist, DVM
Chief of integrative health services at Centinela Animal Hospital, the international speaker in integrative veterinary medicine, consultant for the Veterinary Information Network and president of the AHVM Foundation
Ronald Koh, DVM, MS, CVA, CCRP, CVCH, CVFT
Assistant Professor of LSU Veterinary Clinical Sciences, committee member of the American Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (AATCVM) and faculty member of Chi Institute and has lectured in the USA and China on acupuncture, herbal medicine and integrative medicine.
What Causes Liver Failure and Diseases in Dogs
and are there certain breeds at risk?
These are some of the most common causes of liver failure
Types of poisoning
- Alcohol Drugs
- Antifreeze Herbicides, fungicides or insecticides
- Rat poison
- Some types of mould, amanita mushrooms or blue-green algae
Infectious diseases
- Infectious canine hepatitis
- Leptospirosis
- Fungal infections
- Toxoplasmosis
Chronic hepatitis – long-term inflammation of the liver, due to copper accumulation and other causes. This condition is more common among some breeds.
- Bedlington, Skye and West Highland White Terriers
- Cocker Spaniels
- Doberman Pinschers
- Standard Poodles
Endocrine disease – these may cause or contribute to liver failure.
- Diabetes Cushing’s Disease
- Hyperthyroidism
Liver cysts – more common in Cairn and West Highland White Terriers
Cancer – cancer that originates in or spreads to the liver can cause liver failure
Congenital abnormality
- Hepatic amyloidosis – an abnormal protein, more common among Chinese Shar-Peis
- Glycogen storage disease – caused by a genetic enzyme deficiency
- Tendency to liver fibrosis – scar tissue replaces normal liver cells
- Vascular abnormality in the liver
IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR PET OWNERS TO BRING THEIR SENIOR DOG FOR A QUARTERLY BLOOD CHECK WITH THEIR LOCAL VETERINARIANS
Signs and Symptoms of Liver Failure and Diseases in Dogs
Vomiting, poor appetite, and weight loss are often the first signs of chronic liver failure. A dog with these symptoms should be evaluated by a veterinarian before acute liver failure develops. Severe symptoms should be treated as an emergency.
- Vomiting
- Excessive thirst
- Frequent urination
- Bloody diarrhea
- Jaundice
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Ulcers Ascites (fluid in the abdomen)
- Disorientation or aimless wandering
- Aggression
- Excessive drooling
- Poor coordination
- Blindness
- Seizures
- Coma
Liver Failure and Disease – The Importance of a proper diagnosis process
Acute liver failure is diagnosed through a full blood workup (hematology), biochemistry analysis, urine analysis, biopsy (the removal and analysis of affected tissue), and ultrasound or radiology imaging.
Hematology/biochemistry/urine analyses will test for:
- Anemia
- Irregularities in thrombocytes (clot-promoting blood platelets)
- Abnormally high liver enzyme activity, or liver enzymes spilling out into the bloodstream, signalling liver damage – tests will look for alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) enzymes in the bloodstream, as well as an increase in alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and declining levels of aminotransferases (enzymes that cause the chemical change of nitrogen carrying amino)
- Impairment of protein synthesis
- Low blood sugar
- Normal to low blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentration (i.e., nitrogen level in the urine)
- The presence of bilirubin in the urine – the red-yellow bile pigment that is a degraded product of the deep red, the nonprotein pigment in hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells)
- The presence of ammonium urate crystals in the urine
- The presence of sugar and granular casts (solid deposits) in the urine, indicates internal tubular injury from drug toxicity, such as the drug-induced toxicity that affects some dogs being treated with pain relievers (also known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDS])
Lab Tests will be used to look for:
- High values of total serum bile acid (TSBA) concentrations, will indicate liver insufficiency. However, if non-hemolytic (not destructive to blood cells) jaundice has already been confirmed, TSBA findings will lose their significance in relation to acute liver failure
- High plasma ammonia concentration;, in conjunction with high TSBA concentrations, would be strongly indicative of hepatic insufficiency
- Abnormalities in blood platelets and coagulation (blood clotting) factors
- Tissue necrosis and cell pathology; biopsy (tissue sample) results will confirm or negate zonal involvements, and identify any existent underlying conditions
Imaging tests will look for:
- X-rays and ultrasound tests may indicate an enlarged liver, and other hepatic abnormalities, including conditions that may not be directly related to the liver.
IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR PET OWNERS TO BRING THEIR SENIOR DOG FOR A QUARTERLY BLOOD CHECK WITH THEIR LOCAL VETERINARIANS
CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT FOR DOGS DIAGNOSED WITH LIVER FAILURE AVAILABLE IN SINGAPORE
Hospitalization is vital for treating acute liver failure. Fluids and electrolytes, along with colloid (the gelatinous substance necessary for proper thyroid functioning) replacements and oxygen supplementation, are key aspects of treatment and care. Your dog will be placed on restricted activity in order to give the liver an opportunity to regenerate. Catheter feeding is recommended for highly unstable patients, while enteric feeding (feeding directly into the intestines) in small amounts is recommended for otherwise stable patients. A normal protein diet with supplemental vitamins E and K is advised.
The common medications used for liver failure are antiemetics, drugs for hepatic encephalopathy (brain disease, with or without edema), heat protectants (to decrease the activity of aminotransferases), coagulopathy drugs, and antioxidants.
TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE TCM FOR DOGS
Hospitalization is vital for treating acute liver failure. Fluids and electrolytes, along with colloid (the gelatinous substance necessary for proper thyroid functioning) replacements and oxygen supplementation, are key aspects of treatment and care. Your dog will be placed on restricted activity in order to give the liver an opportunity to regenerate. Catheter feeding is recommended for highly unstable patients, while enteric feeding
Liver Happy is a TCM herbal blend that helps irritable and restless dogs, cats and horses.
The Traditional Chinese Medicine indications for this herbal blend are irritability, Liver Qi stagnation with heat, a wiry pulse, red eyes, restlessness, hyperactivity, and a tongue that is purple or red.
Liver Happy is a herbal blend specially formulated with herbs specifically chosen to work synergistically to relieve the symptoms of irritability, restlessness and hyperactivity while at the same time addressing the underlying causes of these symptoms.
Its Chinese Principles of treatment are to soothe Liver Qi, clear Heat, and resolve stagnation.
This veterinary herbal formula is based on the ancient Chinese formula Chai Hu Shu Gan found in the text Tai Pin Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang (Imperial Grace Formulary of the Tia Ping Era) written in 1080 by Chen Shi-Wen, et al.
The main ingredients in the Liver Happy formula are:
- Bai Sho Yao (Paeonia) to soothe the LIver
- Bo he (Mentha) to move Qi
- CHhai Hu (Bupleurum) to soothe the Liver
- Chen Pi (Citrus) to dry up Dampness, move Qi
- Dan Gui (Angelica) to move Blood
- Gan Cao (Glycyrrhiza) to harmonize
- Mu Dan Pi (Moutan) to Cool Liver
- Qing Pi (Citrus) to move Qi, soothe the Liver, and resolve stagnation
- Xiang Fu (Cyperus) to soothe the Liver and resolve stagnation
- Zhi Zi (Gardenia) to clear Heat
PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL TCM VETERINARIAN ABOUT XIE’S JING TANG LIVERHAPPY
We had a wonderful experience using this product on our 18 years old Jack Russell, Dale. When we were doing his regular blood testing, we notice that he had a spike in his blood work, showing certain liver disease at that point of time. We immediately place him on Xie’s Jing Tang Liver Happy and within a short period of 2 weeks, his blood results were back to normal. His ultrasound images have shown improvement in his liver as well.
– Lester Kwok