The liver does more quiet work than any organ in a dog. It filters every medicine he is given. It keeps his blood sugar steady between meals. And it only shows that it is struggling when it is already struggling a lot.
In Indian homes I see it worn down from two sides: by medicines given too often, and by food that loads it.
The signs
Liver stress: lethargy, low appetite, vomiting, dark urine, fever.
Jaundice: yellow eyes, yellow gums, yellow skin, often with pale gums and dark urine. In India, tick fever is one of the most common roots of it, because the parasite breaks red blood cells. Read tick fever.
Blood sugar. The liver manages it. When it struggles, a dog gets hungrier and cranky, and low sugar can bring tremors.
Other signs that point to the liver:
- hair fall that rises for no other reason
- pale inner eyelids
- yellow poop, which means fat isn't being digested and can point to the liver and the pancreas
- a swollen, fluid-filled belly
See a vet the same day
- Yellow eyes, gums or skin.
- Dark urine with fever, pale gums or lethargy. Ask for a CBC with a tick fever test.
- Tremors, a swollen belly, or not eating with vomiting.
The tests
A CBC first. It is the quick overview. Liver and kidney results take longer.
Liver blood reports lag. They can look normal while the liver is damaged. A biopsy shows the real state, and that is your vet's call.
An ALT that is coming down means the liver is improving. It still needs a light bowl and care for some weeks after.
Tick fever pushes the numbers up. Liver enzymes can rise with the kidney values, BUN and creatinine, and they stay high into recovery. Don't panic at one report taken mid-illness. Compare it with the next.
Bring the earlier reports to every visit, so the vet can see which way the numbers are going.
What wears the liver down
Steroids, given for quick results. Clinics reach for them because they work fast. Given again and again, I have seen them take a liver to its limit in about three years.
Antibiotics, again and again. Worse when antibiotics and steroids come together, course after course. Read antibiotics.
Tick tablets. Every tick tablet affects the liver and kidneys, however spaced out, even once a year. A healthy dog tolerates it because a healthy liver can handle it. An older dog or a weak liver is at much more risk.
If your vet insists on a tick tablet, ask for a liver and kidney test before it, and again after. That is how it is done carefully.
Tick fever injections. The ones given for Babesia are hard on the liver, the kidneys and the gut.
Food. Sweets, rich cat food, fatty mutton and gravies load the liver and the pancreas. So do carbs, because the liver is the organ that keeps sugar levels steady.
The bowl, with your vet
Any diet change for a dog with liver trouble is made with his vet and his reports. What I keep to:
- Very simple and light, for some weeks.
- Boiled boneless chicken, soft boiled, with a little liver.
- A little rice, not a lot. Carbs load the liver, and rice adds gas.
- No vegetables.
- No treats at all. No biscuits, no sweets, nothing from the table.
- Yellow poop: take the fat out for a few days, coconut oil included, and watch.
If it is hepatitis, keep him away from other dogs. It spreads from infected dogs.
What I'd want to know first
- The liver panel, with ALT, ALP and bilirubin, a CBC, and earlier reports to compare.
- Every steroid, antibiotic, tick tablet and injection in the last year.
- Ticks, fever, the colour of his eyes and gums, his urine and his poop.
- His full diet, with treats, sweets and fat.
For the kidneys, the other organ these medicines wear down, read kidney disease.
This is what I teach about the bowl and about medicines given too often. It is not veterinary advice. Liver disease needs a vet, tests, and a diet agreed with them.