Did you know that significant liver disease can be present in dogs who are acting normal? Dogs, by nature, are very good at hiding their disease. CARES Internal Medicine Specialist, Dr. Samantha Murray says this is why routine lab testing with your veterinarian, even when your pet is feeling good, is important. It is not unusual to find increases in liver enzymes during routine lab testing. While this does not always indicate liver disease, further investigation is usually warranted. In some instances, lab testing can be normal and significant liver dysfunction is present.
Dogs with liver disease can also display of variety of symptoms at home: poor appetite, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, increased drinking and/or urination and sometimes mental dullness and inappropriate behavior. It is important to be familiar with your pet's routine, his appetite, the character of his bowel movements and the frequency of his urination. Sometimes subtle changes in habits are the first indication of a problem.
If your veterinarian suspects liver disease, he or she will likely recommend routine lab testing. Sometimes a blood test to assess liver function is also performed (bile acids test). Imaging tests, particularly ultrasound, can be useful to look at the liver and assess size, blood flow and architecture. This is useful to narrow the list of possible disease processes, though, in many cases, does not provide a diagnosis. Biopsy is typically necessary to make a diagnosis and guide therapy and prognosis.
Recently, laparoscopic liver biopsy has become the technique of choice to obtain good quality liver biopsy with minimal risk. This is a minor surgical procedure which is performed under general anesthesia. Two to three small (2 cm) incisions are made in the abdomen to introduce a laparoscopic camera and biopsy forceps. Patients stay the night following surgery for monitoring and are generally able to return home the following day. Biopsy is necessary to diagnose inflammatory liver disease (hepatitis), of which there are various forms, copper storage disease, cancer, and microvascular disease.
The internal medicine team at CARES performs laparoscopic liver biopsies. If you or your veterinarian think that your dog would benefit from laparoscopic liver biopsy, or if you have a question about possible liver disease in your pet, please contact your family veterinarian or CARES to arrange a consultation with Dr. Adler or Dr. Murray.
About The Center for Animal Referral & Emergency Services (CARES)
CARES is a full service, specialty referral, 24-hour emergency and critical care veterinary hospital with one clear goal: to provide a gold standard of care for your pet. The highly trained and compassionate team of veterinarians at CARES collaborate between specialties as well as with referring veterinarians to optimize the care of your pet. CARES ensures the latest, most advanced and best treatments available. Specialty and referral services include: Anesthesiology, The Cancer Center at CARES, Cardiology, Clinical Pathology, Critical Care, Diagnostic Imaging,Internal Medicine, Neurology, Ophthalmology and Surgery. Specialty cases are seen by referral from your primary care veterinarian. CARES also offers 24-hour emergency care. For more information, visit www.vetcares.com. You can also find CARES on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CARESvet.
