Natural Pet Health

There is a difference between liver disease and liver failure. Liver disease is a general term applied to any disorder that is affecting liver. The blood tests in this case show higher levels of liver enzymes. Apart from fatty liver disease, which is a more common in cats, other types of feline liver diseases are caused by toxins from food and drugs, trauma, heatstroke and infections.

A liver shunt, where the blood bypasses the liver instead of going through it, is a genetic defect in the portal vein but may be acquired in certain cases.

Functions of the liver, gallbladder and pancreas

The liver, the gallbladder and the pancreas are all crucially involved in the digestive process. The liver stores Vitamins A, D, E and K and produces bile, which is essential in the breakdown of fats.

It is also responsible for eliminating and detoxifying the poisons that enter the blood stream. These include medications, processed and unhealthy food and the various toxins your pet is exposed to on a daily basis.

The gallbladder stores the bile which is produced by the liver and releases it during digestion. The pancreas not only produces pancreatic juice which contains digestive enzymes that help in the breaking down of food, it also plays a vital role in controlling the level of sugar in the bloodstream by secreting two important hormones, insulin and glucagon

The l iver is an important organ of the detoxification system in the body. Every human being and pet is exposed to carcinogens. These carcinogens are substances that cause cancer. The liver purifies these carcinogens to a large extent keeping the toxicity levels down.

But in cats, the fungi that appear on spoiled cat-food, specific pesticides and food additives, dyes, plants and animal tissue become toxic only after being metabolized by the liver. These substances can therefore, potentially cause feline cancer in the liver in cats.

The liver in cats and dogs is more susceptible to liver disease. Its large size indicates its criticality to overall health. It is the industrial powerhouse of the body. From filtering toxins to providing energy to supplying nutrients, it is involved in practically all the biochemical processes that go on in the body.

As and when toxins increase, the liver is called upon to perform beyond its normal capacity, which may lead to liver failure. Initially liver disease manifests as mild symptoms like:

* Vomiting
* Anorexia ( refusal to eat)
* Weight loss.
* Pale gray and soft feces.
* Weakness and lethargy.

Why is liver functioning so important for my pet?

The liver is the second largest organ in the body and is often seen as the most important one. In traditional Chinese medicine, for example, a healthy liver is seen as the most critical element in the body’s ability to fight disease and function optimally.

Amongst other important functions, the liver is responsible for eliminating and detoxifying the poisons that enter the blood stream. It also produces bile which is essential in the breakdown of fats and is the organ which stores Vitamin A, D, E and K.

Environmental pollution, processed and unhealthy foods, prescription drugs, frequent vaccinations and sedentary lifestyles all contribute to sluggish and diseased livers. The result? Pets with depressed immune systems, constant fatigue, obesity, sluggish livers and digestive systems, allergies, respiratory ailments, unhealthy skin and many other health problems.

When you bring a cat home, your responsibility is to take care of the animal. Cat owners, who are busy, normally leave their pets alone at home free to eat whatever they like. By not taking enough care of what their pet eats and not exercising them properly they are actually doing them a disservice.

The liver processes fats, proteins and other nutrients to convert them to the relevant substances that the body requires to function properly. The liver also filters toxins that the cat may have consumed through food or drugs or paint scrapings.

The problem with a cat’s liver is that it is not very efficient and cannot process fats as it should. Too much of fat in a cat’s diet leads to accumulation of fats around the liver causing a common feline liver disease, hepatic lipidosis, commonly known as fatty liver disease.

Cholangitis, and Hepatic Lipidosis, the two most common types of feline liver diseases, can lead to liver failure if they are not treated in time.

Cholangitis is an inflammation of the bile ducts and is associated with the feline leukemia virus as well as feline infectious peritonitis. The conventional treatment regime includes antibiotics, appetite stimulants, corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive drugs.

Hepatic lipidosis, or Fatty Liver Disease is abnormal levels of certain fats that accumulate near the liver. It is an idiopathic disease (a disease whose exact cause is not known) that is mostly associated with loss of appetite and obesity. Stress, too is known to be one of the factors that leads to loss of appetite.

Obesity and improper diet are the most common reasons behind feline liver disease. It has been seen that stress due to environment changes like a home shift, a new pet or a new baby often induces a cat to refuse food. A change in diet and concurrent bacterial infection are two other triggers that may lead to anorexia (loss of appetite) and ultimately to any of the following liver disease.

Fatty Liver Disease (Hepatic Lipidosis)

Fatty Liver Disease is the most common liver disease in cats. An obese cat often stops eating properly for some unknown reasons and the body starts sending fats to the liver for conversion into lipoproteins, which are necessary for transporting lipids (essential structural component of cells along with proteins and carbohydrates) in the blood. Ironically, a cat’s liver is not very good in processing fat, which leads to Fatty Liver Disease.