Natural Pet Health Blog

Out of the numerous liver functions, filtering of blood is perhaps one of the most important and crucial to the health of your dog. After the food has been digested in the intestines it is absorbed into the portal blood stream and carried to the liver. The liver works upon it to:

• Store some of the food for energy.
• Filter bacteria, chemicals, toxins and nutritional byproducts.
• Produce proteins and other substances necessary for life.

A liver shunt is a condition where the portal blood vessel, instead of carrying blood through the liver, carries it around it. In dogs with a liver shunt the unfiltered blood is carried into the body and toxins accumulate in the blood stream and kidneys, a condition that ultimately causes serious problems.

There are reasonable indications that suggest that liver shunt is a congenital liver disease in dogs and mostly the young puppy dies within weeks after birth. Some dogs do survive for years before some of the symptoms of liver disease in dogs like Seizures, abnormal behaviors and serious illnesses become noticeable. In certain cases, however, liver shunt is acquired later in life due to insult to the organ due to a disease or injury.

A liver shunt cannot be established with routine blood and urine tests. When laboratory tests show an increase in either blood urea nitrogen or levels of liver enzymes like ALT and AST and the red blood cells appear smaller than normal, the veterinarian has to fall back upon advanced investigative procedures like ultrasound, CT scan, MRI or even exploratory surgery.

The best that dog owners can do to manage their dog with a liver shunt is through dietary modifications and medicines. The main focus of treatment is on curbing toxins that are produced in the intestines on processing of proteins by toxin producing bacteria. Most of the patients respond well to special diets that restrict protein intake. The usual recommendation for dog food is that of 25% to 29% protein content. This should be reduced to 18%, all the while ensuring that the dog is fed with high quality proteins sourced from milk and vegetables.

Lactulose, a synthetic sugar, also gives some positive results by changing the pH levels in the intestines. It makes it difficult for toxin producing bacteria to survive and also inhibits absorption of ammonia. Lactulose also helps in easy elimination but the dose has to be monitored to avoid side effects like Diarrhea. Some dogs do not respond to a modified diet or lactulose and have to be treated with antibiotics to restrict the number of toxin producing bacteria.

Feline liver disease due to a liver shunt requires similar management but is less common. Statistically, only 50% of dogs experience a substantial increase in survival time after treatment. Dogs with a liver shunt are usually put to sleep usually within ten months of diagnosis and treatment either because the neurological signs become uncontrollable or progression of liver disease. Although older dogs have a better chance of responding to treatment, surgery provides the best chance of a healthy and comfortable life of the dog.

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