Cirrhosis of the liver in dogs: symptoms and treatment, life prognosis

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

It would seem that cirrhosis of the liver is a completely human disease that occurs most often with the abuse of alcohol and fatty junk food. But our smaller brothers - cats and dogs - also suffer from this disease. So, cirrhosis of the liver in dogs, symptoms and treatment, as well as diagnosis and causes - all this will be considered in this article.

Symptoms

The liver is a vital organ, so any violation can lead to the most negative consequences. You should pay attention if your pet has:

• The general activity decreased, the animal became lethargic and lethargic.
• The dog quickly loses body weight, her appetite is disturbed for a long time.
• The animal suffers from vomiting or diarrhea, the feces are white or, conversely, black (the latter is due to the presence of blood in the feces).
• Skin in visible areas and mucous membranes changed color to slightly yellowish, and small pinpoint hemorrhages appeared in these places.
• Sclera stained yellowishcolor.
• The dog is constantly thirsty, drinks a lot of water. She also has increased urination.
• The animal begins to lose sight.

All of the above do not necessarily indicate cirrhosis of the liver in dogs, symptoms may be similar in other diseases. A more specific sign can be ascites - that is, an increased volume of the dog's abdomen against the background of general exhaustion of the body, the so-called dropsy of the abdomen. Unfortunately, once this stage is reached, the animal is almost incurable and can live anywhere from a few days to three months.

Diagnosis

Since the diagnosis and treatment of liver cirrhosis in dogs is possible only in a medical institution, you should immediately contact a veterinary clinic. There at the animal:

• will take blood for biochemistry to check the functional activity of the organ;
• take blood for a coagulogram (an analysis that shows the state of the animal's blood coagulation system);
• will do an ultrasound and X-ray of the liver;
• if necessary, they will take a puncture and do a liver biopsy.

But what can cause cirrhosis in dogs?

Causes of occurrence

The most common cause of disease is poisoning with some poisonous substance. Moreover, a dog can either pick up poisoned food somewhere on the street, or receive a dose of a poisonous substance with poor-quality food. In addition, cirrhosis may developif the dog, especially in childhood, receives unbalanced food.

That is why it is important that the dog receives food from trusted manufacturers. If you are a supporter of natural food, then make sure that enough vitamins and minerals come from food. In addition, it would be useful to purchase special vitamin complexes for dogs, for example, with selenium.

In addition to the above, cirrhosis in dogs can be caused by certain medications, such as anticonvulsants or disinfectants that contain phenol. Sometimes veterinarians prescribe drugs intended for humans - the risk here is that it is very difficult to calculate the dosage on your own in this case. Therefore, if possible, refrain from taking such medications or replace them with special ones for dogs.

The use of some sprays, collars, shampoos - most often of poor quality and cheap - can also lead to the development of cirrhosis. But even high-quality products, if used incorrectly, can lead to negative consequences. For example, purchasing a small dog flea collar for dogs of large breeds. In this case, you can adjust the length of the collar yourself, but what about the amount of active substance that the collar is impregnated with? Unfortunately, many hosts don't even think about it.

Also, liver cirrhosis in dogs can be hereditary or develop from another disease, for example, if the animal has been sick for a long timehepatitis or cholecystitis. Plague, some other viruses and microbes can also cause cirrhosis.

Cirrhosis prone dog breeds

Perhaps, it's not a secret for anyone that almost every breed tolerates some diseases more easily, some more severely, and some do not get sick at all. This applies not only to dogs, but also to the breed of any animal artificially bred by man.

The most common dog breeds with cirrhosis are:

• Labradors.
• Cocker Spaniels.
• Poodles.
• Rottweilers.
• Dobermans.

But it should be understood that the above breeds more often than others suffer precisely from a predisposition to hereditary cirrhosis of the liver. A dog of absolutely any breed can get sick, especially if cirrhosis is caused by poisoning. In addition, as mentioned above, cirrhosis in a dog can develop from hepatitis, and, in turn, a dog can become infected on the street from a sick animal, dirty water, or just street garbage. Therefore, no matter what breed your pet is, always monitor its he alth and do not neglect preventive vaccinations and vaccinations.

Varieties of cirrhosis

There are two types of cirrhosis: atrophic and hypertrophic.

In the first, the liver decreases in size due to the fact that the connective tissues increase and tighten the liver. This type of cirrhosis is the most difficult to diagnose -it is almost impossible to detect it without the help of ultrasound.

The hypertrophic type of cirrhosis can be diagnosed even on your own. In this case, the liver of the animal increases in size so much that it can be felt in the region of the last rib. At the same time, the dog is nervous and does not allow it to be done because of pain.

Whatever type of cirrhosis your animal suffers from, only a doctor can make a definitive diagnosis. And the survival of the animal in the future depends on how timely this is done. Late diagnosis of liver cirrhosis in dogs can lead to rapid development of the disease and death within hours to days.

Treatment

After a diagnosis of liver cirrhosis in a dog is made, how long the animal will live depends largely on the stage at which the disease was diagnosed and on proper treatment.

When diagnosed early, home treatment is usually prescribed. With a more complex form of the disease, the animal requires hospitalization, since it will be necessary to constantly remove the fluid accumulating in the body, as well as to carry out infusion infusions to prevent poisoning of the body with toxins. Also, the animal receives vitamin preparations and medicines that relieve pain. For ethical reasons, detailed drug names are not given in the article in order to exclude self-medication of a sick animal.

In addition, it must be considered that the cure for cirrhosis in dogscompletely impossible - for the rest of his life the animal will need to carry out symptomatic therapy, maintain a special diet and feed medicated food three to five times a day in small portions.

Euthanasia?

As a rule, the owner is often tormented by the question, when cirrhosis of the liver in dogs was diagnosed, how long sick animals live. If the diagnosis was made at the initial stage, then the dog has a fairly high chance of suffering the disease relatively easily, albeit, as mentioned above, not completely without a trace.

It's a completely different matter when the animal has already begun dropsy of the abdominal cavity. Almost all treatment consists in removing excess fluid through a special puncture in the peritoneum. In this case, the question arises in this way: "How humane is it to torture a sick animal and prolong its agony?" Unfortunately, each owner must answer this question on his own. In the later stages of diagnosis, the dog, at best, will live another six months, more often the death of the animal occurs in a month or two. Therefore, in such cases, the doctor himself may raise the question of euthanasia.

If a dog has already had hepatitis, then a second infection can be more difficult, but the dog is sometimes able to live for more than six months. But again, what kind of life will she be doomed to?

Prevention

In order to prevent infection of the animal, you need to monitor his diet, wean him to "pick up" pieceson the street and eat from someone else's hands, periodically solder it with vitamin complexes and go to preventive appointments and vaccinations at the clinic. Especially if your pet is in the "risk group".

Also important are long walks and active outdoor games. If, despite everything, you find signs of liver cirrhosis in a dog, then immediately contact the clinic. Now you know that this disease is fatal, so it's better to "keep it safe".

Conclusion

Fortunately, cirrhosis of the liver in dogs is a rare disease. This is due to the fact that the life of dogs in itself is short enough and not enough for cirrhosis to develop on its own. As a rule, the disease is acquired, caused by external factors, which means that the he alth of the pet depends to a greater extent on the owner.

Do not use human drugs, such as Tetracycline, Testosterone, Papaverine, to treat an animal - they can cause liver cirrhosis in dogs due to incorrect dosage. Also, some collars and aerosols from fleas and ticks can lead to this disease. Poor quality food, air containing toxic fumes … you can continue indefinitely. The main thing you need to understand for yourself is that if you decide to get a dog, think about it. Will you be able to provide him with proper care and nutrition, will you be able not to save on his he alth, even, perhaps to the detriment of yourself? Remember, we are responsible for those we have tamed!