VITAL ORGAN
Vet Vicky Payne explains how the liver is key to your dog’s overall health and looks at the conditions that can affect it.
Abone of contention with some of our clients is why they need to bring their pets for a check-up every six months when they are on long-term medication.
While lockdowns have meant that we have done some check-ups remotely, many more have to be done in person at the clinic, especially when blood tests are required.
Blood tests are recommended at least once a year for animals on many long-term medications, including those for thyroid disease, epilepsy, and arthritis.
In some cases, we are testing to see if the medication we are giving is providing a safe and effective amount of the drug in the bloodstream. But in most cases, we are also checking that the liver and kidneys are working normally. These organs are often involved in breaking down the drugs we use and excreting them from the body. If the liver or kidneys are not working efficiently this can lead to toxic levels of drugs building up in the body. Some drugs may also damage the liver or kidneys with long-term use, so we need to monitor this as well.
UNDER CONTROL
Tyson, the Boxer, was diagnosed with epilepsy many years ago and we now have his seizures very well controlled on phenobarbital and potassium bromide.
Every six months he comes in for a check-up where he is weighed, given a full physical examination, and has blood taken. His owners keep a good diary of any seizures, but thankfully it is pretty empty these days. Tyson’s last blood tests showed that his levels of phenobarbital and potassium bromide were in the therapeutic range, but that his liver enzymes were slightly raised. In cases like Tyson’s, we can’t stop giving his medication as his seizures would return, but we can support the liver. As a certified veterinary herbalist,
I was happy to recommend a supplement containing milk thistle. Milk thistle has been shown to protect the liver from toxins, including many veterinary drugs. However, it is important to seek veterinary advice before starting herbal supplements as they can alter how drugs are metabolised. In Tyson’s case we will check his blood again in three months and are hoping to see both the drug and liver values in the normal range.
A HARD DECISION
My last liver case from the past few months is also the saddest. We had been having phone consultations with an elderly client about his dog who had diarrhoea. Unfortunately, he was struggling with costs, but we were out of ideas to try without seeing his dog and doing some tests. When Baby arrived, she was painfully thin. Her owner was very distressed as he was feeding the best food he could afford and going without to try to help his dog.
As I started my examination, I looked at her gums and found that they were bright yellow. This is jaundice and is caused by a build-up of bilirubin in the blood when the liver is not able to filter it out and process it. Baby also had a high temperature and bleeding gums. I asked the owner for as much information as he could give me about Baby, including whether she was vaccinated. He had rescued her from a poor home about 10 months previously, but she came with no vaccination history. Baby was just four years old, so age-related liver failure or a liver tumour seemed unlikely. She may have eaten something toxic, but her owner said she wasn’t a scavenger and hadn’t had access to any human medications like paracetamol.
Unfortunately, it is possible that Baby had contracted leptospirosis from playing in ditches in the park near her home, a disease which vaccination can prevent. Symptoms include fever, jaundice, diarrhoea, vomiting, muscle pain, weakness, and oral ulceration. Sadly, Baby was so ill that even intensive treatment may not have saved her, and her owner, who was already struggling financially, took the sad decision to euthanise her.