What to Do If Your Pet’s Liver Enzymes Are High
When your pet’s liver tests are abnormal, it can be cause for concern. If these levels are higher than normal, it could be a sign that your pet’s liver is sick and not working as it should. While this doesn’t always mean your pet is seriously ill, it’s important to take action. Here’s what you should know and what steps you can take if your pet’s liver enzymes are elevated.
1. Understand the Causes of High Liver Enzymes
There are many reasons why a pet’s liver enzymes may be high, and it’s important to figure out the cause. Some common reasons include:
- Toxins: Eating something toxic, like certain plants, chemicals or spoiled food, can damage the liver.
- Infections: Bacterial or viral infections can affect liver function.
- Medications: Certain drugs, like anti-inflammatory medications or steroids, can raise liver enzyme levels.
- Chronic illness: Diseases like diabetes or Cushing’s disease can lead to liver issues.
- Primary liver disease: Conditions such as hepatitis or copper storage liver disease can cause liver enzyme levels to rise.
- Congenital liver disease: If your pet is young they may have a congenital abnormality affecting their liver.
- Cancer: Cancerous liver tumors can cause liver elevated liver enzymes.
2. Consult Your Veterinarian
If your vet has told you that your pet’s liver enzymes are high, it’s important to follow up with them for more tests. A single blood test that shows elevated liver enzymes might not give the full picture. Liver enzymes can change quickly and monitoring trends over time can be helpful in determining next steps. If the values are persistently elevated your vet may recommend additional tests like:
- Ultrasound: The first step is an abdominal ultrasound to check for structural changes or tumors in the liver.
- Needle aspirate: In some cases using a needle to collect a small number of cells from the liver may be helpful to rule out certain types of cancers or infections.
- Bile acid tests: These tests can help evaluate liver function more accurately.
- Abdominal CT: A CT of the abdomen can further characterize liver tumors or find abnormal vessels like a liver shunt in the abdomen.
- Liver biopsy: If an obvious cause is not found on imaging then a liver biopsy is often needed to determine the cause of your pets liver enzyme changes.
Your vet will use these results to figure out whether the liver issue is temporary or part of a bigger problem.
3. Monitor Your Pet’s Diet
A healthy diet can play a huge role in supporting your pet’s liver health. Most pets with liver disease simply need a high quality, complete and balanced dog food. In some cases your vet may recommend a special liver-friendly diet that is low in protein or copper and easy to digest.
Avoid feeding your pet table scraps or human food, especially fatty, salty, or toxic foods like chocolate, onions, and grapes. Make sure to ask your vet what specific diet would be best for your pet.
4. Minimize or Change Medications
If your pet is on any medications that could be stressing the liver, your vet might suggest switching to an alternative or adjusting the dosage. Herbal or holistic supplements should be stopped as in some pets they can cause liver injury. Do not stop or change medications without first consulting your vet, as doing so could make things worse.
5. Use Supplements or Treatments (If Recommended)
In some cases, your vet may recommend antioxidant supplements like silymarin (milk thistle), SAMe or vitamin E which are known to support liver health. These are commonly given as part of a treatment plan for pets with liver issues.
Additionally, if your pet has an infection or other medical condition causing the high liver enzymes, your vet may prescribe medication to treat that underlying cause.
6. Follow-Up Care
Liver problems can sometimes be ongoing, so your vet will likely want to monitor your pet’s liver enzyme levels regularly through blood tests. This helps determine if your pet’s liver is improving or if further treatment is needed.
7. Watch for Symptoms
Some pets with chronic liver issues will feel totally normal at home. However, persistently elevated liver enzymes can be a sign of ongoing liver damage. Certain liver diseases can cause symptoms that are easy to miss. If your pet shows signs of illness such as vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), or unusual behavior, these could be signs that the liver is not functioning properly. If you notice any of these symptoms, contact your vet right away.
8. Prevention Is Key
While some liver problems can’t be prevented, you can help reduce the risk of liver disease by:
- Feeding your pet a balanced, healthy diet
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Keeping your pet safe from toxins (like plants, chemicals, and supplements)
- Regular vet checkups: Annual wellness exams that include lab work can catch liver issues early before they become more serious.
Conclusion
If your pet’s liver enzymes are high, it’s important to stay calm and take action. With the right treatment and care, many pets can recover or manage liver issues long term. Always consult your veterinarian for advice, and keep an eye on your pet’s diet, medications, and overall health to support their liver and overall well-being.
