What is Liver Failure (Acute)?
Acute liver failure is a very serious condition. It can occur suddenly, or as the end-stage of a chronic liver disease. The liver cleans and detoxifies the blood; it stores reserves of many nutrients and produces hormones that regulate digestion, metabolism and blood coagulation. Failure in the liver can cause multiple systemic problems, including fluid in the abdomen (ascites), digestive ulcers, lack of blood coagulation, susceptibility to infection, and hepatic encephalopathy, a liver-related brain disease. Many different conditions can lead to acute liver failure in dogs. Poisoning and infection are some of the most common issues that will trigger a sudden illness. Many endocrine imbalances affect the liver, and cancer or chronic inflammation can slowly destroy tissue. Some liver diseases are the result of a congenital abnormality that is present at birth.
Depending on the cause, liver failure can occur at any time in a dog’s life. Some cases are reversible once the issue causing the problem is resolved. The liver is capable of regenerating itself and building new, healthy cells, but too much dead tissue causes scarring and cirrhosis. Many symptoms can be treated supportively with medications that support liver function. Diet change can also put less stress on the liver. If the condition cannot be treated, acute liver failure will lead to death.
In dogs, severe liver failure can cause dysfunction in many different systems and may even affect important organs like the brain. Veterinarians call this condition acute liver failure. It needs immediate treatment. Long-term recovery will depend on the cause.
Liver Failure (Acute) Average Cost
From 367 quotes ranging from $1,000 - $10,000
Average Cost
$5,500
Get a free pet insurance quote in less than 60 seconds!
Easily compare quotes from the most trusted pet insurance companies in the United States.
Symptoms of Liver Failure (Acute) in Dogs
Vomiting, poor appetite, and weight loss are often the first signs of chronic liver failure. A dog with these symptoms should be evaluated by a veterinarian before acute liver failure develops. Severe symptoms should be treated as an emergency.
- Vomiting
- Excessive thirst
- Jaundice (yellow mucous membranes)
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Ascites (fluid in the abdomen)
- Disorientation or aimless wandering
Types
Symptoms of acute liver failure can appear with any condition affecting the liver. Conditions can be very sudden, or chronic and slow developing.
Sudden – poisoning can cause immediate liver failure if there are more toxins in the system than the liver can handle. Infection can also severely limit liver function quite suddenly. Occasionally necrosis, or the death of liver cells, can generate sudden, acute, symptoms.
Chronic – long term liver disease may begin slowly, but it will eventually manifest acute symptoms.
Causes of Liver Failure (Acute) in Dogs
These are some of the most common causes of liver failure
Many types of poisoning
- Herbicides, fungicides or insecticides
- Some types of mold, amanita mushrooms or blue-green algae
Infectious diseases
- Leptospirosis
Chronic hepatitis – long-term inflammation of the liver, due to copper accumulation and other causes. This condition is more common among some breeds.
Endocrine disease – these may cause or contribute to liver failure.
Liver cysts – more common in Cairn and West Highland White Terriers
Cancer – cancer that originates in or spreads to the liver can cause liver failure
Congenital abnormalities
- Hepatic amyloidosis – an abnormal protein accumulation, more common among Chinese Shar-Peis
- Glycogen storage disease – caused by a genetic enzyme deficiency
- Tendency to liver fibroses – scar tissue replaces normal liver cells
- Vascular abnormality in the liver i.e. liver shunt
Diagnosis of Liver Failure (Acute) in Dogs
Your dog’s symptoms will probably indicate severe liver failure. Bloodwork and urine samples can show the level of dysfunction and help to determine the cause of the problem. The veterinarian will check for infectious diseases, signs of poisoning, and hormone or enzyme imbalance. X-rays and ultrasound will often show an enlarged liver and may help to diagnose cancer, cysts, or vascular abnormalities.
The veterinarian will need your dog’s medical history, including any known conditions such as diabetes, and any medications, past or present. Family history may also be important, since breed is a factor. Any potential exposure to poisoning will be extremely relevant. An exact description of your dog’s symptoms may help to indicate the source of the problem. The veterinarian will need to know the dates of your dog’s last vaccinations and any potential exposure to infections.
Treatment of Liver Failure (Acute) in Dogs
The veterinarian will start by treating the symptoms of acute liver failure. Severely affected dogs are often comatose and will need to be given intravenous fluids and electrolytes to decrease blood toxicity. Diuretics or enemas could be given to clean out the system. If too much fluid in the abdomen is causing respiratory difficulty, a long needle may be inserted to siphon off some of the fluid. If the blood is not clotting properly, transfusion may be necessary as well as medications that assist coagulation, such as heparin or vitamin K. Antibiotics may be given to treat and/or prevent infection since the immune system becomes less functional with liver failure.
After stabilizing the symptoms, the veterinarian will try to treat the underlying cause of the liver disease. If poisoning was the issue, the condition may reverse itself once the toxins are flushed out of the body. Liver failure that is caused by an endocrine problem can often be rectified by treating this condition medically. Antibiotics or antifungal medication may be prescribed for bacterial or fungal infections. With viral infections, supportive management of the symptoms may be the only treatment possible until the immune system has fought the virus.
Surgery may be necessary to treat some causes of liver failure, such as cancer, cysts or vascular anomalies. This will depend on your dog’s overall health. Surgery will not be possible unless the symptoms of acute liver failure can be stabilized. Some conditions are inoperable, and there is always a certain amount of risk with surgery. Chemotherapy may be prescribed for some types of cancer.
Dogs that have chronic hepatitis as the result of a congenital abnormality may need long term medication. Drugs that bind to copper can help to reduce copper storage problems. Congenital enzyme and protein abnormalities usually result in a shorter life, although the condition may be manageable for a time with diet and medication.
Worried about the cost of treating your pet's symptoms?
Pet Insurance covers the cost of many common pet health conditions. Prepare for the unexpected by getting a quote from top pet insurance providers.
Recovery of Liver Failure (Acute) in Dogs
Your dog’s outlook for recovery will be based on the diagnosis made by a veterinarian. Complete recovery depends on identifying and eliminating the cause of acute liver failure. Some conditions are treatable. Others will need to be managed with long-term medication that may cause significant side effects.
For most chronic liver problems with an unknown or untreatable cause, a low protein, low sodium diet is recommended. Frequent, small, carbohydrate-based meals can help to put less stress on the liver and prevent the recurrence of acute liver failure. Some veterinarians may prescribe food designed specifically for dogs with liver problems, while others will recommend a homemade diet. Antioxidants, vitamin E, milk thistle and other supplements can also be given to support liver function.
Acute liver failure can be expensive to treat. If you suspect your dog has acute liver failure or is at risk, start searching for pet insurance today. Brought to you by Pet Insurer, Wag! Wellness lets pet parents compare insurance plans from leading companies like PetPlan and Trupanion. Find the “pawfect” plan for your pet in just a few clicks!
Liver Failure (Acute) Average Cost
From 367 quotes ranging from $1,000 - $10,000
Average Cost
$5,500
Top
Liver Failure (Acute) Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Labrador Retriever
Buddy
10 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Panting
Malaise
Long Frequent Urination
Our 10 year old lab mix began to pant, have frequent long urination, and a general malaise, not typical for him. We took him to his vet and his blood work came back with elevated liver numbers. He was prescribed Denosyl and his demeanor has not changed in two weeks. We took him in again today with a urine sample and more blood work. Our discussion with the vet was over a possible liver failure. Our vet is telling us if the enzyme numbers come back elevated and his urine is not being metabolized? then he has a prognosis of about 30 days. Now that is without intervention of a new diet, medication for the urine and with those the prognosis is 6 months. We are feeling like, why put him through all the meds if he only gets six more months...
July 9, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
There are many causes for liver disease, and many other medications that may help him. Without an x-ray and ultrasound, it isn't possible to give a time line for liver disease, and it may be worth treating to see if it is a bacterial problem that can be resolved. You'll need to discuss the risks and benefits of treating with your veterinarian as they know more about what is going on with Buddy's system. I hope that he is okay.
July 10, 2018
Was this question and answer helpful?
Golden Retriever
Pebbles
14 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Loss Of Appetite
Loss Of Appetite; Weight Loss
My golden retriever is 14 years old and was just diagnosed with cancer in the liver. The vet basically said that the liver was filled with 3 large tumours and it was not going to be possible to operate. She has lost a lot of weight and is uninterested in her own food but will eat our food quite happily. She is a happy dog but the loss of weight means that, currently, she can only stand when we lift her to an upright position as she does not have much strength. The vet basically said that in a few weeks time, or less, something (not sure, tumour or liver) would explode and there would be internal bleeding and my dog will die. His suggestion is to euthanize her but I find this hard to digest, she doesn't look anything like close to death's door and doesn't appear to be in pain. Any suggestions as to avenues to pursue ?
June 11, 2018
0 Recommendations
Without examining Pebbles I cannot confirm or alter the prognosis; if your Veterinarian is concerned with the tumours rupturing (like hemangiosarcomas) then you may give a Chinese medicine called yunnan baiyao which has properties to help stop bleeding. With Pebbles age and the number of tumours, surgery not the best course of action and you should continue to monitor her for the time being and ensure she remains calm. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
June 12, 2018
Was this question and answer helpful?
West Highland White Terrier
Dewey
9 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Anorexia, Lethargy
Our dog suddenly stopped eating entirely - even refusing treats, and became very lethargic. He was drinking a lot of water and started peeing in the house. About a couple weeks ago he was throwing up off and on but that stopped more recentely. We took him in, and the vet noticed yellow gums, and ordered blood work. This showed his ALP highly elevated: 1807, when normal range is given as 20-150; ALT also high, and ALB low. AMY is normal. He also had highly elevated WBC, low RBC. The doctor did a test for leptospirosis, bit still waiting on results. He is in the vet hospital with IV fluids including 2 kinds of antibiotics, nausea medicine and vitamins. We don’t know what caused this. I read online about Westies being susceptible to copper storage disease. Our vet never heard of this. We’re trying to decide whether to transfer him to a different vet who would have ultrasound and biopsy capabilities (our vet does not). We’re not clear on what their benefit would be, in terms of treatment. Could you explain? We’re just not sure if we should disrupt his treatment and drive him across town, not to mention a lot more money for procedures, without being clearer on the benefit. It does bother me that the vet hasn’t heard of copper storage disease.
June 8, 2018
0 Recommendations
Copper storage disease is common in West Highland White Terriers, the only real way to diagnose this condition it is to have a liver biopsy done to look for the microscopic signs of the disease. This is a hereditary condition with the copper accumulating over the life of the dog until liver failure presents. The use of chelating agents like penicillamine and dietary changes, the condition may be managed if confirmed. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/diagnosing-and-treating-canine-copper-associated-hepatopathies?id=&sk=&date=&pageID=3
www.ufaw.org.uk/dogs/west-highland-white-terrier-chronic-hepatopathy
June 9, 2018
Was this question and answer helpful?
Basenji
Isis
12 Years
1 found this helpful
1 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Elevated Liver Enzymes
My 12 year old basenji/cattle dog mix started having elevated liver enzymes 4 years ago. I have had her liver enzymes checked every 6 months for the last 4 years, and they remained consistently elevated with Alk Phosphatase at 429 & ALT/SGPT at 83 until April 2018. In April 2018 she had a low-grade cancerous tumor removed from her back leg and the surgery went great and she was doing just fine. 3 weeks later she was hosptialized because she was started throwing up and couldnt keep food or water down. The hospital found that her liver levels were elevated to Alk Phosphatase - 2036 ALT/SGPT - 436. GGT was 11. They did an ultrasound to check the liver/gallbladder/kidneys and said everything looked fine but that there was some sludge in the gall bladder but nothing they would expect that would raise her liver enzymes so high and they haven't been able to give me any answers as to what the issue might be. There are no signs of jaundice, still eating, she did lose about 3lbs in the last 5 months.
What would cause her liver levels to be this high?
Alk Phosphatase - 2036
ALT - 436
May 21, 2018
1 Recommendations
It is difficult to say what may be causing an increase in liver enzymes since there are many possible causes which may include infections and poisoning; even low level poisoning from certain sources may result in elevated liver enzymes. If everything looks good on ultrasound, it may be worth getting an aspirate of liver tissue to have examined by histopathology to see if it may shed some light on an underlying cause. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
May 22, 2018
Was this question and answer helpful?
hound mix
Jojo
9 Years
2 found this helpful
2 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Not Active
9 year old hound mix. Has high liver numbers but no yellow in eyes ears or mouth. Some swelling in stomach so enlarged liver is due. Does breath a little heavy but not all the time. Excellent appetite. I have her on denamarin and milk thistle. Am sure her liver functioning isn't as should be. Urine and poop normal.
May 14, 2018
2 Recommendations
There are many different causes for high liver values and certain liver values being elevated over others can sometimes indicate a cause; Denamarin is a good product to help reduce the liver enzymes (Denamarin contains silybin which is milk thistle extract) but doesn’t address the underlying cause of the high liver values. It would be useful to discuss with your Veterinarian to determine if there is liver enlargement or something else occurring in the abdomen (fluid, fat etc…). Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
May 15, 2018
Was this question and answer helpful?
Labrador Retriever
Lhotse
2 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Extremely High Liver Panel Numbers,
Our dog Lhotse is a 2 year old Yellow Labrador 65 lbs. started heavy vomiting and became lethargic, the vomit contained a lot of fish but after investigating she got into some farmed salmon from a neighbor. We took her to the vet and her ALT is 13,529 AST is 11,000 and ALP is 339. She has normal glucose levels but bilirubin is .4. She is very dehydrated and is on IV's. My question is what are the chances of recovery with such high liver panel numbers. I am seeing other numbers on this site but only up to 2000. We are talking 13,000 range here. She is not showing signs of jaundice and is eating and is becoming less lethargic over the last 12 hours.
Liver Failure (Acute) Average Cost
From 367 quotes ranging from $1,000 - $10,000
Average Cost
$5,500
Get a free pet insurance quote in less than 60 seconds!
Easily compare quotes from the most trusted pet insurance companies in the United States.
