What wet food is best for dogs with hepatic disease?

By Corinne Wigfall BVM(Hons) BVS(Hons) MRCVS 

The liver is one of the most important organs in the body. It is a brown coloured organ made up of six individual lobes and a gall bladder and sits in the top third of the abdominal cavity, near the end of your dog's rib cage.

The liver acts as a processing site for food. It aids in digestion by breaking down the food compounds into smaller more easily managed particles to be absorbed further down the gastrointestinal tract. The liver is considered a filter, and helps remove toxins and waste products from the circulation. Essential clotting factors are made in the liver, which are crucial for the normal functioning of the body. This organ is also responsible for the storage of vitamins and minerals. As you can see, the liver is a very crucial organ, so when it is damaged or injured, the whole body can be affected as a result. 

Dogs are often not good at telling us they are unwell, particularly for liver disease, and signs can go unnoticed until the liver is very damaged. With liver disease, the earlier we detect it and start treatment, the longer your dog can live with this condition. So, what signs should you look out for? 

Tell tale signs of liver disease are: 

• Inappetence
• Lethargy 
• Vomiting 
• Yellow skin, eyes or mucous membranes 
• Weight loss 
• Neurological signs such as tremors or seizures 

What causes liver disease? 

Any age, breed or sex of dog can suffer from liver disease, so always be on the lookout for signs that concern you.

Liver disease can be caused by infection, inflammation, congenital issues such as a portosystemic shunt, copper storage disease, trauma and neoplastic or cancerous causes. 

As the list of possible causes is so long, your veterinary surgeon will do a range of tests to help narrow down and pinpoint the exact cause of the signs you are noticing. 

Common diagnostic tests a veterinary surgeon will run include blood tests to assess liver function, and ultrasound or radiographs to visualise the liver architecture in more detail. If your vet is still uncertain, a biopsy of the liver may need to be obtained to gather more information. 

As the liver is such an important organ involved in many processes of the body, there can be more than one issue going on at the same time, which can make the diagnosis more challenging. Remember to tell your vet everything you can about their diet including snacks or human food, routine and vaccination history. This is important information for your vet to know and record. 

How is liver disease treated?

The mainstay of treatment is to support the liver as much as possible through its illness. There are many different causes of liver disease, so treating the underlying disease (such as antibiotics for a bacterial infection) is always the first line. 

Hand in hand with medication, is nutritional supplementation. The correct formulation of a diet to support liver function cannot be overstated enough. Without the right combination of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins etc the liver cannot repair and regenerate after incurring damage. 

Our top tip is to feed an easily digestible, high quality wet diet split into small meals, around three to four meals per day. This reduces the processing load on the liver at any one time and helps absorption through the gastrointestinal tract. 

Some dogs who have liver disease can be quite unwell so using a wet food, which is known to have a stronger smell can encourage your dog to eat more than they would a dry biscuit for example. The strong smell and moisture content of wet food increases the enjoyment of eating for your dog, and so we encourage you to look for a wet food option when considering what diet to feed your dog with liver disease. 

A wet food diet contains water, and so will also help increase your dogs water intake, which is very helpful to flush out toxins and waste products from the body. When a dog is feeling unwell they naturally do not want to drink as much as they normally would, so feeding wet food is a good way to increase water consumption for your dog. 

Components of a liver specific diet 

Low copper levels

Some liver diseases are caused by too much accumulation of copper in the liver, which stops the other processes such as filtration and breakdown of foods from happening. By feeding a low copper diet, such as Zealandia, which contains only 7-8mg/kg of dry matter, you can help reduce the available copper levels to requirement only which means no extra copper is available to be stored in the liver. 

High quality protein ingredients 

High quality proteins are often of animal origin, for example chicken. A high quality protein is easier for the liver to break down into amino acids. The body uses amino acids for repair, growth and to use for energy in day to day activities. Protein requirements for dogs with liver disease are 2-2.5g/kg, and avoiding red meats in favour of white meats or plant based products such as tofu is recommended. 

Fats

Fats are usually considered bad in excess, but dogs with liver disease have no restrictions on fats, which are used as an energy source. This is important in dogs who have liver disease, as often they can be a little underweight so fats are an easy way to add extra condition back onto their bodies and give them an energy boost to get through each day. That being said, diets should be balanced so look for a diet with around 10-15% fat content for optimum health. 

Carbohydrates 

Look for a diet that contains no more than 35% carbohydrate to be balanced. Dogs with liver disease often have higher energy requirements than healthy dogs, and more energy can be derived from fats or proteins than carbohydrates, for this reason it's important not to feed a diet that is too high in carbohydrates. Zelandia is renowned for having a low carbohydrate concentration in its wet food. 

Omega acids

The Omega fatty acids are known for their anti-inflammatory properties. Dogs who have liver disease regardless of the underlying cause will have inflammation and so the omega oils are helpful in reducing the inflammation in the liver, thus allowing for healing or regeneration to occur. 

Antioxidants 

Antioxidants such as SAMe, vitamins A, B and E have anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic properties which are important in healing and regeneration of the liver. These can be added as supplements on top of diets, but dogs with liver disease can be reluctant to eat supplements even if hidden in wet food, so looking at the ingredient list on the tin to make sure they are already included can avoid this issue. 

Helpful advice 

There are so many varieties of dog food out there that it can be overwhelming when choosing a diet. Always look at the packaging, whilst they may have an attractive logo or design all dog food must legally have a list of ingredients and a feeding guideline so you know how much to feed your dog. If you cannot find these things listed on the packaging, avoid purchasing. 

Look to nutrition experts and veterinarians for advice if you are unsure on what to buy, or if you find that you have tried multiple diets and your dog still does not want to eat. Medications such as appetite stimulants may be needed to help your dog's enthusiasm for eating to increase. 

Changing a diet 

When your dog needs to transition or change to a diet that supports liver health, it's important to gradually change the food over to the new diet over the course of 1-2 weeks. Nutrition is such an essential part of the treatment plan that it is worth taking the time to gradually get your dog used to the taste and texture of their new diet. 

Dogs often become accustomed to their regular brand, and as such a change can be an unwelcomed experience. By adding in 5-10% of the new diet every few days to their original diet, you can allow your dog the time to get used to eating the new liver specific diet.

If you try to simply offer the new diet, you may find your dog refuses to eat it at all which can affect their long term health. Try a slow and steady approach and your dog will be supported through the diet long term. 

Summary 

Liver disease is a complex and challenging condition to manage. Thankfully nutritional supplementation can make a big difference to how your dog feels in themselves, and gives the key elements your dog needs to maintain, grow and potentially regain some parts of their liver function. Always seek veterinary advice if you are worried about your dog's health or nutrition, and do not be afraid to use a wet food product if you are considering feeding a liver specific diet to your dog.