Tails of Seattle: A pets blog Veterinary Q&A: Liver disease
Question: What role does the liver play in a dog or cat's body?
Answer: The liver has many functions. The main functions are
detoxification (takes drugs or toxins out) of the blood stream,
regulation of blood-sugar levels, maintenance of blood protein
and cholesterol levels, production of bile that helps to
metabolize fats and production and maintenance of normal blood-
clotting factors. Question: What can go wrong with a liver?
Answer: The basic disease processes are divided into infection;
inflammation; toxicity; cancer; metabolic disease; congenital
diseases; and trauma. Most people think hepatitis (inflammation
of the liver) is a viral disease, because this is common in
people. But viral hepatitis is very uncommon in dogs. Cats can
develop hepatitis as part of the viral disease feline infectious
peritonitis. Infectious causes of hepatitis in dogs and cats are
more commonly caused by bacteria, and less commonly by fungal,
parasitic or protozoal dis