Canine Liver Health

63

By habee

dog health and liver function

If you have a dog, you're undoubtedly concerned with dog health issues. Do you ever think about your dog's liver? Canine liver health is extremely important to your dog’s overall well being. The liver has several functions that are necessary for survival. For one thing, the organ functions as a sort of filter, removing harmful substances and waste from the blood. The liver also produces bile, which is an important part of the digestive process. The liver produces proteins, and it helps break down and process proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. It’s responsible for making cholesterol, too. And even though cholesterol is sometimes thought of as a bad substance, it’s necessary for several bodily functions, including those having to do with hormones.

Another important function of the liver has to do with blood sugar levels. The liver stores glycogen, which is a form of glucose. When the body doesn’t receive enough carbohydrates in the diet, glycogen from the liver can “feed” the body. It can also help regulate blood sugar by turning protein and fat into glucose.

Hopefully, now you can fully appreciate the importance of a healthy liver. If your dog’s liver is damaged, diseased, or compromised in some other way, the results can be deadly. In fact, other than accidental death, liver disease is the fifth most common cause of death in dogs. The scary part of canine liver disease is that you might not even know if your dog is suffering from it. The symptoms are sometimes vague, and you might attribute them to something else. Typical symptoms of canine liver disease include weight loss, depression, decreased appetite, and inactivity. A dog with liver disease might have bouts of diarrhea or vomiting, also.

To help keep your dog’s liver healthy and properly functioning, there’s now an oral dog medication that you can use. It’s called Denamarin, and you won’t need a prescription for it. In fact, you can buy it online. Even better, the tablets are chewable, so they’re easy to administer.

How is Denamarin beneficial to the canine liver? One of the active ingredients is silybin. Silybin, an extract from milk thistle, is a hepatoprotective agent. In other words, it has the ability to prevent liver damage. The silybin in Denamarin increases the amount of glutathione in the liver. Glutathione is a tripeptide that works as an antioxidant, preventing damage from free radicals to liver cells. All cells in the body have the capacity to produce glutathione, but production in the liver is especially important, and some animals don’t produce enough. In fact, studies done on mice with drastically reduced levels or an absence of glutathione in the liver died shortly after birth.

Denamarin contains another powerful ingredient, too – S-Adenosylmethionine, or SAMe, for short. SAMe is found in just about every organ, every fluid, and every type of tissue in the body. It’s an integral part of the immune system. Unfortunately, humans and animals with diseased or damaged livers often don’t produce enough SAMe. Studies conducted on humans and mice show that when such individuals were treated with SAMe, liver function was improved. In fact, in mice, liver damage was sometimes even reversed.

Why gamble with your dog’s health? Denamarin is inexpensive, easy to use, and readily available. It can protect your pet’s liver, and it might even be able to reverse any liver damage that has already occurred. Canine liver health is nothing to fool around with!

A vet discusses canine liver health and Denamarin:

Keep your dog's liver healthy by using a supplement like Denamarin.
Keep your dog's liver healthy by using a supplement like Denamarin.

Comments

mary615 profile image

mary615 Level 8 Commenter 6 months ago

Hi habee, I'm always interested in ways to keep my "children" healthy. I've been so concerned about trying to avoid bladder stones I never gave the liver much thought. Guess I thought that organ would just take care of itself. You've given me something to think about after watching the video. May I link this Hub into the one I did about Bailey's experience with bladder stones? Thanks for another interesting and timely Hub. I voted it UP, etc. Hope your day is good to you!

habee profile image

habee Hub Author 6 months ago

Hi, Mary! Sure, feel free to do the link. Hope you have a great day!

mary615 profile image

mary615 Level 8 Commenter 6 months ago

Thanks, my Georgia friend!

drbj profile image

drbj Level 8 Commenter 6 months ago

I must confess, I no longer think about the liver of my dog.

The reason for that - my dog ran away and now I own a frog.

Though my verse is forsaken,

Your point, Holle, is well taken. :)

habee profile image

habee Hub Author 6 months ago

LOL, drbj. Only you could write a poem about canine liver disease!!

akirchner profile image

akirchner Level 4 Commenter 6 months ago

Good info, Holle - you can't be too careful with your dog's liver...or our human livers, too! If only you could keep the dogs from drinking....I know in our house it's really a problem. Griffin likes his beer with his sauerkraut muffins no matter how many times I lecture him!

habee profile image

habee Hub Author 6 months ago

Lol, Buckie! It's GREAT to see you! I just wrote a short story in which the main character is named Buck - Buckie. Made me think of you!

vocalcoach profile image

vocalcoach Level 7 Commenter 6 months ago

Excellent hub, habee! My Clancey is my everything. I can't imagine life without him and yet I realize I must be ready for him to move on someday. He will be 11 yrs old next week.

Thanks to you and your informative and well written hub on Liver Health, I can keep my eye on his liver.

I take Milk Thistle for myself, to keep my own liver healthy. Thanks, habee and voted UP!

vocalcoach~

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