If your pet dog is dealing with High Liver Enzymes, then it’s no wonder you’re worried and researching. Unfortunately, liver diseases have become common in dogs. The veterinarian might properly guide you with a diet plan, along with tests and medicines.
You can also feed your dog with greens, fish, coffee, oatmeal, avocado, tofu, and walnuts. These options are healthy for high Liver Enzymes.
Besides, we have come up with dietary changes that can help your dog with liver disease. So, if you read on, the following information will help your dog deal with liver disease efficiently.
Dogs with Liver Disease: A Brief
If you haven’t understood the full impact of liver disease in dogs, we have got the information covered here. Thus, it is essential to highlight that the liver plays a huge role in your dog’s body.
It removes waste and toxins, thus acting as a cleaning system. Also, it produces bile in the body which helps in better digestion. However, the liver will not function properly in case of higher liver enzymes.
Therefore, the waste and toxins build up while also affecting other organs. Such problems can occur due to poor diet, injuries, aging, genes, trauma, or infections. So, if your dog is facing some issues, make sure that you visit your dog’s vet without any delay.
You don’t want complex issues in the future. Besides, early detection of the problem can help your dog recover faster. Also, make sure that the diet and mediation are proper.
Signs of Higher Liver Enzymes in Dogs
Here are a few symptoms for those dealing with liver disease:
- Increased urination
- Vomiting
- Lack of interest in eating food
- Seizures
- Jaundice
If you see the above signs, make sure to visit the vet as soon as possible.
Dogs Having Liver Disease: The Diet
It is important to note that there are various causes for Liver disease in dogs. Thus, the way differs too. Therefore, ensure that you develop a proper diet plan with the vet, especially the diet changes, as it can significantly impact the recovery.
Diet Guidelines for Your Dog
The first thing to take care of is that you make the changes in your dog’s guide at a slow pace. It is because the sudden change can make things worse and hurt your pet‘s stomach. Also, make sure to check with a professional to proceed with the plan.
Another critical decision you need to take is the time between meals. If you feed your dog 4 to 5 times a day, rather than sticking to two meals, it will help.
Since you feed in intervals but small amounts, the liver processes the nutrition with less pressure. Thus, the dietary changes and time intervals become helpful to your dog’s liver.
Nutrient Intake
A few nutrients are essential compared to other nutrients in a dog with liver problems. We have mentioned these below to help you understand the dietary changes:
Protein
The optimal intake for protein depends on the type and stage of the liver problem. It is important to highlight that some problems in the liver need more, and some need to limit the protein intake in your dog.
However, the quality of the protein you feed your dog should be high, but the feeding has to be moderate. The high-quality proteins that the vet recommends come from animals that have amino acids. Other recommendations include eggs, soy, and dairy.
Carbs and Fats
Some dogs have tolerance for the high level of fats, while others can tolerate moderate intake. Moreover, fats are an important part of the diet for calories and energy. However, it can cause liver distress due to more processing of food.
Therefore, the suggestion is to feed your dog with easy and digestible fats — for instance, coconut oil. Besides, carbohydrates are crucial for the diet as they have fiber and remove ammonia. Some recommendations include oatmeal, white rice, or pasta.
Minerals and Vitamins
Any diet requires the inclusion of Minerals and Vitamins. For your dog with liver problems, make sure to add vitamins to the diet. It should include vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B complex, vitamin K and minerals, including zinc.
It is important to note that Vitamin C has antioxidant properties while vitamin E helps in liver health. Also, vitamin K is helpful with blood clotting. Moreover, zinc helps with the proper function of the liver due to antioxidant properties and binding copper.
A Structured Diet
You must feed your dog in intervals and consult a vet for the liver problem in your dog. We have mentioned the food that you can include and avoid in your dog’s diet below:
What to Include
You can add some dairy products to the diet like cottage cheese, yogurt, and ricotta cheese for digestion. Besides, these products have less ammonia. Also, ensure that the dairy products you feed your dog are low in fat and salt.
Some great protein sources you can include in the diet are fish, eggs, and boneless and skinless chicken or turkey. Besides, you can feed your dog with oatmeal and white rice due to the rich fiber. It also helps in removing ammonia from your dog’s body.
Other things to include are canned pumpkin, barley, and salmon or fish oil. Moreover, some fruits like fig, papaya, and watermelon can help in liver protection. Also, make sure that you feed your dog with this food in intervals to avoid problems.
What to Avoid
We advise you to avoid copper food as its build-up can damage the liver. Besides, organ meats like beef liver are high in copper. However, the intake of turkey and chicken liver is good due to less copper.
Also, make sure to avoid duck, salmon, lamb, and pork. Moreover, you must monitor the intake of salt in your dog’s diet as it can retain extra fluid in the body. If you are not sure about the diet intake, make sure to consult a vet before finalizing a plan.
Summing Up
We hope that the above information on dietary changes can help your pet dog recover faster. Also, the best way to make changes is by putting up a new list of food in your kitchen.
Moreover, if you have time and cook for your dog, you can plan a homemade diet. It is one of the best ways to help with a quick recovery since you can modify the food according to the dietary plan.
Besides, if you are looking for an easy recipe, make sure to try this liver disease food recipe. Also, if you have more recommendations, make sure to comment down to help other dog owners and dogs with high liver enzymes.