Your dogs liver is pretty amazing. It can perform over 500 different functions to keep your little buddy in good health. Some of the important functions of your dogs liver are:

Bile production: A dog's liver produces bile into the gastrointestinal tract to help break down fats during digestion. Bile is always being created by the liver and any unused bile is stored in the gallbladder.

Clotting: The liver creates proteins like albumin that are responsible for blood clotting

Glycogen: excess glucose (sugar) in a dog's system is converted into glycogen and stored in the liver to be used later for energy.

Ammonia: Bacteria in the intestinal tract turn proteins into ammonia as they break the proteins down. Ammonia can build up to toxic levels if not for the liver, which converts the ammonia to urea that can be passed through the kidneys.

What Does Enlarged Liver in Dogs Mean?

The word hepatomegaly is used to describe an enlargement of the liver in dogs. Usually if your dog has been diagnosed with an enlarged liver it’s due to a condition or disease that interferes with how his liver is functioning.

If your dog has been diagnosed with a condition or disease that is enlarging his or her liver you may need to start giving her a special diet for dogs with enlarged liver so he or she has the best chance at a healthy and happy life.

What Causes Enlarged Liver in Dogs?

There are a few reasons your dog can develop an enlarged liver. Chronic diseases like diabetes can cause an enlarged liver. Acute liver failure can come on sudden and quick and is usually caused by poisoning.

In the case of poisoning your dog needs immediate veterinary care. For chronic issues like diabetes or other K-9 diseases you may be able to control the symptoms and help heal the liver with a special diet and supplements.

Some diseases or conditions that can lead to an enlarged liver in your best friend are:

• Hepatitis

• Chronic liver disease

• Heart disease / Heart failure

• Liver neoplasia (uncontrolled growth)

• Heartworm disease

• Fatty liver

• Liver cyst

There are other health issues that can contribute to your dog having an enlarged liver. To keep your dog in the best health means paying close attention to his overall health and getting him to the vet when you notice anything out of the ordinary.

Enlarged liver in dogs due to steroids

If your dog has been given steroid medications over a long period of time he may develop complications from the steroid therapy called steroid hepatopathy

What are the Symptoms of Liver Disease in Dogs?

The symptoms that go along with a liver problem in dogs are easy to confuse with several other diseases or conditions.

This makes it important to keep a watchful eye on your dog to monitor for any changes in behavior that are not like how she normally is.

Some of the symptoms of enlarged liver in dogs you can look for that may mean a problem in your dog’s liver function are:

• Weight loss

• Appetite loss

• Vomiting and/or diarrhea

• Extra thirsty

• Problems walking 

• Increased peeing

• Confusion

• Jaundice (yellowing of eyes, tongue or gums)

• Weakness

• Blood in urine

• Seizures

What are the Stages of Liver Failure in Dogs?

Early Stage:

In early stage liver failure you may not notice too many symptoms. At this stage the liver is still mostly functioning and the disease or condition that is causing the problem may not be advanced.

Because of this you may notice that your dog is more tired than usual or doesn’t eat as much food as he normally would.

Middle Stage:

In this stage the liver is having more trouble performing normal daily function. Because of this you may notice more symptoms like jaundice or a “pot belly” look in his abdomen.

End Stage:

In the end stage of liver failure is when you are most likely to see the most serious symptoms. Changes in mood, dizziness, pacing and seizures. The reason for these extreme symptoms is that when the liver stops working as it should the body fills with toxins that would normally have been filtered and removed by the liver.

This increase in toxins can cause all sorts of neurological issues like the ones mentioned.

How to Treat Enlarged Liver in Dogs With Diet

To help your dogs prognosis you can start to feed your dog an elevated liver enzymes diet that will help the liver heal and flush out any toxins.

If your dog has enlarged liver issues, the first thing you can do to start is to give several smaller meals a day instead of one or two larger meals.

But be aware that if your dog has developed liver problems due to diabetes then you’ll want to give your dog a diet that is suited for diabetes rather than liver function.

That being said, if your dog isn’t diabetic but is showing signs of liver problems you can try the several smaller meals per day method.

Hepatic Encephalopathy

If your dog is in liver failure he may have a condition called HE, or hepatic encephalopathy. That’s a big word for too much ammonia in his system.

Symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy are:

• Tremors

• Seizures

• head pressing

• Staggering

• Circling

• Pacing

• Blindness 

• Behavioral changes

If this is the case then you’ll want to make some dietary changes. 

Always consult your veterinarian before making any changes in diet though as this information is for educational purposes...not diagnosis!

So in the event that you do have a dog with elevated liver enzymes and you want to try a new diet you may try adding some grains like oatmeal or boiled white rice to his diet.

You’ll also want to avoid giving him animal organ meats like beef liver as these are high in copper. Also avoid any supplements that have added copper in them. Chicken and turkey livers have less copper and are generally ok to try.

Copper can build up in the system and cause more issues in the liver so this is important.

If your dog has slightly elevated liver enzymes then a change in diet may not be necessary at all. If that’s the case then you can provide him some extra liver support with supplements.