The dietary changes in your dog’s diet could be your first step in its treatment plan. If you are searching for The Best Dog Foods for Liver Diseases, then you are in the right place.
If you are in a hurry, just take a look at the following table to get brief information about The Best Dog Food For Liver Disease. To understand the problem in detail please continue reading the articles, as you can find all the information about every single drug and important information about dogs liver diseases.
Best Treats For Dogs With Liver Disease
There are hundreds of types of dog foods with different forms, so it’s hard to decide which one is the perfect food for your dog especially if it suffers from a liver disease which makes every single ingredient in its food is a critical deal.
the list below contains the Top 10 Dog Foods suitable for canine liver diseases, and you can ask your vet for more information. Check dog foods in the list to find the ingredients of each one and choose the best for your dog which contains the highest content of vitamins and low copper percentage, let’s start !!
1. The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Organic Dog Food
The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Organic Dog Food is free of preservatives, by-products, and GMO ingredients. The recipe of the honest kitchen formulating with human-grade ingredients in the USA, and suitable for both puppies and active adults of all sizes.
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Dehydrated Turkey, 2. Organic Oats, 3. Dehydrated Potatoes, 4. Organic Flaxseed, 5. Dehydrated Carrots.
The main ingredients of this canine food are chicken protein, vitamin E, zinc, and cage-free turkey and dehydrated. This formulation is free from sodium and with high nutritional value.
- Caloric Content(Per Kg): 4140 kcal.
- Analysis:Protein (min.) 22%, Fat (min.) 15%, Fiber (max.) 5%, Moisture (max.) 8.6%.
Although this food is a dry form you can mix it with water for a delicious meal that matches your dog taste.
2. Hill’s Prescription Diet l/d Liver Care Original Canned Dog Food
If your dog prefers canned food, thenHill’s Prescription must be your choice for your pet. This food has many valuable ingredients like vitamins E & C, and digestible protein which supports your dog liver functions.
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Water, 2. Rice, 3. Chicken Fat, 4. Soybean Meal, 5. Soybean Oil.
- Suitable For: Small, medium, and large breeds.
- Caloric Content (Per Can): 515 kcal.
This recipe has low sodium content and without any additives, all of this will reduce liver workload and maintain normal fat metabolism of your dog liver, there forgive his liver cells the chance to regenerate.The liver is one of the most important parts of your dog’s body, and when it damaged it can lead to nutrient deficiencies. The formulation of Hill’s Prescription can be able to support your dog’s immune system give your pet the daily supplements requirements.
3. Wilderness Blue Buffalo Adult Dry Dog Food
Blue Buffalo Wilderness made from high-quality natural ingredients, the brand guarantees the purity of its ingredients and ensures them to be free of preservatives, artificial flavors, and by-products.
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Deboned Chicken, 2. Chicken Meal, 3. Pea Protein, 4. Peas, 5. Tapioca Starch.
- Caloric Content (Per Kg): 3251 kcal.
- Analysis: Protein (min.) 28%, Fat (min.) 9%, Fiber (max.) 10%, Moisture (max.) 10%.
Animal nutritionists and holistic veterinarians recommend Blue Buffalo as The Best Food For Your Dog with liver disease, as it gives all the essential proteins your dog needs from chicken meal, deboned chicken, and turkey meal. The Formula also rich in Vitamins, Minerals, and Antioxidants, it also provides healthy complex carbohydrates sourced from peas, sweet potatoes, and potatoes.
4. Royal Canin Veterinary Diet – Hepatic Formula Dry Dog Food
If your dog has a liver condition, then its diet must contain low copper and sodium content to reduce the overload on its liver, and this is the main advantage of Royal Canin Dog Food.
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Brewers Rice, 2. Brown Rice, 3. Corn, 4. Chicken Fat, 5. Soy Protein Isolate.
This Food consists of Brewers Rice, Brown Rice, Corn, Chicken Fat, Soy Protein Isolate. All of these make the formula with high fiber content which makes it so easy to be digested by your pet. Royal Food is suitable for Large, Medium, and Small dogs, The delicious, crunchy kibble is formulated with an impressive nutrient-profile to support liver function in dogs with high vitamins and minerals concentration like Zinc and Vitamin B which is essential for your dog liver health.
- Caloric Content (Per Kg): 3768 kcal.
- Analysis: Protein (min.) 14%, Fat (min.) 14%, Fiber (max.) 3.6%, Moisture (max.) 10%.
5. Instinct by Nature’s Variety – Original Grain
The grain-free recipe from Instinct is a great choice, as it uses real chicken and a variety of high-quality ingredients to offer great nutrition for your dog. This blend of kibble is suitable for all types of dogs, especially small ones that have difficulty due to their small mouths as the kibble has a perfect size.
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Chicken, 2. Chicken Meal, 3. Peas, 4. Chicken Fat, 5. Tapioca.
This product is rich in vitamins and minerals, it’s made of grain-free, high protein, and freeze-dried raw coated kibble. The manufacturer guarantee that there is no existence of grain, gluten, wheat, corn, soy, fillers, flavors, artificial colors, and preservatives. It also has low copper and sodium content to protect your pet liver from extra damage. This option is balanced levels of proteins, calories, and fats. That makes it great for the lifestyle of toy breed dogs.
6. Nutro Max – Adult Recipe with Farm-Raised Chicken Dry Dog Food
What makes Nutro is a special meal for your dog is its formula, which is prepared from farm-raised chicken. Only natural ingredients are used in the preparation of this product, this makes it the best for your dog’s health to support its liver away from artificial colors, preservatives, flavors, soy, corn, and wheat.
Whole grains and other ingredients are chosen carefully to provide absolute care for your dog’s liver and the safest option to boost their recovery without damage its injured liver. Nutro is suitable for Small, medium, and large dogs.
- Caloric Content (Per Kg): 3715 kcal.
- Analysis: Protein (min.) 24%, Fat (min.) 14%, Fiber (max.) 3.5%, Moisture (max.) 10%.
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Chicken Meal, 2. Whole Grain Sorghum, 3. Brewers Rice, 4. Chicken Fat, 5. Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal.
7. Forza10 Nutraceutic Sensitive Digestion Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Forza10 is a brand founded by an. This particular blend belongs to their sensitive digestion line and is an excellent source of nutrition for dogs with digestive and liver-related health problems. The diet is not only a great choice to prevent liver diseases in dogs but.
This product must be your number one choice if your dogs suffer from digestive and liver-related health problems, as it is carefully formulated by an Italian veterinarian who specializes in food-related problems. Frozen 10 is suitable for small, medium, and large dogs with liver diseases, as it does not only support your pet’s liver but also provides complete nutritional balance for optimal health.
The Caloric Content (Per Kg): 3566 kcal.
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Anchovy Meal, 2. Peas, 3. Fava Beans, 4. Pork Meal, 5. Fish Oil.
8. CANIDAE – All Life Stages Multi-Protein Formula Dry Dog Food
You can consider CANIDAE is a multi-protein formula and a strong immune system booster in one product that provides your dog with a complete and balanced diet.
The high-quality ingredients in its formula make CANIDAE is the first option for many dog owners especially the ones who have dogs with liver diseases, as it contains natural ingredients like turkey, chicken, and lamb. If your dog is small, medium, or even large, you can feed it CANIDAE safely. It will provide your dog with all the daily nutrients it needs 3600 kcal /kg, Protein (min.) 24%, Fat (min.) 14%, Fiber (max.) 4.5%, Moisture (max.) 10%.
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Chicken Meal, 2. Turkey Meal, 3. Lamb Meal, 4. Brown Rice, 5. White Rice
9. Purina Pro Plan – Savor Adult Shredded Blend Lamb & Rice Formula
Dogs with sensitive stomach will find in these products the end of their suffering, as it is formulated with probiotics to aid in digestion. There is a relation between digestion and liver health, Easier digestion means less stress on the liver.
All of this makes Pro Plan is the safest food for dogs suffering from liver disease and have a sensitive stomach. When you look at the nutrient profile of the Pro Plan, you will find it rich in essential fatty acids and uses lamb as the primary ingredient.
The Caloric Content (Per Kg): is 4064 kcal, and it contains Protein (min.) 26%, Fat (min.) 16%, Fiber (max.) 3%, Moisture (max.) 12%.
The Product offers your dog the savory flavor of a perfect mixture of palatable shreds and kibble. All your dog needs is a delicious meal with complete and balanced nutrients to protect it from diseases and boost its immune system. Complete and balanced nutrition is all that your dog needs to support great health and aid in disease prevention.
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Lamb, 2. Rice Flour, 3. Corn Gluten Meal, 4. Whole Grain Wheat, 5. Chicken By-Product Meal, and it is suitable for small, medium, and large dogs.
10. Blue Buffalo – Life Protection Formula Adult
The formula of Blue Buffalo “Life Protection” includes only premium-quality ingredients including real meat, garden vegetables, whole-grains, and flavorful fruits, which provides a healthy, holistic diet for your dog.
Your dog gets a precise blend of nutrients enhanced with a super-7 package of antioxidant-rich ingredients. It is perfect for all dogs , as it contains : Protein (min.) 24%, Fat (min.) 14%, Fiber (max.) 5%, Moisture (max.) 10% , and 3627 kcal/kg .
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Deboned Chicken, 2. Chicken Meal, 3. Brown Rice, 4. Barley, 5. Oatmeal.
The product is Wheat-free, corn-free, and soy-free.
Liver Disease in Dogs
Liver disease is a very common matter in dogs, and it is considered one of the most common causes of dogs death. It is a very important organ and has many functions that affect other organs in your dog’s body. Liver is responsible for clotting your dog blood and cleaning it from waste products and toxins, when your pet liver damaged it may lead to very dangerous circumstances.
There are some common symptoms you shouldn’t ignore as it may indicate that your dog is suffering from a liver disease like:
- Loss of appetite.
- Seizures.
- Vomiting and diarrhea.
- Increased thirst.
- An unstable walk.
- Increased need to pee.
- Confusion.
- Ascites (a build-up of fluid in the belly).
- Yellowish eye, tongue, or gums (jaundice).
- Signs of weakness.
- Blood in his pee or poop.
FAQs
How Can My Dog Get Liver Disease?
Infectious canine hepatitis is the most common viral disease that is associated with the canine liver. Also, Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that dogs can acquire by coming in contact with urine infected soil or water, and it can lead to liver disease.
What Are The Causes Of Increased Liver Enzymes In My Dog?
There are certain situations or diseases that could lead to a rise in liver enzymes, including Hepatitis (swelling or inflammation of the liver). The increased liver enzymes in dogs can also be due to a buildup of fats in the liver, which causes fatty liver disease.
Can Liver Disease Be Painful For My Dog?
It depends on the cause and the symptoms the liver disease produces. These could range from being very specific to becoming very vague. Most dogs experience a feeling of malaise that progresses into vomiting, nausea, weight loss, anorexia, diarrhea, and possibly abdominal pain. In some cases, liver disease can be painful for your dog.
Can Liver Disease Lead To Liver Failure?
Yes, it can. It all starts with the disease and progresses to the fetal stage of liver failure. Your dog may not present any symptoms associated with liver disease at an early stage. Sometimes, even a bacterial infection can be the beginning of liver disease.
Is Liver Disease a life-threatening Disease?
Unfortunately, just like humans, dogs can die because of liver failure. It is a life-threatening condition that demands prompt medical care.
The initial symptoms of liver disease may not be very serious, but as the condition progresses, it can become more serious. Jaundice, easy bruising or bleeding, and swelling in the legs and abdomen due to fluid, are some common symptoms of end-stage liver failure.
What are The Common Symptoms That I Need To Watch out For Poor Liver Function?
Many signs and symptoms can indicate liver disease in dogs. The most common ones include diarrhea, vomiting, blood in the stool, encephalopathy (brain disease related to liver failure), swelling of the gallbladder, necrosis (tissue death), and jaundice. Bacterial infection, intense itching, loss of appetite, swelling, and problems with memory and concentration are also some common symptoms.
How Do I Find out If My Dog is Prone To Liver Disease?
Look for the symptoms, especially for jaundice. The constant yellowing of the tongue, eyes, or mucous membranes are the tell-tale signs of liver disease.
A dog prone to liver disease may also present symptoms like lethargy, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or vomiting, when you realize any of these symptoms you shouldn’t ignore and seek immediately for medical help.
What Type Of Diet Can I give my dog with elevated liver enzymes?
The right diet can make a lot of difference to the level of the enzymes in your dog’s liver. Eliminate food with high levels of copper and sodium as it could put additional stress on the liver.
Also, choose diets with moderate levels of lean protein and reduced sugars and refined carbohydrates.
Can a dog’s Liver Repair Itself?
Liver damage can be more serious than you think. Therefore, you must offer your dog a comfortable environment to relax and recover, and the right diet that provides them with all the essential nutrients without stressing the digestive system or compromising liver function. With the right food and assistance from a vet, your dog’s liver should be able to repair itself.
What To Feed a Dog with High Liver Enzymes?
- Dairy products, including yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and goat cheese.
- High-quality proteins from turkey and chicken. Avoid the fish, eggs, and bones in the diet.
- White rice, oatmeal, canned plain pumpkin, and barley. They offer essential fiber.
- Fish oil (a great source of omega 3 fatty acids)
- Coconut oil
- Fruits, including figs, papayas, blueberries, and seedless watermelon.
What To Feed a dog with Liver problems?
Injuries, poor diet, aging, or genes may be the cause of liver disease of your dog It can also be a result of some infection or trauma in that area, as well as other diseases affecting the liver or even medications.
Doberman Pinschers and West Highland Terriers, are at higher risk of liver disease according to studies.
Knowing the reason for liver diseases is your first step in treating your dog as, feeding your dog the suitable food will make it’s liver recovery faster and support its health.
Dietary Advice
Try to feed your dog several times every day, not just one or two meals. Stick to smaller meals and feed him 4-5 times a day to make it easier on his stomach and decrease the amount of nutrients the liver has to process.
What are The Best Sources Of Protein For My Dog?
There are many sources of protein you can choose from, but remember stick to high-quality protein from turkey, chicken, lamb, and other meat sources. Choose a diet with moderate levels of protein levels.
What If My Dog’s Diet Contains Copper?
Copper poisoning is a significant problem for dogs with liver problems. When choosing the best dog food for liver diseases, it is best to pick an option with little to no copper.
What Minerals and Vitamins Should I Add To My Dog’s Diet With Liver Disease?
The suggested list of supplements includes:
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin B
- Zinc
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin C
- Adenosylmethionine (SAMe)
- Calcium
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- L-Carnitine
- L-Arginine
Is a grain-free Diet Option Better For My Dog With Liver Disease?
It depends on your dog’s particular response to grains. If your dog is sensitive and usually takes a grain-free diet, it is best to continue with a grain-free option that wouldn’t put any further stress on the liver. If your dog is fine with a grain-inclusive option, there’s no harm in feeding it.
How do I restrict Sodium Intake For My Dog Diagnosed With Liver Disease?
If you prepare homemade food for your dog diagnosed with liver disease, cut down on salt completely. Watch out for ingredients with natural levels of sodium and eliminate those ingredients too.
For readymade options, check out the labels and pick a food that has minimal to no sodium content. Use the same approach for treats and snacks.
What Things Do I need To Look For In The Best Dog Food For Liver Disease?
You need a perfect balance of nutrients and supplements. In addition to ensuring an impressive nutrient profile, you must ensure the food includes ingredients that will support your dog’s liver care instead of putting further stress on it.
What Treatment Should I give My Dog With Liver Disease?
In addition to changing the diet, there are medicines and supplements available that can be given to dogs to fight the disease. However, it is best to take professional advice from your dog’s vet beforehand.
Your Vet will check your pet and after examination will determine the best if it needs medications or just the diet according to the severity and type of liver disease your dog suffers from.
How Can I Prepare Homemade Dog Food for Liver Disease?
The recipe is good for dogs with liver disease because it has high-quality protein in chicken, cheese, and egg, but it is also rich with soluble fiber from oatmeal and pumpkin, which will help his digestion as well. It is also a pretty simple recipe that requires only around 20 minutes of prep time.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup of low-fat cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup of cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup of cooked oatmeal
- 1 boiled egg
- 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin
Preparation
The first thing to do is to cook the chicken. You can use chicken breasts if you want to stick to lean, low-fat meat, but other parts of chicken meat are also fine. Just make sure that it is boneless and skinless. Dice the chicken meat and then bake it, cook it in a frying pan or boil it, whatever you prefer.
Cook the oatmeal and boil the egg in advance and when your chicken is thoroughly cooked, just mix these ingredients together. After that, add cottage cheese and canned pumpkin and mix it all in one large bowl.
As soon as you mix it properly, you can serve this meal to your dog. You can store leftovers in your fridge for up to 4 days, and if you make a larger batch you can also freeze it for up to 2 months.
Buyer’s Guide
Understanding Liver Disease in Dogs
Dogs Liver Diseases can lead to non-accidental canine deaths. Liver is responsible for removing waste products and toxins from your pet blood and producing bile which has an important role in the digestion process.
Although there are many dogs with liver diseases and it is considered as a common condition in veterinary medicine, when it occurred it can affect a wide range of organs like the heart, brain, and stomach due to the accumulation of waste products and toxins, and lake of bile which affect your pet’s appetite and digestion.
Common Symptoms That You Shouldn’t Ignore
Weakness, fatigue, depression, appetite loss, weight loss, stomach pain, and vomiting are the main symptoms that make you suspect that your dog may suffer from liver disease, Once you notice your dog is suffering from these symptoms, it’s time to consider taking him to your vet for a checkup and diagnosis.
The Ideal Diets For Canine Liver diseases
Diet is great for supporting the overall health of your dog, but if your dog has a liver condition, the wrong food can be harmful and even make the condition worse, so it’s important to give them proper nutrition.
Firstly you need to take your dog to a vet to determine your dog’s specific needs and recommend the best dog food according to the severity of the disease and the condition of your dog and its genre.
You should choose your dog food carefully, which contains low sodium and copper, free from preservatives and harmful ingredients, and don’t forget to choose the form that your dog love as liver disease may affect the appetite of your dog and make it refuse to eat.
The development of Diet For Your Dog
Medical guidance is your first step to treat your dog, you should discuss with your vet all the significant diet changes that must be done.
The basic goals of treatments for your dog liver diseases are:
- Maintain your dog’s energy and health by giving it the right nutrition.
- Don’t forget to minimize stress on your pet organ to support its liver functions.
- Potential complications should be prevented and reduced.
Homemade Dog Food for Liver Disease
According to Dr.Jean Dodds, you should make a mixture of sweet potatoes and white potatoes 50% of each, then mix fish and potato as the ratio 1:2. You can add cooked chopped carrots, scrambled eggs, green beans, and yellow squash.
Remember that you should feed your dog at least 50% of the meat. Also, the number of carbs and grains should be kept under 50%. In order to determine the number of foods to feed your dog, you need to determine his body weight. Then, feed your pet accordingly.
Additional Foods for Dogs with Liver Disease
Here are some great additional foods you can add to your dog’s diet to give its food some nutritional value and support its liver health:
- Add safe dairy products to your dog’s diet, like ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt. These foods will help his digestion and will also produce less ammonia than meat. Just make sure that you stick to dairy products that are low in salt and fat and keep in mind that goat cheese is easier to digest than cow cheese.
- Eggs are a great source of protein for your dog and you should include them in your diet. Other protein sources you can include are fish, and skinless and boneless turkey or chicken. These foods are high-quality proteins that are good for your dog’s liver.
- Oatmeal is great for liver disease because it contains soluble fiber that can help remove ammonia from your dog’s system, which is good for the liver because it doesn’t have to process it then. Boiled white rice is also something you should include in his diet because of soluble fiber, as well as barley and canned pumpkin.
- Add a little bit of fish oil or salmon oil to your dog’s meals because they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and they can help reduce inflammation within the liver.
- There is also a possibility that some fruits like watermelon, fig, and papaya can protect the liver, so try to include them in your dog’s diet. However, if you want to feed your dog watermelon, then try to take out all the seeds because they can cause intestinal blockage. Also, don’t give your dog more than a few figs because they can cause stomach upset.
- Coconut, and especially coconut oil can be good for your dog’s liver. Coconut oil is particularly good if your dog has trouble absorbing fat. Just add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil daily to your dog’s diet, and use virgin or unrefined coconut oil.
There are essential ingredients you should add and others you should take care of for dogs with liver diseases:
Protein Control
You should monitor your dog protein intake, and Look for the high-quality proteins. Meat sources protein is the best, as the proteins, you give your dog should come with enough amino acid for his digestion.
plant-based proteins can be added, but remember to give your pet less protein in order to control the symptoms of liver disease.
Copper Considerations
Some animal proteins are available in high levels of copper, It’s best to avoid these proteins. Protein sources with high levels of copper include lamb, duck, pork, and salmon.
However, there are also protein sources that are low in copper such as chicken, turkey, beef, eggs, whitefish, and cheese.
You should be careful when you choose your pet food, as it can accelerate the rate of recovery of your dog, or it can make the damage worse and may lead to bad results on your pet’s health.
Fat
Having a high level of fat in your dog’s diet may be the reason it suffers from liver disease. So, it’s best to give these dogs a diet with 50% fat content.
The low-fat diet will decrease the stress on your dog liver and make its recovery faster.
Carbohydrates
Diet with high fiber content, will make your dog digestion easier. Carbohydrate is considered as an important factor in any dog food So, it’s essential to add fiber to his diet.
At the same time, Diet Fibers will remove ammonia which is a source of toxins. Carbohydrates may be found in cooked oatmeal, pasta, and white rice.
Additives and Supplements
You should give dogs with liver disease a low-salt diet. This is to prevent the fluid in the abdomen from building up. There are some great supplements to consider such as vitamin B complex, vitamin E, C, K, Zinc, and Adenosylmethionine.
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Conclusion
Once again, it’s important for every pet owner to read the label of dog foods before making a buying decision. In fact, it will be difficult for your pet with liver disease if you don’t choose dog foods with the right supplements for liver disease.
If your dog is suffering from this condition, you can take close attention to our recommendations above. They can help a lot.
Don’t forget to check out the recommendations I have made above to help you narrow down your options. Use this information and get the best dog foods for combating liver disease!
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