Does your dog have liver disease or problems, and as a result, often turns their nose up at their food? Lack of appetite is a common symptom of liver disease in dogs and can be anxiety-inducing for a dog parent, who quite rightly wants them to eat for their health. If your pooch has a liver that’s somewhat dysfunctional, sourcing the most beneficial food for them - and making sure they want to eat it - is an essential part of their ongoing treatment.
So, what’s the best dog food for dogs with liver disease? In this article we’ll go through the attributes you’ll need to look for when planning the best diet for your liver-strained pooch, and go over some key foods they should and shouldn’t eat in order to stay fit and well.
Just as in humans, the liver is mightily important to a dog’s internal function - put simply, it helps digest food, filter toxins and regulate the blood. There’s lots of contributors to liver disease in dogs, and if you’re not sure if your dog has it, you can read more about its symptoms and causes here.
If you already know that your dog has liver disease, you’ll hopefully be aware that the right diet is essential to their daily functioning and needs to be carefully chosen. A diet that’s tailored to support a damaged liver is called a hepatic diet - and that’s a phrase you’ll want to remember. A hepatic diet contains easily digestible ingredients and a clever balance of food groups that will nourish your dog, and their liver, while putting as little pressure on the organ as possible.
So when your dog has liver disease or problems, you’ll want to find a high-quality hepatic dog food for their regular meals. But what exactly does this mean, and what should you look for when sourcing this food?
Let’s lay out the main attributes of a hepatic diet, i.e. the best food for your dog’s liver problems:
Usually, a hepatic dog food has:
Though protein-heavy food is usually recommended for dogs of standard health, for dogs with liver dysfunction it tends to be the opposite. The liver works especially hard to process protein, so reducing the amount it has to work with means your dog’s body isn’t being put under stress that it can’t handle.
Protein is still an essential food group however, so dog food for liver disease will usually derive protein from small amounts of fish, eggs or peas as an alternative to red meat or offal.
So exactly what kind of food should you go for that supports a liver-friendly, hepatic diet for dogs?
For dogs with liver issues who also have a grain allergy or who prefer a grain-free diet, Pooch & Mutt offers a vet recommended, specialist dog food for liver disease that contains zero grain. Our Veterinary Food for Liver Disease uses the specifications of a hepatic diet for healthy liver function and is entirely grain-free. What’s more, unlike other prescription hepatic foods, we’ve boosted flavour by adding delicious chicken skin and salmon oil - the perfect amount of succulent fats to make it irresistible to dogs who may have gone off their food. To top it off, we’ve added milk thistle - its nutrients are excellent for liver function.
If your vet has instructed that your pooch eat hepatic dog food, then a premium specialist hepatic food such as our Pooch & Mutt Vet range should be fine, but chat it over with your vet first to be sure.
Hepatic dog food is usually prescribed for dogs with the following conditions:
If your dog doesn’t have liver problems, do not feed them hepatic dog food as it doesn’t contain the right balance of ingredients to support a standard dog diet and they could become unwell.
Not only are blueberries deemed a ‘superfood’ for humans, in moderation they are packed full of benefits for dogs too - and are even recommended for boosting liver function in dogs. Blueberries contain anthocyanins - clever antioxidants that protect the liver from oxidative stress; and also Vitamin K, which is especially good for liver health.
Lots of dog owners feed their pooches peanut butter, but it’s always a risk - and likely too dangerous to feed to a dog with liver disease.
Not only is peanut butter high in harmful trans fats used to preserve its shelf life, it can also contain aflatoxins - a cancer-causing mycotoxin that often targets the liver. The FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) warns that acute, prolonged exposure to aflatoxins “inhibit the normal functions of the liver, including carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and protein synthesis.”
Finally, any peanut butter brand that contains Xylitol - an artificial sweetener that is fine for humans, but toxic to dogs - should definitely be avoided, as Xylitol has also been reported to contribute to liver failure. In general, it’s probably a better idea to keep the peanut butter jar to yourself.
Bananas sometimes get a bad rep for being relatively high fat and high sugar, but they’re high in B vitamins and a safe snack for dogs with liver disease when given in moderation.
Eggs are one of the best sources of protein for dogs with liver disease. As they’re nutrient-rich and gentle on digestion, eggs are a tasty alternative to meat protein sources (especially red meat) as part of a hepatic diet.
Yummy sweet potatoes are packed with B vitamins which help support liver function, so it’s a great food option for a dog with liver disease. It’s also rich in starch and a good source of complex carbohydrates.
There’s lots of reasons dogs develop liver disease, and this can dictate what foods they should and shouldn’t eat. Some dogs have liver dysfunction due to copper build-up, for instance, so need to avoid foods rich in copper - but for other dogs, this may not be the case. Always talk to your vet to get specific recommendations over the needs of your pooch.
Usually, dogs with liver disease are recommended to avoid:
If your pooch has a poorly liver, you may be nervous over whether they’re eating the best food for their condition, especially as dogs with liver dysfunction suffer from a suppressed appetite. With the right specialist dog food, however, you needn’t worry - as they’ll be getting the exact right balance of food groups and nutrients to support their liver’s needs and boost their health and wellbeing overall.
Pooch & Mutt’s Veterinary Range has been developed for a variety of specific health conditions in dogs - including our Hepatic/Liver Veterinary Food which contains all the active ingredients and specifications of a prescription dog food on a tasty, grain-free base. With added chicken skin and salmon oil, your pooch will be licking the bowl clean every mealtime.
References
If you're worried your pooch might be suffering with liver problems, take a look at our blog post all about liver disease in dogs.
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Comments (23)
Our 12 year old dog suffers from high liver enzymes. She’s been on medication for 4 years. We have changed to Royal Cainn Hepatic diet 4 years ago. Nothing has changed in her liver enzymes levels. We read the information in your article, that pork is not good for dogs with liver disease.
The Hepatic dog we are feeding her have ingredients such as pork, chicken livers, and fillers. Should we switch to your Hepatic formula dog food?
Hi Linda, when looking to switch to our vet food we would always advise checking with your vet first, just to be sure they are happy with your pup being on our food. As there could be a reason your vet has advised this diet and particular brand. If you have any other questions, please reach out to the team on pooch@poochandmutt.com :)
Our mini heeler has started having massive poops, smelly and light tan. We took all but one ingredient out and he seemed better. Then we added a cancer diet dog food that we make at home back in with a squirt of fish oil, and it all started again. So its back to just one comercial dog food, and see what happens. We’re afraid to take him to the vet as they say the tests would run between 500 and 1000$. We have 8 dogs and would like to solve this ourselves. Suggestions?
Hi Scott, our team will reach out to you directly with this and help as best we can :)
My dogs liver # are up I feed her fresh pet food is that ok
Hi Karen, we would advise consulting your vet about this, as some pooches do need a specific diet with their liver disease.
Hi, I just wondered if your food was ok for the function of the kidneys too?
Thanks
Leanne
Hi Leanne, our Hepatic/Liver food is aimed at those with liver disease or liver issues, if your pooch has additional kidney trouble we would advise consulting your vet to see if this food would be suitable for them. Alternatively, if they have kidney problems only, you could look at our Renal/Kidney veterinary food instead. If you have any questions please reach out to the team on pooch@poochandmutt.com :)
Hi. What kind of biscuits can I give my dog if she has too much copper in her liver? The Vet just suggested that I give my dog prescription dog food because of the liver disease
Hi Adela, If your vet has advised your dog has liver disease, then our Hepatic / Liver disease veterinary food may be a good option for her. We would always advise consulting your vet first, to ensure they are happy for you to feed our food. :)
Hello. Can we buy your food in Spain? My little dog has just been diagnosed with liver disease. Thank you
My mini dachshund was diagnosed with Cushing .her liver enzymes are 1700 what can I give her to bring down her enzymes
Hi Mildred, we would advise speaking with your vet about this and they will be best to advise what might help bring down the liver enzymes. :)
Hi Linda, Apple4 pets / Applecore do stock our products, but we can’t guarantee that they will have our new vet range unfortunately and we really apologise about this
I took my little Shih Tzu Allie to the emergency veterinarian and he diagnosed her with UTI and gave her antibiotic for seven days. They Gave her seven days of antibiotic and took blood and her liver enzymes were a little over 500. After two pills she seen much better but of course finished all of them and gets her liver enzymes checked in two more weeks. He did not know for sure what was wrong with her is there anything that you can think of that it might be? There were many test you wanted to do but I do not have the money and they will not do anything without money upfront. Thank you for any help. You can give me as far as diagnosis or possible diagnosis.
Hi Freda,
I am really sorry but we are unable to help with a diagnosis and your own vet would be best placed to advise as they know your pets history. If they have requested to run several tests, it might be that there are a few possibilities and might be worth discussing further with them.
Freda. I have experienced the same issue with my yorkie. The vets will not do anything with money. I took my yorkie to Tijuana Mexico. To my surprise, they took care my dog. My total bill there was less than my one visit here in California. I hoped this helps.
My 10yr mixed breed was diagnosed with SARDS in May .
A blood test has revealed very high enzyme liver levels .
She is allergic to chicken-
I am trying to find a food that will help her liver function??
Today I found out that my Pooch dog at 10 years have high ALT 305!
She eats mostly Vegetarian diet( Hindu) cooked beans and steam cooked Vegetables & waffle (120 Cal) in the morning. She is Obese per Vet ! Any suggestions for high ALT? Can it be Fatty liver? She likes fresh warm homemade food only. What else I can feel her? Thanks.
Hi Laurie, we do sell a Hepatic Dry Food which helps improve Live Function, however this does contain Chicken Fat so this wouldn’t be appropriate I’m afraid, you may need to contact your Vet and ask them to prescribe a food for you :)
Hi Hema, High ALT is not a specific sign and is something your vet should look into further.
While it can indicate liver disease, we can also see it with e.g. Cushing’s disease, heart disease or intestinal inflammation.
So further tests are needed to determine why the ALT is raised. This could include e.g. a Bile Acid Stimulation Blood test, urine analysis and/or abdominal scan.
As she is obese, for now I’d consider our slim and slender diet.
Reducing her weight is really important, both to prevent disease but also to ensure she gets the best quality of life.
She may need to be moved onto a veterinary diet (such as our hepatic food), depending on further test results going forward.
I have been feeding your food to my Chihuahua with Liver problems, the vet is happy with Barkley being on your food… But the problem is he has gained 1 kg , when he’s only having 50 grams a day.. Barkley walks 2 miles a day, any help appreciated because it is not good to have a over weight animal
Hi Pauline, If you would like to reach out to the team on pooch@poochandmutt.com with your dogs breed, age and ideal weight, we would be more than happy to double check the feeding guidelines for you :)
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