Enter your search term

Search by title or post keyword

Hepatitis in Dogs, Types, Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Our website is supported by our users. We sometimes earn affiliate links when you click through the affiliate links on our website

Contact us for Questions

Are you sure that your dog is suffering from Hepatitis? Have you confirmed it with your vet? Or if you are seeing some changes in dogs and won’t know which symptoms it looks like. If you think that your dog has affected by hepatitis. Then you can check the complete details of Hepatitis in Dogs.

Many Dogs share the suffering of various diseases with us and one of them is the one that affects the functioning of the liver. Let’s see what hepatitis is in dogs, why it occurs and what symptoms it has in order to recognize it in time.

Hepatitis in Dogs
Chronic Hepatitis in Dogs Diagnosis and Treatment

So in this article, we have mentioned the complete details about Hepatitis in dogs, it causes along with the symptoms and treatments which you should take care off. Continue Reading the article…

What is Hepatitis in Dogs

The term hepatitis comes from the Greek words “hepar” (liver) and “itis” which means inflammation. Canine hepatitis is a pathological disease in which the liver becomes inflamed and its cells get damaged. Which prevents them from functioning correctly. It is usually caused by a virus, although there are other factors that can cause it such as autoimmune disease.

Symptoms of Canine Hepatitis

Hepatitis in dogs consists of inflammation of the liver and offers different symptoms such as:

  • Yellowish color in the eyes
  • Yellowish skin
  • Mucosal congestion
  • Fatigue
  • Cognitive confusion
  • Abdominal pain
  • Loss of appetite and weight loss
  • Threw up
  • Increase in thirst
  • Urine darker than normal
  • Fever
  • Depression
  • Muscular weakness
  • Joint pain (the dog complains when touching the joints of the legs)
  • Arthritis
  • Blood clotting problems

Unfortunately, not all dogs offer symptoms and often when they are visible (such as yellow eyes) it may be too late. If you observe some of these symptoms (not all of them, obviously), you should go immediately to your veterinarian and tell him in detail all the physical or behavioral changes that you have observed in your dog. And he through various analytics can detect if it is hepatitis or even it could be another serious ailment.

How is Hepatitis Produced in Dogs?

Dogs like humans have anatomy with vital organs similar to ours. So the liver is vital in your body because it is one of the most important organs and with more functions.

canine hepatitis symptoms

More than 500 different functions of the liver have been studied among which the production of bile, production of certain proteins in the blood, metabolizing drugs, processing and balancing the blood leaving the stomach and intestines, conversion of the excess of glucose in glycogen, conversion of toxic ammonia into urea for subsequent excretion, and a long etcetera.

Hepatitis in dogs occurs with an inflammation of the liver. Which can originate from a poor diet or by the intoxication of substances that gradually affect the liver to cause serious damage. But perhaps the most frequent cause of hepatitis in dogs is viral hepatitis or infectious canine hepatitis.

Types of Hepatitis in Dogs

The types of hepatitis in dogs will vary depending on the cause that originated it. The most frequent would be:

Canine Infectious Hepatitis:

In this case, liver inflammation is caused by a virus called Adenovirus CAV-1 or Type I Canino. It is spread when the dog has contact with objects or contaminated water or with the urine of an infected dog. In acute cases, the dog can die in a matter of days and the most vulnerable to it are young puppies. In this type of hepatitis, there is no type of predisposition according to the breed of the dog. Not all dogs will react the same after infection. Some may die in a matter of hours or days, and others may instead show a less severe infection, or become chronically ill.

Common Hepatitis:

This type of hepatitis occurs when there is inflammation of the liver by exposure for a long enough to drugs or toxic substances that damage the liver.

Autoimmune Hepatitis:

This is caused by a dysfunction of the dog’s immune system that attacks the cells of its liver by destroying them. Let’s say that due to an error in the organism, the dog’s defenses attack his own liver.

Recommended Articles:

Treatment of Hepatitis in Dogs

You can not talk about a single type of canine hepatitis treatment. Since your veterinarian will advise you which is the most suitable for your dog based on the cause of the pathology.

Chronic Hepatitis in Dogs

In the case of infectious hepatitis, the veterinarian usually prescribes antibiotics to prevent secondary infections. You can also prescribe other drugs to control the symptoms your dog has developed. As for your diet, you may prescribe your dog a protein-rich diet and may even give you serums or other ways to alleviate dehydration.

In the case of common hepatitis, the treatment will be symptomatic, taking care of and balancing the factors that cause liver damage. In canine autoimmune hepatitis, the symptoms are also treated, but also the veterinarian can prescribe your dog specific drugs to try to regulate your dog immune system to try to prevent future damage to the liver.

Prevention of Hepatitis in Dogs

The most important thing to keep our dogs in good health and with an excellent quality of life is to provide a balanced diet and as rich and varied as possible. Which provides all the necessary nutrients. It is also important to maintain good hygiene in all areas where the dog lives as well as in its trough and feeder.

Prevention of Hepatitis in Dogs

We should never give drugs or medicines on our own to dogs since some of them can seriously damage your dogs liver and cause other health disorders. It is advisable to make periodic visits to the veterinarian, as well as blood and urine tests at least once a year in order to detect any possible disease in time.

If it is infectious hepatitis, it is necessary to prevent it with vaccination. Luckily viral hepatitis can be prevented with a vaccine which is very effective. Normally the veterinarian puts the puppies a vaccine called “polyvalent” that protects against several diseases including hepatitis.

Additionally, it is important to give them affection as well as to keep them active by taking walks and daily walks. As well as outdoor games and exercises, which will help keep your dog’s body and health in balance.

Conclusion

Finally, you got all the information about Hepatitis in dogs along with types of hepatitis in dogs, causes, symptoms, and treatment of hepatitis in dogs. We hope you like this article about hepatitis in dogs. Feel free to ask your questions in the comment box below. Share the article with other dog owners and friends at social networking sites. Stay tuned to dogsfud for more dog related article.

Leave a Comment

Explore More within Happy Pets Now

Happy Pets Now
A comprehensive resource for information about your pet.
post explore
Happy Pets Now
  • Types of Fish

Tadpoles: Types, Behaviors, Lifespan, Costs & More

September 21, 2022
7 min read
Happy Pets Now
  • Health & Care

Cherry Shrimp Care: Tank, Water & Food Requirements

September 5, 2022
8 min read
Happy Pets Now
  • Types of Fish

Cherry Shrimp: Behaviors, Lifespan, Tank & Water Requirements, Care & More

September 5, 2022
6 min read

The Best Pet Resource Hub on the Web. Subscribe to our Newsletter!