The liver plays a vital role in your pet's health. It also is a critical factor in your pet's immune system, as 70-80% of the immunity comes from the digestive tract, and the liver is an accessory organ to this.  Liver disease in dogs is becoming more common. 

There are said to be at least 500 functions that the liver does. Below we have listed just some of the most important:

• Bile production and excretion – bile aids digestion by helping the digestive tract break down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates
• Metabolise bilirubin, the waste product from red blood cells. The liver helps to excrete it from the body.
• Blood clotting – the bile the liver produces is essential for absorbing Vitamin K, an important factor in helping the blood clot.
• Metabolises carbohydrates which are stored in the liver and turned into glucose to help the body maintain good glucose levels and are also released when the body needs energy quickly.
• Processes fat and protein, making them more digestible
• Storage of vitamins and minerals – A, D, E, K, B12, Iron, and Copper. The liver stores iron ready to help make new red blood cells
• Blood filtration – the liver filters and removes compounds from the blood such as hormones, drugs, and toxins
• Immune function – the liver contains Kupffer cells that activate the immune system to fight and destroy pathogens that enter the gut system.
• Produces albumin, which is the most common protein in blood serum

Regeneration

The liver is the body's only visceral (internal) organ to regenerate. As long as it has 25 percent of the original organ, it can regrow back to its original size over a matter of weeks and still carry out its amazing functions. But the liver does need to be healthy to keep functioning correctly.

How to keep your pet's liver healthy

• Diet – at Natural Pet, we like natural diets, raw is best, but there are many good naturally produced diets.
• Try to use natural over synthetic. The liver processes all substances you put on or in your pet. These include flea and worming treatments, shampoos and creams, steroids, antibiotics, or drugs, so natural is better. 
• Keeping them away from chemicals – any chemicals you are using or spraying around your property, including roundup, can be very toxic to your pets, whether inhaled or contacted via the skin. (We can help if you think your pet has been exposed to roundup).
• Keeping your pet well-exercised and stress-free will help overall health and liver function.
• Please give them a detox and cleanse once a year to keep the liver in top functioning order.

Signs to look out for

If your pet's liver is not functioning as it should, then there are a few clear indicators:

• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting
• Weight loss
• Lethargic and sluggish
• Soft or grey stools
• Dry, flaky, or itchy skin, dandruff

(But these are just indicators and can also indicate other health problems, so you should get them checked out by your vet)

Natural Remedies that can help

We currently have two remedies in the Tagiwig range designed to detox, cleanse and help the liver function.

Liver Tonic – our herbal and homeopathic blend. The herbs include Milk thistle, Dandelion, and Meadowsweet, the top herbal remedies used to assist the liver, a mix of the best homeopathic remedies that support the liver, including -Berberis vulgaris and Chelidonium.

Liver Tonic (Hom) – our homeopathic-only blend, the same as our Liver Tonic above but without the herbal content.

Many clients have found that our Liver Tonic has helped to reduce their pet's liver enzymes and bring them back into a normal range.

You can use either of the above remedies if your pet has elevated liver enzymes or liver problems or just for a yearly cleanse.